Van Buren, Martin | A letter from the President-elect Martin Van Buren to his son Abraham imploring him to write more frequently

Property from the Collection of Elsie and Philip Sang

Van Buren, Martin 

Autograph letter signed ("M. Van Buren") as 8th President-elect, to his son Abraham

3 1/2 pages (203 x 254 mm) written recto and verso on a bifolium, [Washington], 17 December 1836, with an autograph noted signed by Abraham Van Buren to his brother John at the end of the final page; some wrinkling and toning.

A letter from the President-elect to his son, Abraham, imploring him to write more frequently

"My dear Son, Why is it that I have not heard from you since I left Albany? If you knew what pleasure it always gives me to hear you [you] would not I am sure treat me so unkindly."

Abraham was the eldest child of Martin Van Buren and his wife, Hannah Van Buren (née Hoes). Abraham resigned his military commission the day before his father's inauguration in 1837, to serve as his private secretary in the White House. John Van Buren would serve as an advisor to his father. The resent letter touches upon the pressures of public life, and the comfort Van Buren takes in Abraham's advice.