THOMAS JEFFERSON and JAMES MADISON With Anglo-American tensions at a fever pitch due to British seizure of American merchant ships, Jefferson as President, and Madison as Secretary of State, sign ship's papers for a brig bound for Marseilles. This ship and its captain would be seized three years later - by the French! Four Language Ship's Papers signed: "Th: Jefferson", "James Madison", 1 page, 19¾x16¼, matted and framed to 25½x22. Washington, D.C., 1807 May 21. Papers issued to Henry Latham, "master and commander of the Brig called the Canton … lying at present at the port of New York bound for Marseilles and laden with Sugar - Wine - Coffee - Ginger - Pimento - Indigo - Beeswax - Nankins [a small breed of chicken] - Tobacco - and Logwood". These papers were signed at a critical moment in U.S. relations with Britain. In 1806, determined to weaken Napoleonic France, Britain had announced a blockade of French ports. Under this order, U.S. merchant ships were liable to seizure - 1,000 would be seized - and the crews subject to impressment in the Royal Navy. read more...
JAMES MADISON and JAMES MONROE As war with Britain looms (1812), the President and Secretary of State sign the papers of an American merchant ship bound for France with a valuable cargo. Partly Printed DS: "James Madison" as President, "Jas Monroe" as Secretary of State and "David Gelston" as Collector of Customs of the Port of New York, 1 page, 20½x16½. Signed in Washington, but issued from New York, 1812 January 18. The text is in four columns, each in a different language; from left to right: French, Spanish, English and Dutch. A four-language ship's paper for the brig Don Roderick under the command of Davis G. Gillies, bound for Bordeaux from New York, "Laden with Cocoa, Coffee, Sugar, Pepper, Cotton, Tea, Mahogany Oil...." No American ships could sail the open seas without this properly authorized passport, and ships still faced problems. If an American ship was sailing to a European port under French control, as the Don Roderick was bound for Bordeaux, France, it could be seized by a British ship if it had not called at a British port. read more...
JIMMY CARTER A revealing collection of documents from his 1976 presidential campaign - including a nine-page draft speech on Israel on Carter's presidential campaign stationery with 67 words of revisions and notes in Carter's hand - showing how a speech on Israel was drafted and revised. Photocopied annotated speech unsigned, with blue ink revision, some in Carter's own hand. 9 pages, 8½x11, loose-leaf sheets, typed on Jimmy Carter Presidential Campaign stationery. Titled: "Speech on Middle East Policy". The photocopy already included revisions, to which someone, presumably Henry Owen of the Brookings Institution, has appended additional comment and crossed out some sentences and paragraphs in the interest of brevity. On page 7, Owen has penned additional suggestions from foreign policy expert Zbigniew Brzezinski, who would become President Carter's national security advisor. Carter has added margin notes of his own: On page 1, Carter has replaced the typed text, "stopping in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and Haifa, visiting the Holy Places" with "visiting Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, Golan Heights and the West Bank" read more...
HIS FIRST PAYCHECK AS PRESIDENT, BEARING HIS ENDORSEMENT CALVIN COOLIDGE Partly Printed Paycheck Endorsed on verso: "Deposit/Calvin Coolidge" as 30th U.S. President, 8½x3¼. Washington, D.C., 1923 August 31. "Treasurer of the United States/Pay Five Thousand Eight Hundred Thirty Three 33/100 ### Dollars/$5,833.33/To The Order of Calvin Coolidge President of the United States/The White House/Washington DC." Coolidge's annual salary as President was $75,000. His monthly salary was $6,250. THIS CHECK REPRESENTS HIS SALARY FOR AUGUST 1923, HIS FIRST MONTH AS PRESIDENT. President Harding had died on August 2, 1923 and at 2:30 A.M. August 3rd, John Coolidge, a notary public, swore in his son as President of the United States. If one divides $6,250 by 30 days, one gets a daily salary of $208.33. Harding was President on August 1st and 2nd. Multiply that by 28 days to get $5,833.33, the amount of Coolidge's check. But Coolidge was President in August for 29 days (August has 31 not 30 days), so his daily salary for August 1923, was actually $201. read more...
BILL CLINTON This rare and significant letter touches on two of the many scandals of the 42nd U.S. President administration. He handwrote, signed and dated this one-sentence letter in 1993 to Kathleen Willey, who accused him of sexual assault five years later. The letter itself mentions "Vince" - probably Vince Foster, Jr., a colleague of the First Lady. Foster had reportedly committed suicide less than two weeks before this letter was signed Autograph Letter Signed: "Bill". One page. 6½x8½. Written on official White House stationery letterhead. Place: Washington, D. C., Date: July 29, 1993. Addressed to: "Dear Kathleen", his friend (and later accuser), Kathleen Willey. In full: "Thanks for your note about Vince and for your friendship. Best". BILL CLINTON, born William Jefferson Blythe III in Hope, Arkansas in 1946, was Governor of Arkansas (1979-1981, 1983-1992) and the first Democrat reelected President since FDR. read more...
HARRY S TRUMAN and his CABINET 16x11 photo of the historic Cabinet meeting of August 25, 1950, signed by the President, by Vice President Barkley, by 9 Cabinet Secretaries, and by 3 important Presidential aides. At this meeting, Truman announced his decision to seize US railroads to prevent a wartime strike Photograph signed: "Harry S Truman" as President, "Alben W. Barkley" as Vice President, "Charles F. Brannan" as Secretary of Agriculture, "Louis Johnson" as Secretary of Defense, "Maurice J. Tobin" as Secretary of Labor, "Dean Acheson" as Secretary of State, "John W. Snyder" as Secretary of the Treasury, "Oscar L. Chapman" as Secretary of the Interior, "Charles Sawyer" as Secretary of Commerce, "J. read more...
FOUR PRESIDENTS: GERALD FORD, JIMMY CARTER, RONALD REAGAN and GEORGE H. W. BUSH Four consecutive Presidents and their First Ladies sign White House engraving. White House engraving signed: "George Bush", "Gerald Ford", "Ronald Reagan", "Jimmy Carter", "Barbara Bush", "Betty Ford", "Nancy Reagan" and "Rosalyn Carter". B/w, 8x6 overall, oval image 4¼x1½ (one surface). Image of the White House on a white card engraved by the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Four U.S. Presidents (#38, #39, #40, #41) and their First Ladies, consecutive residents of the White House from 1974-1993. There is room to add the Clintons and the G.W. Bushes and their successors. How can they refuse? Barbara Bush (1925-2018), with her sensible, down-to earth manner was an enormously popular First Lady. In addition to her many duties, she crusaded against illiteracy and supported programs to help the homeless and fight drug abuse. read more...
ABRAHAM LINCOLN While defending a woman accused of murdering her husband (1857), the future President added six lines of text in his own hand to the written deposition of a witness. Autograph Statement unsigned at the conclusion of Manuscript Document Signed: "J.L. Springgate", 2 pages, 7¾x12¼. Woodford County, [Metamora, Illinois], c. 1845-1857. AT THE CONCLUSION, SIX LINES IN THE HAND OF LINCOLN DIRECTLY ABOVE SPRINGGATE'S SIGNATURE, NOT SIGNED BY LINCOLN WHO WROTE, IN FULL: "Re-cross examination by defendants- The morning of the sale, Laws said that he wanted to go and buy horses, and wanted Vandike to go with him and be his security, and then they both, and this witness went to the sale together (The plaintiff objects to the last piece of evidence)". The names of the plaintiff and defendants are spelled differently throughout the document. Headed: "Deposition of Witness to be used in evidence on the trial of the case now pending in the Circuit Court of Woodford County where John A. Minahan is Plff & J J Lass & Wm G Vandike are defts pursuant to agreement representative of the parties. read more...
