SIX DAYS AFTER PRESIDENT TYLER VETOED CLAY'S BANK BILL, BUT BEFORE THE TENNESSEE GOVERNOR LEARNS OF THE VETO, POLK WRITES FROM NASHVILLE: "WE HAVE NO VETO OF THE BANK BILL YET. LETTERS FROM WASHINGTON OF THE 12TH - SPEAK IN CONFIDENT TERMS THAT THERE WILL BE A VETO".   JAMES K. POLK. Political Content ALS: "James K. Polk" as Governor of Tennessee, 1¼p, 7¾x9¾, front and verso. Nashville, Tennessee, 1841 August 22. To Robert B. Reynolds, Esqr., Knoxville, Tennessee. In full: "Since I wrote to you a few days ago, concerning the Judgeship vice Judge Powell deceased I have examined the laws & find that any one of the Circuit Judges of the State are authorized to hold the Courts in his Circuit. - I have written to Judge Robert M. Anderson requesting him to hold the Courts in Hawking on the 4th Monday in Sep'r and in Greene on the 2nd Monday in October. This will give the Legislature full time to elect a Judge, before any other Court in the Circuit will come on. I am anxious that Judge Anderson shall hold the Courts in Hawkins & Greene. 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...

JAMES GARFIELD The President signs a warrant authorizing the Secretary of State to place the US seal on a congratulatory message to the new Kingdom of Romania. Signatures by Garfield as President are extremely rare, this one penned less than two months before he was shot. Presidential Warrant signed: "James A. Garfield" as President, 8x10, matted with a photograph of Garfield (with facsimile signature) to an overall size of 18½x15. Washington, D.C., 1881 May 5. In full: "I hereby authorize and direct the Secretary of State to cause the Seal of the United States to be affixed to an envelope containing my reply to the letter of King Charles of Romania, announcing the erection of Romania into a Kingdom &c, &c. dated this day, and signed by me; and for so doing this shall be his warrant." James Abram Garfield (1831-1881) rose to the rank of Major General in the U.S. Army during the Civil War, participating in the battles of Shiloh and Chickamauga, before resigning his commission to take a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives (1863-1880). read more...

HERBERT HOOVER and his PRESIDENTIAL CABINET Posed 13x11 photo on the White House lawn, signed by the President, by Vice President Curtis, and all 10 of his Cabinet officers, matted and framed to 23x20. Photograph signed: "Patrick Hurley", "Charles Curtis", "Herbert Hoover", "He. Stimson", "A. W. Mellon", "R. P. Lamont", "Ray Lyman Wilbur", "Walter F. Brown", "William D. Mitchell", A. M. Hyde", "C. F. Adams" and "W. N. Doak". Sepia, 13x10½. Matted and framed to an overall size of 22½x20¼. Signed in order, front row first, in the lower margin. HERBERT HOOVER (1874-1964) had never held elected office before winning landslide election to the Presidency in 1928, but he had a broad background as a mining engineer, the architect of US relief efforts in stricken Europe during and following World War I, and Secretary of Commerce under President Coolidge. Hoover's efforts to combat the Depression were judged inadequate by the electorate, which repudiated him for Democrat Franklin Roosevelt in 1932. He had some opportunity to restore his read more...

APOLLO 14 and GEORGE H.W. BUSH This embroidered cloth arm patch was carried to the moon on the 1971 Apollo 14 mission. It was then given to the office of George H.W. Bush while he was Ambassador to the United Nations. Accompanied by a letter on a UN ambassador's card handwritten, dated and signed "George B" by Bush. Two items: 1) Embroidered cloth arm patch unsigned. Captioned: "APOLLO 14/Shepard Roosa Mitchell". Apollo 14 mission logo surrounded by gold and brown borders, with captions gold in brown and blue embroidery within gold border. According to the enclosed letter, this arm patch was carried to the moon and then given to Bush's office while he was Ambassador to the United Nations. Fine condition. 2) Autograph letter signed "George B". 2 pages, 6¼x4, 1 card front and verso. Blue-bordered white card with Great Seal of the United States. Nov. 11, 1971. Addressed to "Mr. Josten". Titled: "The Representative/of the/United States of America/to the/United Nations/George Bush/Ambassador". In full: "Dear Mr. Josten, When you are in N.Y.C. come by our office (799 UN Plaza) Adm. read more...

FIVE PRESIDENTS (1969-1992): RICHARD NIXON, GERALD FORD, JIMMY CARTER, RONALD REAGAN and GEORGE BUSH This extremely rare color photo, taken at the dedication of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in 1991, contains the signatures of all five presidents to serve between 1969 and 1992: Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George Bush. This event was the first time that five presidents of the United States, former or current, had ever gathered in one place for any reason. Photograph signed: "George Bush", "Ronald Reagan", "J Carter", "Gerald R. Ford" and "Richard Nixon". Color, 10x8 overall, image 8¾x5, one surface. The dedication of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum on a hilltop overlooking Simi Valley, California was marked by the attendance of five Presidents: then-President George Bush and former Presidents Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford and Richard Nixon. The library, built at a cost of $57 million, was dedicated on November 4, 1991 at a ceremony that brought together five Presidents for the first time in history. read more...

JAMES MADISON and JAMES MONROE President James Madison and future President James Monroe sign four language ship papers in 1811. Partly Printed DS: "James Madison" as fourth U.S. President and future fifth U.S. President "Jas Monroe" as Secretary of State, 1p, 21¼x16½. Four-language ship's papers signed in Washington, D.C. but issued from Newburyport, Massachusetts, 1811 November 29. The text is in four columns, each in a different language; from left to right: French, Spanish, English and Dutch. In part: "BE IT KNOWN, That leave and permission are hereby given to Timothy Pilsbury, master or commander of the Scho[oner] called the Abigail of the burthen of 87 tons, or thereabouts, lying at present in the port of Newburyport bound for Bordeaux and laden with Fish, Tongues & Gourds, to depart and proceed with his Vessel & Cargo on his said voyage, such Vessel having been visited, and the 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...

THOMAS JEFFERSON He extends a dinner invitation to friend and merchant William Huntington, signed in the text. Third Person Autograph Note signed in text: "Th: Jefferson asks the favor of Mr. Huntington to dine with him on Sunday the 8th. Apr. 6. 21", 1 page, 7¾x4. No place given [but probably Monticello], 1821 April 6. THOMAS JEFFERSON (1743-1826) served as third U.S. President from 1801 to1809. A former delegate to the Continental Congress from Virginia (1775-1776, 1783-1784), Jefferson drafted and signed the Declaration of Independence (1776). He then served as Governor of Virginia (1779-1781) and as a member of Virginia's state legislature (1782). Named U.S. Minister to France in 1785, Jefferson remained abroad until 1789, when he was asked by George Washington to be his Secretary of State (1790-1793). Jefferson then served as Vice President under John Adams (1797-1801) until being elected President. A man of many talents, Jefferson has been called "the Sage of Monticello". read more...