ALS. One page handwritten bifolium. From Henry Clay (1777-1852) to U.S. Chief Justice John Marshall (1755-1835), written from Ashland, dated June 3, circa 1830, as an introduction to John Henderson, future Mississippi Senator and political ally of Clay's. Letter also contains annotations written in Marshall's hand. The letter reads "Dear Sir, Mr. Henderson, an eminent attorney & cou[nsellor] at law, residing in the States of Mi[s]si[s]sippi, who will present to you this letter, being desirous of your acquaintance. I take much pleasure in introducing him to you as a gentleman of high and respectable consideration in his open State, and worthy of it wherever he may go. With great respect I am your Obt Servt H. Clay". Includes mathematical notations below letter, free franked address panel addressed to "The Honble J. Marshall...Mr Henderson. Richmond, VA" with later handwritten notes by Marshall concerning James Markham, Mary Ann Neal Barker, Nancy Goode, and Elizabeth Combs, presumably related to a case he was working on. 7 3/8" H x 8" W. Biography: John Henderson (1797-1857), a Whig Senator from Mississippi; born in Cumberland County, N.J., February 28, 1797; a flatboat man on the Mississippi River; studied law; emigrated to Mississippi ; was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Woodville, Wilkinson County, Miss.; brigadier general of State militia; member, State senate 1835-1836; elected as a Whig to the United States Senate and served from March 4, 1839, to March 3, 1845; chairman, Committee on Engrossed Bills (Twenty-sixth Congress), Committee on the Post Office and Post Roads (Twenty-seventh Congress), Committee on Private Land Claims (Twenty-seventh and Twenty-eighth Congresses); resumed the practice of law in New Orleans, La.; in 1851 was tried in the United States district court in New Orleans for violation of the neutrality laws of 1818 for complicity in expeditions against Cuba, was acquitted, and retired from public life; died in Pass Christian, Miss., September 15, 1857; interment in Live Oak Cemetery. (source: https://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=imccriv&id=I6236). Provenance: The Estate of Charles Boyd Coleman, Jr., Chattanooga, TN. Note: Descended in the family of Lewis Minor Coleman, Jr., son of CSA Lt. Col. Lewis M. Coleman and Mary Ambler Marshall, daughter of James K. Marshall and granddaughter of U.S. Chief Justice John Marshall (1755-1835). (Additional high-resolution photos are available at www.caseantiques.com.)

Overall good condition with foxing spots and tears to be expected from age. 1 1/4" x 1" section with full date missing to top right corner of letter. Henry Clay writing and signature and Marshall writing in clear, strong condition.