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Outstanding piece of postal history. First the cover is franked with a rare Kingston New York stencil postmark. The letter is from New York state representative Francis Granger to his friend and US Senator Charles E. Dudley. Granger says that his letter includes a letter from his mother (not included) to Mrs. Dudley. He notes he has not heard from Dudley in some time, but "there are three or four mails lying for me at Rhinebeck. I may have a letter in the course of a day". He continues: "The only news from Albany of recent date relates to an altercation in the house between Root & Mann of which I do not know the particulars -- and from Washington we have nothing of more interest than the endless discussion on Foot's resolution." Letter is in quite good condition with only tear being where seal was broken (see image). Seal is intact. Tear was on oversheet so des not affect letter in any way. Francistamos (Francis) Granger (December 1, 1792 – August 31, 1868) was a Representative from New York and United States Postmaster General. He was the son of Gideon Granger, another Postmaster General. Granger was born in Suffield, Connecticut, and graduated from Yale College in 1814. He moved to Canandaigua, New York in 1814, where he was admitted to the bar in 1816. Granger was a member of the State Assembly from 1826 to 1828 and from 1830 to 1832. He was an unsuccessful candidate for Lieutenant Governor of New York in 1828, and in both 1830 and 1832 was unsuccessful National Republican candidate for Governor of New York. In 1836, he was unsuccessful as a Whig and Anti-Masonic candidate for Vice President, which he lost when it was voted by the U.S. Senate that Richard M. Johnson was the rightful winner, and also unsuccessful as a Whig candidate for election to the 25th Congress. He was, however, elected as an Anti-Jacksonian to the 24th Congress (March 4, 1835 to March 3, 1837), and was elected as a Whig to the 26th and 27th Congresses (March 4, 1839 to March 5, 1841). Granger was appointed Postmaster General in the Cabinet of President William Henry Harrison and served from March 6 to September 18, 1841, after which he was again elected to the 27th Congress. He served from November 27, 1841 to March 3, 1843. A supporter of the Compromise of 1850, Granger led the pro-Fillmore group which became known as the Silver Gray Whigs after Granger's own silver hair. Chairman of the Whig National Executive Committee from 1856 to 1860, Granger joined in the call for the convention of the Constitutional Union Party that was held in May 1860. He was a member of the peace convention of 1861 held in Washington, D.C. in an effort to devise means to prevent the impending war. He died in Canandaigua and was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery. -- Wikipedia. Charles Edward Dudley, a Senator from New York; born in Johnston Hall, Staffordshire, England, May 23, 1780; immigrated to the United States with his mother, who settled in Newport, R.I., in 1794; entered a counting room as clerk; moved to Albany, N.Y., where he engaged in the mercantile business; member of the State senate 1820-1825; mayor of Albany 1821-1824, 1828-1829; elected to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Martin Van Buren and served from January 15, 1829, to March 3, 1833; became interested in astronomical science; died in Albany, N.Y., January 23, 1841; interment in the Rural Cemetery. -US government records