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ALS signed “J. Tyler,” one page both sides, 5 x 8, April 22, 1844. Handwritten letter to Secretary of the Navy John Y. Mason, in full: "Forward with as much dispatch as possible the Fleet for the gulph. When will the Union be ready to leave? In order to get the ships off double force in their repair should be employed. Workmen will engage for prospect of pay hereafter if your funds are too low see the proper heads of Bureaus and get them actively to work. It is important." In fine condition.
Just six and a half weeks earlier, tragedy had struck aboard the USS Princeton, the Navy’s new propeller-driven warship. During a demonstration cruise on the Potomac River attended by President Tyler and approximately 400 guests, a massive naval gun exploded, killing Secretary of State Abel P. Upshur, Secretary of the Navy Thomas W. Gilmer, and four others. Tyler soon appointed John C. Calhoun as Secretary of State and named former Congressman John Y. Mason to succeed Gilmer as Secretary of the Navy. Mason assumed office on March 26, 1844.
On April 12, 1844, Tyler signed the Texas annexation treaty, which had been negotiated by Calhoun prior to formally taking office. On April 22—the same day he submitted the treaty to the U.S. Senate for ratification—Tyler wrote this urgent letter directing Mason to dispatch the fleet to the Gulf with “as much dispatch as possible,” strengthening naval readiness in case Mexico responded militarily.
The annexation treaty soon became a central issue in the presidential election of 1844. Former President Martin Van Buren publicly opposed annexation, while the Democratic Party ultimately nominated James K. Polk, whose expansionist platform supporting the acquisition of Texas, Oregon, and California proved popular. Although the Senate rejected Tyler’s treaty on June 8, 1844, Polk’s election in November ensured the issue’s revival. Texas was annexed by joint resolution in December 1845 and formally entered the Union on December 29, 1845. War with Mexico followed in May 1846.
An important Texas-related presidential letter written at a pivotal moment in American expansion.
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