ASSOCIATE JUSTICE JOHN MCLEAN - AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED 12/01/1814 - HFSID 3453

JOHN McLEAN
John McLean sends an autograph letter saying that the money owed will take a while to obtain.
Autograph Letter Signed: "John McLean", 1p, 7¾x9¾. Representatives Chamber, 1814 December 1. To Mr. Smith. In full: "Your note was yesterday received. Since my arrival at this place, I received a line from Gen. Taylor requesting me to obtain from Mr. Fish of New York one hundred dollars a note for which had been placed in his hands for collection. Mr. Fish informed me he had called on the individual who owed the money to Gen. Taylor, but could not obtain payment. A suit has been directed. It will probably be a considerable time before the money can be collected." McLean was 29 years old when he wrote this letter. He represented Ohio in the House of Representatives from 1813 until his resignation in 1816 to become Associate Judge of the State Supreme Court (1816-1822). McLean served as Postmaster General under Presidents Monroe, Adams and Jackson (1823-1829). Appointed Associate Justice of the Supreme Court by President Jackson on March 7, 1829, his fourth day in office, McLean served until his death in 1861. In 1857 he wrote a vigorous dissenting opinion in the Dred Scott case. At the 1856 and 1860 Republican National Conventions, Justice McLean's name was placed in nomination for President. He finished second to Frémont in 1856 and fifth to Lincoln in 1860. Fragile. Worn. Nicked, torn edges. Side edges have 3 tape stains. Separation at horizontal folds. Stained. Folds. Horizontal fold touches signature. Show through from docket on verso touches some text.