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At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 [Presidential pardon of John W. Demaine, who had been convicted in the District of Columbia of larceny in August 1856].

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02777 Author/Creator: Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 Place Written: Washington, District of Columbia Type: Document signed Date: 27 September 1861 Pagination: 2 p. : Height: 41 cm, Width: 25 cm Order a Copy

Demaine was pardoned near the end of his term because he was young and inexperienced at the time of the commission of the crime and under the influence of older persons and because the jurors who had rendered the verdict against him were recommending it, as well as a number of highly respected citizens. Signed by Abraham Lincoln. Countersigned by Secretary of State William H. Seward.

Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865
Seward, William H. (William Henry), 1801-1872

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