An 1861 job-reference letter from Abraham Lincoln on behalf of a young Black friend and valet provides a glimpse of an extraordinary relationship the two had despite the demands the new president had undertaken. Private collector Peter Tuite has donated the letter to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois, where it is now on display. Lincoln wanted to find a new post for William Johnson because Black White House staffers with lighter skin had shunned him. The letter's recipient was Navy Secretary Gideon Welles. He reported no position available for Johnson, who was finally hired at the Treasury Department.