Our Collection

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 [Respite of execution for slaver Nathaniel Gordon]

Order a pdf of this item here.

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC00182 Author/Creator: Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 Place Written: Washington, District of Columbia Type: Document signed Date: February 4, 1862 Pagination: 3 p. : Height: 41 cm, Width: 27 cm Order a Copy

Countersigned by Secretary of State William H. Seward. Convicted of engaging in the slave trade, respite granted to allow Gordon to prepare for execution. He was the only slave trader in U.S. history to be executed for that crime and was executed on 21 February 1862 in New York. See story in Harpers Weekly, 8 March 1862, p.150 (ill. p.157).

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

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources