President Lincoln was bombarded with requests for government jobs, but he didn’t fend them off with a web page. He met with hundreds of job seekers, usually telling them bluntly that he could not help them.

It ended differently on October 17, 1861. When a woman told Lincoln her sons were willing to work hard, he wrote a recommendation letter to the commander of the Washington arsenal:

Majr. Ramsay

My dear Sir

The lady — bearer of this — says she has two sons who want to work.

Set them at it, if possible.

Wanting to work is so rare a merit, that it should be encouraged.

Yours truly,

A. Lincoln

Source: Abraham Lincoln The Writer: A Treasury of His Greatest Speeches and Letters compiled by Harold Holzer