The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum has obtained a letter written by Lincoln in the early days of his presidency, one that hints at the role that race and class played in White House operations and shows the limitations of presidential power at the time.
In the letter, the new president asks Navy Secretary Gideon Welles to find a job for a man who worked for the Lincoln family in Springfield and came with them to Washington. Lincoln says he would have given the man, an African American named William Johnson, a job at the White House but the other staff objected. “The difference of color between him and the other servants is the cause of our separation,” Lincoln wrote on March 16, 1861, just 12 days after taking the oath of office.
Some White House servants at the time were white immigrants, but most were African American. They tended to be lighter skinned, and many had worked at the White House for years, developing firm ideas about the level of sophistication they felt was appropriate for the job. Apparently, they objected so strongly to the dark-skinned man from backwoods Illinois that they would not work with him.
Rather than insist they accept Johnson, Lincoln tried to find him work elsewhere. But that proved surprisingly difficult, even in an era without major civil service rules on hiring. He wrote a note of recommendation that Johnson could use when applying for jobs, but that didn’t work. Then Lincoln contacted Welles, who had nothing for Johnson at the Department of the Navy. While seeking a permanent job for Johnson, Lincoln assigned him to work in the White House furnace room. It wasn’t until November that Lincoln found him a position as a messenger at the Treasury Department.
“This fascinating letter contains layer upon layer of information about the beginning of Lincoln’s presidency. We see him trying to help a friend. We see that even the new president cannot casually hand out jobs. We see issues of class and color within the White House,” said Christina Shutt, executive director of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. “This is an incredible addition to the presidential library’s collection.”
The letter was donated to the ALPLM by Peter Tuite, a private collector. He considered giving it to several institutions but ultimately decided the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum was the best home for the letter, which is now on display in the museum’s Treasures Gallery.
“William Johnson is a fascinating figure within the Lincoln story. He and Lincoln form a working friendship in Springfield that predated the presidency. Prior to his death in 1864, Johnson likely served as a conduit for President Lincoln to understand the obstacles that working class African Americans faced in the nation’s capital during the Civil War,” said Dr. Ian Hunt, the ALPLM’s chief of acquisitions. “We thank Peter Tuite for his incredible donation in memory of his loving wife Claudette and daughter Christine.”
Almost nothing is known about Johnson’s life before he began working for the Lincolns in 1859 or 1860 as a valet and driver. When Lincoln traveled to Washington to be sworn in as president, Johnson traveled with him. But that personal relationship with Lincoln didn’t help Johnson at the White House.
Historian John E. Washington, who grew up amid the Black middle class of Washington, DC, in the generation after the Civil War, wrote in 1942: “Whenever a new President occupied the White House the old help, fearful that they would lose their jobs, instantly began to make trouble for any newcomer. Johnson was no exception. In his case there was almost an open rebellion, not only for the regular reasons, but also because of a social distinction. Johnson’s color was very dark and White House servants were always light. He was mistreated in such a way that it became necessary for the President to look elsewhere for employment for him.”
Notably, the places where Lincoln sought jobs for Johnson, the Navy Department and the Treasury Department, were the agencies nearest the White House, which would have made it easier for Johnson to assist Lincoln on short notice. Even when Johnson was not officially a White House servant, he continued to work for Lincoln as a valet in the mornings. He probably helped care for Lincoln’s son Tad after another Lincoln child, Willie, died in 1862 and left Mary Lincoln incapacitated with grief.
Johnson himself died early in 1864 of smallpox. When Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address in November 1863, Johnson traveled with him to Pennsylvania. Lincoln had a mild form of smallpox, called varioloid, at the time, so it’s possible Johnson acquired it from the president. It’s also possible he picked it up during one of several smallpox outbreaks in Washington around that time.
When Johnson was sick, Lincoln personally collected his pay and saw that it got to Johnson. Lincoln also paid for Johnson’s coffin and tried to pay off a $150 loan Johnson had taken out. The bank would let Lincoln pay only half and insisted on forgiving the other $75 in debt.
The mission of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is to inspire civic engagement through the diverse lens of Illinois history and share with the world the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln. We pursue this mission through a combination of rigorous scholarship and high-tech showmanship built on the bedrock of the ALPLM’s unparalleled collection of historical materials – roughly 13 million items from all eras of Illinois history.
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