“I pray you to send me a new certificate of pension in her favour...”

ADAMS, JOHN QUINCY. (1767-1848). Sixth President of the United States (1825-9). Autograph Letter Signed, “J.Q. Adams.” One page, quarto. Quincy, Massachusetts, August 4, 1845. Very fine condition. To “James L. Edwards, Esq., Commissioner of Pensions, Washington, D.C.” Adams writes:

“Sir, I enclose herewith sundry papers of Mrs. Martha Burrill widow of General Burrill, upon which she assures me she obtained and received a pension of 6 dollars a month for 6 years from 1837 to 1842. By an act of Congress of 3 March last these petitions are continued for five years longer, but Mrs. Burrill is refused the payment of hers, she knows not why. I pray you to send me a new certificate of pension in her favour, and to return to me the enclosed papers. I am very respectfully sir, your humble and obedient servant, J.Q. Adams.”

In 1830, former president John Quincy Adams was unexpectedly elected to the House of Representatives by the district Plymouth Massachusetts, a position he maintained for the remainder of his life. Serving as a powerful leader up until the last, Adams, nicknamed “Old Man Eloquent,” is best know for his battle against the Congressional “gag rule” that tabled all petitions against slavery, but our letter highlights another, lesser known, side of this lifelong public servant. Petitioning for the pension of Mrs. Martha Burrill, wife of Samuel Burrill, a Swampscott, MA, solider who served during the Revolutionary War, Adams shows a deep devotion to his Massachusetts constituency, and a willingness to stand up for their rights.

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