On May 7, 1833, Lincoln was commissioned postmaster at New Salem.

Posted on Updated on

On May 7, 1833, he was commissioned postmaster at New Salem, the first office he ever held under the Federal Government. The salary was proportionate to the amount of business done. Whether Lincoln solicited the appointment himself, or whether it was given him without the asking, I do not know; but certain it is his “administration” gave general satisfaction. The mail arrived once a week, and we can imagine the extent of time and labor required to distribute it, when it is known that “he carried the office around in his hat.” Mr. Lincoln used to tell me that when he had a call to go to the country to survey a piece of land, he placed inside his hat all the letters belonging to people in the neighborhood and distributed them along the way. He made head-quarters in Samuel Hill’s store, and there the office may be said to have been located, as Hill himself had been postmaster before Lincoln. Between the revenue derived from the post-office and his income from land surveys Lincoln was, in the expressive language of the day, “getting along well enough.” 

By William H. Herndon,Jesse W. Weik “Herndon’s Lincoln: A True Story of a Great Life”

2 thoughts on “On May 7, 1833, Lincoln was commissioned postmaster at New Salem.

    Labour « Abraham Lincoln said:
    December 8, 2015 at 12:04

    […] On May 7, 1833, He Was Commissioned Postmaster […]

    Experiences « Abraham Lincoln said:
    May 4, 2018 at 14:20

    […] On May 7, 1833, He Was Commissioned Postmaster […]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *