LEGARE, HUGH SWINTON, as Attorney General of the U.S. Clipped closing of a letter with signature. N.p.: circa 6 April 1842. The final paragraph and closing salutation clipped from a longer letter, signed "H.S. Legare," the note reading "We received Lord Ashburton today. God grant his mission has given us peace - but the distractions of this poor country are enough to invite aggression." 5 x 8 inches (13 x 20 cm). The top edge irregular, faint spot and pencil notations; Together with some related family and later documents, including a few letters from Legare's sister and a letter from the son of Edwin Stanton regarding autograph requests, mostly from the 1870s.

Provenance: Dr. Herbert Ernest Klingelhofer (1915-2015), collector and former President of the Manuscript Society

The signature of South Carolina congressman and Attorney General under John Tyler, Hugh Swinton Legare (1797-1843) is uncommon. Legare was serving as interim Secretary of State when he died unexpectedly in 1843 while attending the ceremonies for the unveiling of the Bunker Hill Monument. His comment here relates to the Webster-Ashburton treaty which resolved disputes along the northern border with England.