FREDERICK DOUGLASS TO CHARLES JERVIS LANGDON¹Possibly Charles Jervis Langdon (1849–1916). Langdon, born to the wealthy coal merchant Jervis Langdon of Elmira, was the brother of Mark Twain’s wife Olivia. In 1870 he took over the family coal business and expanded into other enterprises. Langdon was an active Republican and served as a delegate to the 1880 Republican National Convention, where he was one of the 306 Stalwarts who unsuccessfully attempted to nominate Ulysses S. Grant for a third term. Smith and Bucci, , 2: 63–64, 287, 378; LeMaster and Wilson, , 440; , 16: 31.

Washington, D.C. 9 August 1880.

C. J. LANGDON ESQR

MY DEAR SIR:

I am obliged by your kind and thoughtful note. I did not need the assurance it gave me, for I think I know you. Besides, I was told on my arrival
the true situation. Nevertheless I thank for your note. Doctor Krakowizer ²Emil Washington Krakowizer (1852–1924) was born in Williamsburg (now a Brooklyn neighborhood), New York, the son of Ernest Krakowizer, a successful doctor, and his wife, Emilie. He began his medical studies at Harvard in 1874, and later moved to Leipzig, Germany, where he completed his degree in 1876. He returned to New York to open a private practice in the city of Elmira, and in 1879 he married Elizabeth Partridge (1854–98), with whom he had four children. Krakowizer was also involved in newspaper publication and teaching. In 1884 he attended the Cook County Normal School (later the Chicago Normal School) and graduated in 1885. The same year, he was appointed superintendent of schools in Marinette, Wisconsin. In 1899 he worked for the Milwaukee newspaper and later the Boston . In 1907 he was director of boys’ clubs for the Educational Alliance of New York. (Boston, 1899), 134–35; (Cambridge, Mass., 1909), 111–12.
and his amiable wife waited for my arrival till after midnight I am told—
but dust covered and travelled stained as I was, I did not feel that I ought to
go among strangers. You see, I am a little more modest than I sometimes
get credit for—I caught a glimpse of your mother³Olivia Lewis Langdon (1810–90) was the mother of Charles Langdon and Olivia Langdon Clemens. Olivia Lewis married Jervis Langdon on 23 July 1832, and they resided as shopkeepers in Millport, a town approximately twenty miles from Elmira. They eventually settled in Elmira in 1845, and by 1860, Jervis Langdon was one of the wealthiest merchants in town. The husband and wife were actively involved in abolitionism, were friends with the abolitionist Beecher family, financially supported the Underground Railroad in Elmira, and left the Presbyterian Church in 1846 because of its refusal to condemn slavery. Susan K. Harris, (Cambridge, Mass., 1996), 2, 37, 175. at Livonea⁴Livonia is a town in Livingston County, New York, that contains a village also named Livonia. This resort town sits at the eastern boundary of the county, bordering Lake Conesus. Seltzer, , 1068. and was
delighted to see one near and dear to you, who was kind and friendly to
me when friends were few and foes were many. I never pass through Millford⁵Milford is a town in Otsego County, New York. It is located northeast of Oneonta. Seltzer, , 1203. without its calling up the youthful forms and faces of your father and
mother—I went through the Church at Elmira with all the more interest
after seeing the face of your father there.⁶Elmira is located in Chemung County, New York, near the Pennsylvania border. Douglass delivered an address in Elmira on the afternoon of 3 August 1880 as part of the city’s daylong combined celebration of West Indian emancipation and the Emancipation Proclamation. The day’s activities began at dawn with a gun salute, followed by prayer meetings at the African Union Methodist Protestant Church and the A.M.E. Zion Church at ten. These meetings were followed by another gun salute at eleven and a procession from Temperance Hall to Hoffman’s Grove, the site of Douglass’s address. Fifteen delegations, including the Colored Veterans of the Civil War, the Elmira Colored Y.M.C.A., and the Masons, marched with Douglass to the grove. The Reverend M. E. Collins opened the program with a prayer. John W. Jones, the presiding officer, called the assembly to order and introduced William H. Lester, who delivered a dramatic reading of the Emancipation Proclamation. Jones then introduced Douglass, who spoke for two hours, ending the afternoon’s exercises. Having spent the previous night in Elmira, Douglass departed by train immediately after his speech, since he was scheduled to deliver a campaign address in Rochester the next day. Elmira (N.Y.) , 23, 30, 31 July, 3 August 1880; Washington , 7 August 1880; Holland, , 348.

I am hopeful that we shall elect Garfield and Arthur⁷In 1880 the Republican party selected James A. Garfield (1831–81) and Chester A. Arthur (1829–86) as its candidates for president and vice president. Arthur was a lawyer, born in Vermont. President Ulysses Grant had appointed Arthur collector of the Port of New York—a patronage position responsible for collecting import duties on foreign goods. When Grant lost his bid for a third term, his supporters succeeded in nominating Arthur for vice president. When Garfield was assassinated a few months into his term, Arthur became the twenty-first president. His administration is remembered for promoting federal civil service reform, reducing tariffs, and restricting immigration, particularly through the Chinese Exclusion Act. Frank Freidel and Hugh Sidey, , 17th ed. (2006), 44–47. and shall work
for it from now until election. I go to Indiana 1st September, but shall hold
myself ready for work in our state of New York in Oct.⁸Throughout the early weeks of September 1880, Douglass toured Indiana, speaking in Noblesville, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, Evansville, and Columbus. After a speaking trip to North Carolina, he gave a speech entitled “Great Bodies Move Slowly” in New York City on 25 October 1880. , ser. 1, 4:xi, 581–87; Indianapolis , 4, 11 September 1880.

With sincere regard

Always truly yours

FREDK DOUGLASS

ALS: Research Library Acquisitions, Nock Farm Library, Hartford, Conn.