Future President Benjamin Harrison is Moved by a Letter From His Grandfather, President William Henry Harrison, to Help a Man Get a Federal Appointment “The letter from General Harrison which he will show you will explain to you the interest I take in his case.”

27/05/1881. Before he was elected president, a man approached Harrison asking him to use his influence to get him a job in a customs house. Harrison sympathized with him, because Harrison’s grandfather, President William Henry Harrison, had a relationship with the man’s father.Autograph letter signed, on his law office letterhead, two pages, Indianapolis, May 27, 1881 to William H. Robertson, Collector of the Port of New York, the most important and powerful customs house in the nation, asking that a friend be made a Watchman of a Customs House. “Mr. W.H.H. Lucker of Middletown, New York, wrote you a year or more ago & enclosed a letter from my Grandfather (President Harrison) to his father, which interested me to [act] on his behalf. I do not know him personally but he says he can furnish you with the best evidence of his character from people in Middletown. He desires to get a place as Watchman about the customs house and if he gives you evidence of his personal fitness, I would be much obliged if you can give him a place. The letter from General Harrison which he will show you will explain to you the interest I take in his case.”A very uncommon association piece linking the two Harrison presidents, Benjamin and William Henry. (Inventory #: 30670)