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LS as president, signed "U. S. Grant," one page, 8.5 x 14, March 25, 1873. Official letter to John P. Newman, sent from the Executive Mansion. In part: "As recommended by the Secretary of the Treasury, under the provisions of the second section of the Act of Congress approved July 11th, 1870, making appropriations for the consular and diplomatic expenses of the Government, you are hereby appointed to examine into the accounts of consular officers of the United States and into all matters connected with the business of their said offices." In fine condition, with an old tape stain to the right side of the central horizontal fold.
Issued from the Executive Mansion, this letter marks President Ulysses S. Grant’s formal appointment of John Philip Newman—a noted Methodist pastor and Chaplain of the United States Senate—to the federal service as an examiner of U.S. consular accounts. This assignment would evolve into his role as Inspector of United States Consulates in Asia (1874–1876). Acting under congressional authority, Newman was tasked with investigating the financial records and operational conduct of American consular offices, a responsibility he carried out through extensive travel across China, Japan, and other nations with which the United States maintained diplomatic relations.
His detailed report to the State Department, exceeding two hundred pages, offered substantive observations and reform-minded recommendations. Summoned before a Congressional committee during the reform investigations of 1876, Newman provided important testimony that surprised critics who had dismissed his work as a mere 'pleasure tour.' The letter thus represents the inception of a serious government oversight mission, highlighting Reconstruction-era efforts to strengthen accountability within the U.S. diplomatic service.
From the collection of Mark S. Robbins.
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