He signed and issued from
these several places, away from the capital, numerous commissions to
civil officers of the Government, exequaturs to foreign consuls, letters
of credence, two letters to sovereigns, and thirty-seven pardons.
President John Q. Adams was absent from the capital during his
Presidential term of four years two hundred and twenty-two days. During
such absence he performed official and public acts, signing and issuing
commissions, exequaturs, pardons, proclamations, etc. Referring to his
absence in August and September, 1827, Mr. Adams, in his memoirs, volume
8, page 75, says: "I left with him [the chief clerk] some blank
signatures, to be used when necessary for proclamations, remission of
penalties, and commissions of consuls, taking of him a receipt for the
number and kind of blanks left with him, with directions to return to me
when I came back all the signed blanks remaining unused and to keep and
give me an account of all those that shall have been disposed of. This
has been my constant practice with respect to signed blanks of this
description. I do the same with regard to patents and land grants."
President Jackson was absent from the capital during his Presidential
service of eight years five hundred and two days.
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