A VERY PATRIOTIC LETTER BY REVOLUTIONARY WAR-ERA POLITICIAN CADWALADER MORRIS

CADWALADER MORRIS (1741-1795). Morris was a Revolutionary War-era politician and merchant.

ALS. 3pgs. April 30, 1784. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. An autograph letter signed “C. Morris”.  “My Very dear & Hond, Colleague Well may I call thee so, as We have both of Us so punctually attended in the Great Council of the Nation – Thy Friend indeed has taken some small Liberties, being very sensible His Shoulders were not of the structure sufficient for a thin part of thirteen United States, - Indeed they still ach [sic] with the work already done. I, being a American, thou cans’t not suppose a weight proper for an Hibernian would by any Means suit thy Friend –…Thou wil’t by this post receive another Long Letter, together with some newspapers, to which pray be referred by thy Affect. Friend C. Morris…”.  This very patriotic letter is in fair condition, with a sizable tear on the first page and assorted spotting throughout.

AN AUTOGRAPHED LETTER SIGNED FROM LEVI MORTON TO JOHN SHERMAN

LEVI MORTON (1824-1920). Morton was the 22^nd Vice President of the United States under President Benjamin Harrison and the 31^st Governor of New York.

JOHN SHERMAN (1823-1900). Sherman was the 32^nd United States Secretary of the Treasury under President Rutheford Hayes and the 35^th United States Secretary of State under President William McKinley.

ANS. 1pg. 8” x 10”. Date unknown. An autograph letter signed “LP Morton” to “Hon John Sherman”. In the letter, Levi Morton writes: “Please defer any action until I can see you – May I say telegraph that you will do nothing now”. Though no date is given on the letter, it is written on House of Representatives stationary. Between 1879 and 1881, Levi Morton was a Congressman representing Manhattan in the 46^th Congress, so this letter is most likely from those years. Morton had previously been a successful international banker and cotton broker. While in Congress, he allied with the Stalwart faction, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, and served as Finance Chairman of the Republican National Committee. From this position, Congressman Morton advocated for the gold standard, a position opposed by John Sherman, who was then serving as United States Secretary of the Treasury. In 1879, Secretary Sherman was advocating for a measure working its way through Congress, the Bland-Allison Act, that would mine silver for currency instead of gold, the former more popular with debtors as it would expand the money supply and make repayment easier. President Rutheford Hayes later vetoed the bill over inflationary concerns, but the veto was overruled by Congress and the silver issue would divide the Republican Party for the next several decades. At the 1880 Republican National Convention, Congressman Morton supported Stalwart-favorite Ulysses S. Grant, while Secretary Sherman ran as the preference of President Hayes and his allies. Eventually, Secretary Sherman’s nominator, James Garfield, was selected. To appease the Stalwarts, the nomination for Vice President was offered to Congressman Morton, who declined as per the wishes of Senator Conkling. The nomination was then offered to another New York Stalwart, Chester Arthur, who accepted and became President the next year when Garfield was assassinated. The letter is in fine shape with light smudging to the ink.

POSTMASTER GENERAL HARRY NEW SIGNS A PHOTO OF HIMSELF AND HIS DOG

HARRY S. NEW (1858-1937). New was a Senator and Postmaster General.

PS. 8” x 10”. N.d. N.p. A photograph signed “Harry S. New” as Postmaster General. The black-and-white photo depicts New, wearing a luxurious fur coat, outside in the snow with the blurry image of a black dog next to him. New appears to be tapping a tree for syrup. “To Harry Vantine with the best wishes of his friend, the Postmaster General Harry S. New”.  New seems to have also signed as his dog in the lower right corner. The photo is in fair condition, with several chips.

BETWEEN HIS TERMS AS GOVERNOR OF PENNSYLVANIA, GIFFORD PINCHOT ADVOCATES FOR THE PURCHASE OF FORESTS

GIFFORD PINCHOT (1865-1946). Pinchot was an American forester and politician. He was the first Head of the United States Forest Service and a two-time Governor of Pennsylvania.

TLS. 2pgs. October 18, 1928. Milford Pike County, Pennsylvania. A typed letter signed “Gifford Pinchot”. On his personal letterhead, Pinchot wrote to the manager of the Easton Car & Construction Company, trying to persuade him to vote in favor of a proposed Pennsylvania bond issue for the purchase of forest lands: “…As a businessman you undoubtedly realize that no industry can be carried on without wood…We Pennsylvanians are in genuine danger of having this essential resource fail us. As a nation we are using five or six times as much wood as we are growing. As a State we put more timber yearly into the anthracite mines alone that the whole of Pennsylvania produces. It is costing us in Pennsylvania more than one hundred million dollars a year to buy from other States the wood that we could grow and ought to grow right here at home…I hope you will vote for the Forest Bond Issue, and get your friends to vote for it. There is nothing Pennsylvania needs more…”.  At the time of writing, Pinchot was between his two terms as Governor of Pennsylvania and had already completed his major forestry work. In fine condition with a “received” stamp on each of the two pages.

ARCHIVE OF YOUNG REPUBLICANS OF CALIFORNIA DOCUMENTS FROM THE 1950s

(REPUBLICAN PARTY). 11 pieces. 1956-1957. California. An archive of several GOP pieces addressed to Ken Ladd, President of the Young Republicans of San Joaquin County. It includes two typed letters signed by Governor Goodwin J. Knight, as well as a typed letter signed by United States Senator Thomas H. Kuchel. There is also a letter from Lieutenant Governor Harold J. Powers and a signed photograph from Lieutenant Governor Bob Finch. The grouping also contains two typewritten documents; one lists the delegation from the San Joaquin County Young Republicans who will attend the State Young Republicans Convention, and the other has the by-laws of the Young Republicans of San Joaquin County. There are also a couple of form letters with GOP content.

DEAN RUSK SIGNS A PHOTO TO AMBASSADOR WILLIAM BLAIR

DEAN RUSK (1909-1994). Rusk was Secretary of State under Kennedy and Johnson.

WILLIAM McCORMICK BLAIR, JR. (1916-2015). Blair was Ambassador to Denmark and the Philippines.

PS. 7 3/4” x 9 7/8”. N.d. N.p. A black-and-white photograph inscribed and signed “With high esteem and appreciation for my friend and colleague Bill Blair Dean Rusk” on the wide bottom margin. Rusk was Secretary of State during both of Blair’s Ambassadorial appointments. It is in very good condition, the photograph is slightly curled and has mounting remnants on the verso.