Typed letter signed by Vermont Senator George F. Edmunds on the law of succession, should the President, Vice President and Speaker of the House be killed. Edmunds, who tried to impeach President Andrew Johnson in 1868, specifically writes in the case of Abraham Lincoln's assassination: "…The law, the time you mention, in the case of a vacancy in both the offices of President and Vice-President, provided that the President of the Senate should exercise the office; and, in case there were no President of the senate, the speaker of the House of Representatives. The law made no further provision . Of course, if all these offices were vacant, there would have been a hiatus. Doubtless, in such a case, the Senate would have assembled on the unofficial call of one or more senators, and they would have elected a President pro tem. Mr. Foster, at that time, would have continued to be President of the Senate; merely exercising the office of President because he was President of the Senate. [signed] Geo F. Edmunds". Letter dated 12 June 1896 from Devon, PA measures 8" x 10.5". Near fine.