WILLIAM A. BRADLEY - AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED - HFSID 17139

WILLIAM A. BRADLEY
The early Mayor of Washington, D.C. proposes to bring a third partner into a real estate investment in Georgetown.
Autograph Letter signed: "Wm. A. Bradley", 1page, 7¾x9¾. No place, no date ("Saturday"), To E. G. Thompson, in full: "I have proposed heretofore and with your consent to allow Mr. Lowe {?] joint participation with us in the George Town property so far as the profits are concerned, guaranteeing him against loss however if he shall elect in the course of two years to take back his money with interest. This I will still do and with much pleasure, and as security propose to pass the latter to him in such form as will secure the performance of the experiment on our part. As I depart tomorrow these forms & instruments cannot be proofread and accounted today, but only a brief contract among the signatories. In the meantime Mr. Lowe [?] may hold my check of $1, 500 and the note to Mr. Marbury." William A. Bradley (1794-1867) was Mayor of the City of Washington from 1834 to 1836. Once the Cashier for the Bank of Washington, he was Postmaster of the City in the 1850s, until removed by President Pierce in 1853. In 1851, he purchased Analostan Island (now Theodore Roosevelt Island), using the property as an entertainment resort. Bradley was a member of the prestigious Columbian Institute and a Director of the original Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Company, chartered in 1850. Washington City was a separate entity from George Town (then written as two words) until 1871. Mayors of Washington, Bradley included, were popularly elected from 1820 to 1871, after which Congress resumed direct governance of the District. Not until the passage of Home Rule in 1975 did Washington regain the right to elect its mayors. Heavily toned. Surface creases. Various tears covered with tape throughout. Mailing folds. Corners worn. Small tears on folds. Ink notes (unknown hand) on verso. Otherwise, fine condition.