Member of the Continental Congress; U.S. Senator – Pennsylvania - 1795-1801; Founder of the Bank of North America; President of the Philadelphia & Lancaster Turnpike Company

Document Signed, 7 ¾” x 9 ¾”, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, March 29, 1796, “Wm. Bingham,” as president of the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike Company, a partly printed vellum stock certificate, “…that Archibald McCall of the City of Philadelphia is entitled to one Share of Stock…” Countersigned by the company treasurer.

The document is in excellent condition, with light, even toning and two vertical folds.

Holy Roman Emperor – 1711-40

Document Signed, 9 ¼” x 13 ½”, four pages, un-translated, Vienna, July 22, 1730, an appointment for a Dr. Nicholas Sola; signed in the upper portion of the third page, “yo el Rey,” the traditional “I the King.”

The two sheets are moderately worn throughout, with extensive chipping and tearing at the edges, none significantly affecting the text of the document, and there is an old repair to the paper at the lower right corners.

Signer of the Declaration of Independence; President of the Continental Congress; Governor of Massachusetts - 1780-85 & 1787-93

Signature, “John Hancock…” on a 1 ¼” x 4 ½” slip of paper, with the period notation, “March 27, 1780,” in an unidentified hand above.

The slip bears general soiling and wear, the irregularly clipped left edge has been filled, and there are old mounting remnants on the reverse.

First Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation – 1935-72

Typed Letter Signed, on 8” x 10” imprinted stationery as director of the F.B.I., a letter of commendation for agents involved in an investigation.

"Washington, D.C.20535, December 29, 1971. Mr. William M. Alexander, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Jacksonville, Florida. Dear Mr. Alexander: I would like to commend, though you, the Agent personnel of your division who participated so effectively in the investigation of Raymond David Wright and others, the subjects of Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution cases. Everyone approached his responsibilities in a tireless and determined fashion in order to contribute materially to the success accomplished. I ask that you express my appreciation to all concerned. Sincerely yours, J. Edgar Hoover.”

The letter is in excellent condition, with the usual horizontal folds and two spindle holes in the upper margin.

French Soldier & Statesman; Hero of the American Revolution

Autograph Note Signed, 1 ¾” x 4 ½”, undated. Given only Lafayette’s postscript reference to “Mrs. Armstrong,” the recipient of the note cannot be identified with certainty.

“Altho I learn…Your Voyage it pains me much to …with you, My dear friend, and with the confidential conversations we had on every American concerns on this side of the Atlantic, as well as on many European subjects. Whatever distance of place passes us, I shall remain Your affectionate friend, Lafayette. My best respects to Mrs. Armstrong.”

The lightly soiled note has been affixed to a 5” x 7 ½” letter-sheet, with the manuscript notation, “La Fayette,” above.

Mayor of New York City – 1841-44

Recommending the Son of William Denman, Publisher of The Truth Teller, the First Catholic Newspaper in the U.S. - for a Military Commission

Letter Signed, 8” x 10”, to U.S. War Secretary William L. Marcy, formerly the Governor of New York, 1833-38.

Anticipating the many Americans who would flock to the new western territories he confidently assumes would be acquired in the imminent conflict - the Unites States declared war on Mexico the following month – the recent New York City mayor recommends Charles L. Denman for a commission in the U.S Army.

The letter is in excellent overall condition, with the expected light folds and two old mounting hinges on the reverse.

Signatures, affixed to period engravings, each approximately 5 ½” x 8 ½” overall.

U.S. Navy Admiral; Commander-in-Chief of the United States Pacific Fleet – 1941-45

During the Final Months of World War II, Nimitz Expresses Support for a Rehabilitation Center for Wounded Veterans on Staten Island – Modeled after FDR’s Facility at Warm Springs, Georgia

War-Date Typed Letter Signed, 8” x 10 ½”, on imprinted stationery as Commander of the United States Pacific Fleet during World War II, to “Irving Geist, 1372 Broadway, New York, New York.”

Writing from his Advance Headquarters on Guam during the final months of the war, Nimitz expresses support for “constructing swimming pools, similar to those at Warm Springs,” the facility founded by Franklin Roosevelt in Georgia to treat victims of polio, for the rehabilitation of wounded World War II veterans at the Halloran General Hospital on Staten Island. He further declines to submit a statement and a photograph for publication, due to the demands of the war. A well-known New York philanthropist, Geist had committed to the task of raising the estimated $150,000 to finance the project at Halloran General Hospital the previous year.

Dear Mr Geist:

This will acknowledge your letter of 3 May 1945, which has just reached my Advance Headquarters at Guam.  You may be certain that measures undertaken for the benefit of our returning wounded veterans have my most sympathetic approval. I congratulate you and the men associated with you on your project for constructing swimming pools, similar to those at Warm Springs, for the Halloran General Hospital and I hope and believe that they will prove beneficial to the men for whose use they are intended.

The increasing momentum of the Pacific war has made so many demands upon my time that I have been obliged to adopt a policy of not making statements for publication in connection with endeavors which are not of national scope, however worthwhile such endeavors may be. Therefore I must regretfully decline your request that my photograph and a statement from me be sent for publication in the Dedication Journal.

I deeply appreciate the patriotic motive which prompted you in making the request and offer you my good wishes for the success of your endeavor.

Sincerely yours,

C.W. Nimitz,

C.W. NIMITZ
Fleet Admiral, U.S. Navy.”

The letter is lightly and evenly toned, with two horizontal folds, and there are two pinholes and a light paper clip indentation in the upper margin.

U.S. Major General - Mexican War; Democratic U.S. Representative – Mississippi - 1855-58; Governor of Mississippi – 1835-36 & 1850-51

A Mexican War veteran and ardent antebellum advocate of states' rights, Quitman died in Natchez, Mississippi in 1858, allegedly as a result of consuming poisoned food at the inaugural banquet of James Buchanan.

Signed Envelope, 3" x 5 ½”, “Free, J.A. Quitman, M.C.,” a franking signature as U.S. Congressman from Mississippi, also addressed by Quitman to his son, “F. Henry Quitman, E[squi]r[e], Houma, Terrebonne, Louis[ian]a,” and bearing a Washington, DC postmark.

Light soiling and wear.

Continental Army Officer – Aide to General Benedict Arnold & Private Secretary to General George Washington; Mayor of New York City – 1781-1801

A New York City Tavern License

Document Signed, 8 ¾” x 13, New York City, March 4, 1796, “Richd. Varick,” a partly printed license for one Mattheis McAulay to “…keep an Inn or Tavern for retailing strong or spirituous Liquors,” the license being void should McAulay “…permit any Cock-fighting, Gaming, or Playing with Cards or Dice, or keep any Billiard-Table, or other Gaming-Table, or Shuffle-Board, within the Inn or Tavern by him to be kept, or within any Out-house, Yard or Garden belonging thereunto…”

The document is pleasantly age-toned, and there is weakness and clean separation along portions of three horizontal folds, one through Varick’s signature.