William C. Endicott Autographs, Memorabilia & Collectibles

William Crowninshield Endicott (1826-1900), a Massachusetts Supreme Court Justice (1873-1883) and Democratic candidate for Governor of that State (1884), was President Cleveland's Secretary of War in his first term (1885-1889). An active Secretary of War, Endicott introduced examinations for officer promotions and revamped the nation's coastal fortification. He was the first Democrat to hold the office since the Civil War. He was a direct lineal descendent of John Endecott, the first Governor of colonial Massachusetts (from 1629).