Notorious New York Mayor Fernando Wood Appeals Directly to President Franklin Pierce for Federal Appointment

Autograph letter signed by Fernando Wood (1812-1881), as first-term mayor of New York City, to President Franklin Pierce (1804-1869). N.p., December 1855. 

Autograph letter signed by Fernando Wood (1812-1881), as first-term mayor of New York City, to President Franklin Pierce (1804-1869). N.p., December 1855. 

Wood writes to President Pierce to advocate the appointment of the lawyer and jurist Gilbert Dean (1817–1890) as United States District Attorney for the district. In the letter he urges Pierce to make the appointment, writing:

“It is the earnest wish of my friends in this city & especially of myself that you will confer the appt. of U.S. District Attorney for this district upon the Hon. Gilbert Dean. Mr. Dean is a gentleman of ability, of large professional & political experience & a summit of sound national principles… I shall most especially deem it a personal favor.”

Fernando Wood (1812–1881) was one of the most controversial political figures in nineteenth-century New York. As mayor during the 1850s, his administration became closely associated with the rough-and-tumble world of urban machine politics, patronage networks, and the powerful street gangs that influenced city elections. His first term in office coincided with periods of unrest and gang violence, including the notorious clashes involving the Bowery gangs and the so-called “Dead Rabbits,” whose activities became entwined with municipal political factions.

This letter illustrates the patronage politics that characterized the era. Federal appointments, particularly influential legal positions such as that of U.S. District Attorney, were frequently shaped by recommendations from powerful local political leaders. Wood’s emphatic endorsement of Dean reflects the importance of personal alliances within the Democratic Party and the broader political networks that linked municipal leadership in New York with the national administration of President Pierce.

The letter also foreshadows the trajectory of both men’s careers. Dean was indeed appointed U.S. District Attorney later in 1855, suggesting that Wood’s recommendation carried considerable weight. Wood himself remained a polarizing figure in national politics. He won reelection as mayor with the backing of powerful political organizations in the city and later returned to office in 1860. During the secession crisis he gained notoriety for expressing sympathy toward the Southern cause, even proposing that New York City declare itself a “free city” independent of the Union.

As a result, this document provides a revealing glimpse into the political culture of antebellum New York, an era defined by patronage, factionalism, and the close relationship between municipal power and federal appointments.