Abraham Lincoln's Rare Handwritten Reference Letter for Black Valet Reveals 19th Century Race Relations

Abraham Lincoln referred to the then-28-year-old Johnson in correspondence as a "coloured boy."

A brief, handwritten note serves as a typical employment reference for a man seeking work. What makes it extraordinary is that it was authored by the United States President. Even more remarkable, it was written in 1861 for a Black man.

Abraham Lincoln composed this recommendation for his young associate, William Johnson, because paradoxically, Johnson's darker complexion led to rejection by freed Black White House staff members who had lighter skin.

"The difference of color between him and the other servants is the cause of our separation," Lincoln wrote in the March 16, 1861, letter recently donated by private collector Peter Tuite to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, where visitors can now view it. Navy Secretary Gideon Welles, who received the letter, responded that no position was available.

For a mid-19th century president to demonstrate such personal concern for a Black man's wellbeing is remarkable. This becomes even more significant considering Lincoln had been inaugurated less than two weeks earlier, inheriting a nation divided by secession and facing an imminent Civil War.

Christina Shutt, executive director of the library and museum, noted the short letter "contains layer upon layer" of insights about Lincoln's presidential beginning.

"We see him trying to help a friend. We see that even the new president cannot casually hand out jobs," Shutt explained. "We see issues of class and color within the White House."

Little documentation exists about Johnson before he began working as Lincoln's valet and driver in Springfield in 1859. He traveled with the president-elect to Washington.

Though Lincoln described the then-28-year-old Johnson in letters as a "coloured boy," the personal favor he extended to Johnson was characteristic of the Great Emancipator, according to James Conroy, a retired Massachusetts attorney and historian whose books include a study of Lincoln's White House.

Lincoln treated the White House staff, largely comprised of freed African Americans, with dignity. In separate writings, Conroy noted that Lincoln never demanded service but asked staff politely "and let them bear no hardship he could lift."

"Nobody can question that Lincoln was a very kindly guy, very empathetic, trying to help people when he could," Conroy told The Associated Press. "And that crossed Black and white and male and female and everything else. He was a genuinely good guy."

It wasn't until November that Lincoln secured a position for Johnson at the Treasury Department. Lincoln maintained a close working relationship with Johnson, paying him for daily shaves and frequently employing him as a chauffeur.

Johnson accompanied Lincoln to Pennsylvania in November 1863 for the Gettysburg Address. When Lincoln exhibited symptoms of a mild case of smallpox during the trip, Johnson cared for him. Johnson died of smallpox in early 1864, possibly contracting it from the president or during one of several Washington outbreaks at that time.

While Johnson was ill, Lincoln collected his paycheck and ensured it reached him. Following Johnson's death, Lincoln paid for his coffin and offered to repay Johnson's $150 loan, though the bank forgave half the amount.