DAVID B. HENDERSON - AUTOGRAPH NOTE SIGNED 01/09/1899 CO-SIGNED BY: ETHAN A. HITCHCOCK, JOHN W. GRIGGS - HFSID 2013

DAVID B. HENDERSON, ETHAN A. HITCHCOCK, JOHN W. GRIGGS
Signatures from Secretary of Interior Hitchcock and Attorney General Griggs, with Member of Congress Henderson writing what a pleasure it is to be in Judge Parker's autograph book. Extremely rare!
Autograph note signed: "D.B. Henderson/Dubuque, Iowa/1/9/99 + glad to be in Judge/Parker's Book", "E.A. Hitchock/Secretary of the Interior/March 5/99", "John W. Griggs/Attorney General", 6½x2½. DAVID B. HENDERSON (1840-1906) was a member of the US House of Representatives from 1883 to 1903, serving at the 39th Speaker of the House from 1899 to 1903. Originally from Old Deer, Scotland, Henderson emigrated to the U.S. with his parents in 1846, later attending Upper Iowa University to study law. In the American Civil War, Henderson enlisted in the Union Army, suffering two major injuries resulting in the amputation of his foot. After the war he began practicing law in Dubuque, serving as the collector of internal revenue for the 3rd district of Iowa from 1865 to 1869. He retired from his law practice in 1882 when he was elected to the House. A Republican, Henderson was an aggressive debater and sworn opponent of Democrats, having once been quoted, "I would rather spend an eternity in hell with a Confederate than an eternity in heaven with a northern Copperhead." Henderson also served as the Chairman of the Committee on Militia and of the Committee on the Judiciary. ETHAN A. HITCHCOCK (1835-1909) was US Minister to Russia (1897-1899) before serving Presidents McKinley and Roosevelt as Secretary of the Interior (1899-1907). Previously a businessman, Hitchcock did business in St. Louis and across the sea in China, only starting his government career after returning to the United States in 1874. He retired two years before his death in 1909. JOHN W. GRIGGS (1849-1927) served as Republican Governor of New Jersey (1895-1898) before being named U. S. Attorney General under President William McKinley (1898-1901). From 1901 to 1912, he was a Judge on the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague, Netherlands. Griggs was also a member of the New Jersey state house of assembly (1875) and state senate from Passaic County (1883-88), a member of the New York state assembly (1776-1877) and a New Jersey Delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1888. Irregular edges. Heavily toned. Slight creases. Otherwise, fine condition.