December 19, 1951

Truman, Harry S., 1884-1972

Typed letter signed

Title: Memo to Attorney General re: possible pardon of John Carson

Typed on White House stationery. Stamped and dated by A.G. office. No mention of crime.

GLC00045.48

April 16, 1867

Johnson, Andrew, 1808-1875

Document signed

Title: Pardon of John Bowman, convicted of larceny. Includes petitions and receipts.

Convicted of larceny; sentenced to 1 year imprisonment. Pardoned because of his previous good character, recommendations of citizens and his eight years service in the U.S. Army. (c/s William H. Seward)

GLC00051

August 24, 1936

Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), 1882-1945

Document signed

Title: Pardon of Joseph Beren, alien (c/s H. Cummings [AG])

Convicted of perjury in an immigration proceeding: pardoned so that he might be allowed to reapply for readmission if deported.

GLC00052

July 17, 1879

Hayes, Rutherford B., 1822-1893

Document signed

Title: Pardon of Catherine Bailey, convicted of larceny.

Convicted of larceny; sentenced to 2 years imprisonment. Pardoned since delayed proceedings lengthened her imprisonment [she had already been imprisoned 16 months], and by recommendation of several respectable citizens. Also, pardoned due to her advanced age. (c/s William M. Evarts)

GLC00055

June 15, 1877

Hayes, Rutherford B., 1822-1893

Document signed

Title: Pardon of Patrick Breen, Jr., convicted of assault.

Convicted of assault; sentenced to 11 months imprisonment. Pardoned by recommendation of the judge and U.S. District Attorney. (c/s William M. Evarts)

GLC00056

April 26, 1860

Buchanan, James, 1791-1868

Document signed

Title: [Pardon of Moses Lowenstein for keeping a bawdy house].

Countersigned by Secretary of State Lewis Cass. Lowenstein was convicted in December 1859 in Washington, D.C. He was a resident of New York City imprisoned in Washington for being unable to pay the fine imposed upon him by the courts. After receiving a petition from Lowenstein, and supporting petitions from Lowenstein's daughter, Franzisca, citizens, and justices of the peace Charles Walter and Thomas C. Donn, Buchanan pardoned Lowenstein.

GLC00061

January 25, 1871

Grant, Ulysses S. (Ulysses Simpson), 1822-1885

Document signed

Title: Pardon of Alexander Marioli, convicted of assault and battery.

Convicted of assault and battery; sentenced to pay a $10 fine and court costs. Pardoned by recommendation of several citizens, to his extreme poverty, dependent family, and his inability to thus pay the fine. (c/s Hamilton Fish)

GLC00060

01 May 1963

Kennedy, John Fitzgerald, 1917-1963

Document signed

Title: Pardon of Frederic E. Schluter (c/s Robert Kennedy [AG])

Convicted of embezzlement: pardoned since his prison sentence had been suspended, probation extended and fine paid. Also, he had conducted himself in a law-abiding manner.

GLC00067

1792-1963

Various

Header Record

Title: Collection of 24 items relating to presidential pardons. See decimalized entries. [Decimalized .01-.24]

GLC00068

December 16, 1816

Madison, James, 1751-1836

Document signed

Title: [Delay of execution of Clinton Adams and Randal Terrier]

Countersigned by Secretary of State James Monroe. Adams and Terrier were convicted of highway robbery in June 1816. Respite was granted until 21 February, 1817. No reason mentioned for respite.

GLC00068.02

27 May 1818

Monroe, James, 1758-1831

Document signed

Title: [Pardon of Felix McNamare for felonious act]

Signed by James Monroe. Countersigned by Secretary of State John Quincy Adams. Pardoned since McNamare had served a large portion of his two-year sentence and there were circumstances tending to the mitigation of the offense. Accompanied by a paper seal.

GLC00068.03

5 July 1834

Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845

Document signed

Title: [Pardon of William Collins for larceny]

Countersigned by Secretary of State John Forsyth. Collins was pardoned in June 1834 on condition of paying costs of prosecution. Pardoned by Jackson due to the inability to pay prosecution fees.

GLC00068.04

26 July 1847

Polk, James K. (James Knox), 1795-1849

Document signed

Title: Pardon of John Krause, convicted of assault with intent to kill.

Convicted of assault with intent to kill and sentenced to 2 years hard labor. Pardoned since he was penitent and the citizens of Georgetown had requested pardon. (c/s James Buchanan)

GLC00068.06

04 November 1858

Buchanan, James, 1791-1868

Document signed

Title: Pardon of Charles Barrett, convicted of murder.

Convicted of murder; sentenced to death. Sentence commuted due to Barrett's youth, and because the crime was unintentional, not premeditated, and was done in "...a moment perpetrated under the maddening effects of intoxicating liquor...". (c/s Lewis Cass)

GLC00068.08

January 13, 1863

Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865

Document signed

Title: [Presidential pardon of Henry Buschrae, who had been convicted in the District of Columbia of larceny in June 1861].

Buschrae was pardoned by Abraham Lincoln because he had served nearly all of his sentence, because he had been well behaved in prison, because he had been of good character and was drunk when he committed the larceny, because he had "served faithfully as a volunteer soldier in the defense of his country," and because many citizens of the District of Columbia had petitioned him on his behalf. Countersigned by Secretary of State William H. Seward.

GLC00044.02

May 21, 1863

Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865

Document signed

Title: [Presidential pardon of Albert Horn, who had been convicted in New York in October 1862 of fitting out the ship, City of Norfolk, for trade in slaves]

Horn was pardoned by Abraham Lincoln because, on the testimony of the physician of the county jail of New York and that of Dr. A. Jacobi, professor in the New York Medical College, and by Dr. T. S. Edwards of New York that Horn was suffering from disease of the lungs and liver which had been aggravated while he was imprisoned and this aggravation would materially shorten his life were his imprisonment to continue. Also because this opinion was concurred in by Robert Murray, United States Marshal for this district and because of the petition of Peter V. King and Simeon Draper of New York, who…

GLC00044.03

November 9, 1863

Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865

Document signed

Title: [Presidential pardon of James Dillion, who in New York City had been convicted in June 1860 of mutiny on board the William F. Storer].

James Dillion was pardoned by Abraham Lincoln near the end of his sentence because of his good behavior while incarcerated in Sing Sing Prison, on the petition of citizens, and on the recommendation of the U. S. District Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Countersigned by Secretary of State William H. Seward.

GLC00044.04

November 25, 1864

Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865

Document signed

Title: [Presidential pardon of Peter Columbus who, in August 1864 in the Northern District of New York, had been convicted of perjury].

Peter Columbus was pardoned by Abraham Lincoln because he had been sufficiently punished while incarcerated at the Monroe County, New York, Penitentiary and at the petition of citizens. Countersigned by William H. Seward.

GLC00044.05

January 12, 1814

Madison, James, 1751-1836

Document signed

Title: [Pardon of Joseph Butler for larceny].

Countersigned by Secretary of State James Monroe. Convicted of larceny in the District of Columbia in April, 1838. Butler had been sentenced to be "publicly whipped 54 stripes" and pay a fine and court costs. Madison pardoned him because he continued to be imprisoned, as he was too poor to pay the fine.

GLC00045.03

May 23, 1818

Monroe, James, 1758-1831

Document signed

Title: [Pardon of Enoch Spaulding for breach of the peace]

Countersigned by Secretary of State John Quincy Adams. Pardoned from paying fine and court costs and freed from imprisonment due to his poverty and his family's dependence upon him.

GLC00045.04

July 1, 1823

Monroe, James, 1758-1831

Document signed

Title: [Pardon of Daniel Easterbrooks for smuggling coffee]

Countersigned by Secretary of State John Quincy Adams. Easterbrooks was convicted in Bristol, Rhode Island, in 1822 and pardoned since it was his first offense, expressed regret for the crime, and was unable to pay the fine.

GLC00045.05

December 11, 1829

Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845

Document signed

Title: [Remission of balance of sentence of Orrin Sherman for stealing money from the U.S. Mail]

Sherman's sentence was remitted upon payment of costs by President Jackson because he had shown repentance. Accompanied by a four page petition dated September 1829 with signatures, testimonials and a one page certification of Connecticut citizenship by Connecticut Governor Gideon Tomlinson, dated 31 October 1829. Name on Jackson's remission is spelled "Schearman."

GLC00045.06

April 2, 1847

Polk, James K. (James Knox), 1795-1849

Document signed

Title: Pardon of Thomas Gardner, convicted of burglary. Also, includes petitions and receipt of pardon.

Convicted of burglary; sentenced to 3 years hard labor at a penitentiary. Pardoned due to Polk's petition by the jury and judge, and for "...divers other good and sufficient reasons..." (c/s N.P. Trist)

GLC00045.07

January 13, 1848

Polk, James K. (James Knox), 1795-1849

Document signed

Title: [Presidential authority to the Secretary of State to affix the seal to the pardon of Samuel Howard].

Convicted of passing counterfeit coin; sentenced to 3 years imprisonment. Pardoned due to age, previous honesty, family's dependence, small amount of counterfeited money involved, and judge's request. Countersigned by Secretary of State James Buchanan. Also, includes petitions and receipt of pardon.

GLC00045.08

June 24, 1848

Polk, James K. (James Knox), 1795-1849

Document signed

Title: Pardon of John Paterson, John Smith & Peter Johnson, convicted of larceny on high seas.

Convicted of larceny on high seas; sentenced to 4 months imprisonment and a fine of $30 each. Pardoned after serving prison sentence, as "they are seafaring men, dependent upon their monthly wages for support, have no property, and are wholly unable to pay the fine...". (c/s James Buchanan) "Duplicate" written on top.

GLC00045.09