Lincoln and his First Visit to Albany- 1848 – the Political Connections

Lincoln’s  first visit to Albany happened in 1848.  It wasn’t  nearly the extravaganza as his  pre-inauguration visit to Albany in 1861 as he made his way to Washington D.C. (most people assume that was Lincoln’s first visit to the city – not so much)  But it was much more important.

In September 1848, while Lincoln was in Congress, he ventured on a series of speaking engagements on behalf of the Whig presidential candidate Zachary Taylor in and around Boston.

He was a political nobody, but late in his tour he met William Seward, former NYS governor, who would become U.S. Senator from NY the next year. They both gave speeches on September 22. Seward’s was aggressively anti-slavery (not just anti- Democrat). It was a pivotal meeting that informed Lincoln’s future thinking about the issue of slavery. They shared a hotel room in Worcester and according to Doris Kearns Goodwin, they talked most of the night. (Seward would become Lincoln’s Secretary of State – part of the “Team of Rivals” after he lost the Republican nomination for president to Lincoln in 1860.)

Seward had close ties with Thurlow Weed, editor of the “Albany Evening Journal” (a newspaper with a reach that extended far beyond Albany). Seward impressed upon Lincoln that on his trip back to Springfield, Ill. he had to visit Weed in Albany. (Weed was a political strategist and power broker of nationwide influence.) By 1848 he’d been a fixture in Albany for almost 30 years.

Since Lincoln would have to stop in Albany on his way home, Lincoln agreed. He and his family (Mary and their two children had accompanied him on his tour) would have made their way from the railroad station in Greenbush across the Hudson by ferry (there was no bridge in 1848) to Maiden Lane. It’s most probable that his family stayed at one of the two main hotels near the ferry landing – the Delavan House or Stanwix Hall. Both were located on Broadway – between State St. and Steuben St. and would have been suitable for children.

On his Lincoln’s way to visit Weed, if he looked south on Broadway, past State St., he would have seen the ruins of the Great Fire that had destroyed acres of Albany the previous month.

Lincoln appears to have found Weed in his newspaper office at 67 State St., just above James St. Weed then took him across the street to the State Hall (at the corner of State and Lodge) to meet Millard Fillmore (who was then NYS Comptroller). Fillmore was running as Taylor’s VP candidate, and would become President 2 years later upon Taylor’s death.

The meeting, by all accounts, was brief. But it gave all three men a chance to take each other’s measure. Weed and Fillmore were doing a favor for Seward – meeting a nothing burger Congressman from out west, but from a state that would become critical to the abolition movement. It gave Lincoln, a brilliant political strategist, an opportunity to meet two of the most prominent politicians of New York, a state that might be pivotal in any future endeavors. (Lincoln won NYS in 1860 by 50,000 votes – 7% – and it gave him about 20% of his electoral vote.)

Weed would become one of the founders of the Republican Party in the 1850s and a supporter of Seward in the 1860 election. He became a fixture in Washington and at the Lincoln White House, despite the fact that he and Mary Lincoln detested one another. Lincoln understood he had to stay in Weed’s good graces. (It was Weed and Seward who convinced Lincoln to donate a handwritten draft of the Emancipation Proclamation to be raffled at the Albany soldier’s relief bazaar in February 1864. That draft is in the permanent collection of the New York State Museum.)

Fillmore’s presidential policies in the 1850s contributed to the conflagration that became the Civil War. He continued to oppose Lincoln throughout his presidency and be critical of his War policies.

Fun Fillmore Factoid: In 1858, after his presidency, he would marry Caroline Macintosh, wealthy widow, in the parlor of the Schuyler Mansion (purchased by her first husband, a local railroad mogul, in the 1840s) .This was the same parlor in which Alexander Hamilton married Elizabeth Schuyler in 1780.

Copyright 2021 Julie O’Connor

The Great Fire of 1848.. or why there aren’t more historic buildings in Albany

APPALLING CONFLAGRATION
500 BUILDINGS BURNED!!
$3,000,000 Property Lost!!
Fire, though a good servant, is indeed a fearful master! And fearfully did this mad element rage yesterday! Our city is desolate! The ruin is appalling! The spirit sinks and the heart sickens, in contemplating such frightful losses – such side-spread ruin. Painful, most painful, is the task of gathering up the afflicting details.
Most of the commercial portion of the city, with fifteen or twenty densely populated squares, is a black and smouldering (sic) ruin. From Herkimer st., where the Fire broke out, to Columbia st., where it was arrested, in distance, is MORE THAN HALF A MILE And all that work of destruction was accomplishes in FIVE HOURS There could, therefore, have been little time to snatch property from the rapacious flames.
Amid all this suffering, there is much cause for gratitude. When the conflagration was at its height – when more than half the city was threatened, and when no human arm could save, a kind Providence interposed! The wind suddenly changed from South to N West, and this change brought with it abundant and continued rain. Fires that had extended to several buildings in the vicinity of the burnt district, were providentially extinguished by the rain.
The great loss, superadded to the large sums swallowed up during the winter and spring. By kindred calamities, has impaired the fortunes or wealthy people, unpoverished hundreds of the middling class, and utterly ruined hundreds of poor hard working families.
This fire ran over portions of the city that had been laid waste by recent conflagrations, and upon which new buildings had just been finished. The Columbian Hotel and Fort Orange are again demolished. Mr. S. F Shepard, who had erected new buildings and resumed business, is again burnt out. We are happy to learn, however, that he saved about $2,000 worth of goods.
The Steam Boats ISAAC NEWTON and RIP VAN WINKLE were both on fire, but both got off into the river and preserved.
Eleven Tow Boats, between forty and sixty Canal Boats, one small Steam Boat, one Schooner and two floats, were destroyed.
This disastrous fire originated in the Stable of Mr. Callaghan, which adjoins that of Mr. Johnson. It is not known how it originated.
The ruins cover an area of 200 acres, every foot of which was densely covered with buildings.
There were more buildings upon it than upon any other equal space in the city. Four fifths of the buildings burned were brick – most of them large and substantial; and many of them three or four stones in height.
Until 5 o’clock, it was feared that the flames could not be checked south of State street; but about this hour the wind changed to the north, and gave new hope to those ready to despair.
But while this change of wind was of great service in the heart of the town, it proved expensive to the property on and south of Lydius street, between Dalhus and Broadway and Lydius and Herkimer All the property within these boundaries was destroyed after the wind changed. No fears of its destruction were entertained previously.
There have been several lives lost. Mr. JOHNSON, wife, daughter, and grand-child, who lived next to the Columbian, were horribly burned. The child and Mr. J. are dead: others are not expected to recover. We have rumors of other deaths, but cannot trace them.
The Firemen did as well as they could; but it seemed impotent to attempt any thing against the fury of the flames; no human power could stay them. Our neighbors from Greenbush, West Troy and Troy, came to the assistance of our Firemen, and did efficient service.
At 1 o’clock, A. M., the wooden buildings on fire in Union st. looked threatening, and the alarm was sounded. At this moment, the Cohoes Engine Co came into the city, having left their village at 9 o’clock – dragging their engine all the way by hand. They at once proceeded to the place of the alarm, and by their timely aid, the fire was checked.
When it was ascertained that the engines were unable to cope with the flames, it was determined to blow up some buildings in Hudson-street and Broadway. Capt. Stone, of the Ordinance Department and now stationed at the Arsenal, volunteered his services, and three buildings were blown up, and the flames thus kept on the south side of Hudson-st.
Not more than four or five buildings are left standing between Herkimer and Hamilton and Union sts. and the River. The desolation is complete. Mr. Akin’s buildings, south of Herkimer-st and near Dalius-st., are badly scorched; but nothing was burned south of that line.
We have endeavored to gather the names of all the principal sufferers, and where it was possible, the amount lost. In the former we have been successful; in the latter, not. It is quite out of the question, generally, to get at figures.
Losses on the Pier.
The buildings on the Pier, from the Hamilton street bridge to the cut at Maiden Lane, which were all constructed of wood, were entirely destroyed. We give the occupants and losses as far as could be ascertained, commencing at the cut.
Carpenter’s shop, Loss not ascertained
Wm Coughtry’s grocery store, Do
Albany and Canal Line, No loss
Oswego Line, L. S Littlejohn, No loss
VanDerwater & Co, No loss
Evans’ Transportation Line, Trifling loss
Clinton Line – Wm. Monteath, No loss.
Utica Line, Small loss.
H. F. Meech & Co, Small loss
Geo. E. Gay, Do.
(illegible) Jacobs, Total loss.
L. G. Chase, No loss.
E. S. Prosser, Do
C. W. Godard & Co, Loss $2000; no insurance
Climac, John McCardel, Total loss; no insurance
Swiftsure Line office and People’s Lane.
Porter House,
Geo. Kreuder, boarding house, Total loss, not known.
Peter Van Bramer, oyster house.
Wm. Radcliff, cooper. Loss now known
A. L. Lawrence, grocery store; Insured
Lay & Craft, produce dealers, Insured $5,000, which will cover loss.
A. P. Vandenburgh, produce dealers, Insured – loss $1,000.
Allen & Read, produce dealers, insured $1000, loss small.
E. A. Benedict, produce dealer; loss trifling.
O. G. Terry, do; fully insured.
Read & Rawls, do; ins $4,000 in Lexington Co, Ky; $3,000 in N. Western Co., Oswego, $3,000 in Fireman’s Co, Albany; fully insured.
B. P. Jones, do; partially insured.
E. A. Durant & Co, do; loss $10,000; insured $6,000 in Howard Ins. Co. N Y
Wing, Chipman & Co, do; insured $500, fully covered
Mr. Crantz, boarding house; loss not known.
Western Hotel, kept by Jesiah L. Dow; loss $6,000, insured $2,000
The building below the bridge, occupied by the Troy and People’s line, was also destroyed; loss now known.
In the Basin.
Schr. Cotun, Barnstable; total loss.
Schr. Elize Matilda, slightly damaged.
Two boats belonging to Swiftsure line, Walace, Eli Hart, A. Marvin, Western, Superior, and the large float. 100 tons merchandise burnt. Loss on boats $60,000.
T. James loss – barge Rough and Ready and the lake boat Josephine.
Hudson River Line; large Float. Loss $3000.
Eagle line: boats Lockpot and Barber. Loss $12,000
Canal Boats – Mazeppa, Chamberlain & Olmstead Loss 300; ins. Henry Williams 1 bt loss 1000; insured. T. P. Waters 2; 2000; no insur W. H. Clarke & Co., 4; no ins. Clinton line 2, H. T. Meech 2, laden. E. S. Prosser 1.
The small towing steamer Wm. Seymour.
The Hamilton street bridge was also destroyed.
In Columbia street, the Washington Market was burned to the ground; and two, two story brick buildings north of it, belonging to C. A. Ten Eyck, were gutted – nothing but the walls remain standing.
Albany Evening Journal, Albany, NY 18 Aug 1848

Julie O’Connor