Description:

Morris Gouverneur 1752 - 1816 Governeur Morris ALS as a member of the U.S. Senate for New York, 1802
Single page ALS, 7.75" x 9.25", inlaid to another page to a size of 11.75" x 10.75". Boldly signed by Governeur Morris as "Gov Morris", and dated "Washington 12 Feb 1802". Accompanied by a lovely portrait engraving of him, 4" x 5.5", inlaid to another page to a size of 7" x 10.75". Single vertical fold with small separation to fold to backing sheet. Near fine with strong contrast. Signed by Morris with a large 3" signature. Accompanied by documented provenance as noted below.

A lovely Governeur Morris ALS, a man who was considered a "Genius in whom every species of talents combine to render him conspicuous and flourishing in public debate ... No Man has more wit, nor can anyone engage the attention more than Mr. Morris." Morris emerged as one of the leading figures at the Constitutional Convention. His substantive speeches, more prolific than anyone else, numbered 173. A strong advocate of nationalism and aristocratic rule, he served on many committees, including those on postponed matters and style, and stood in the thick of the decision-making process. Above all, it was apparently he who actually drafted the Constitution.

His earlier political experiences include the Lower House of New York State Legislature 1777-1778, State Constitutional Convention of New York 1776, Continental and Confederation Congresses 1778-1789, Signed Articles of Confederation, while his later appointments include Assistant Superintendent of Finance for U.S. 1781-1785; President Washington nominated and the Senate confirmed him as an emissary to England (1790 - 1791), replaced Thomas Jefferson as emissary to France in (1792 - 1794). Member U.S. Senate for New York, 1800-1803. His letter shown below was penned during this later period and reflect his ardent dedication.

"Sir, Washington 12, Feb 1802

I had the Honor to receive last evening the letter addressed to me on the second instant by the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Assembly. The subject of it shall meet the respectful attention due to that high authority by which it is recommended.

I have the honor to be

Sir

Your obedient servant

Gov Morris

The honorable Thomas Storm

Speaker of Assembly of NYork

Albany"

A lovely example of this historically significant and versatile individual in exceptional condition.

Provenance: This item was recently discovered in an extra illustrated volume of "History of the City of New York" by Mary L. Booth, New York W. R. C. Clark, 1867. Originally two volumes, the monumental task of expanding the work to 21 volumes by none other than Emery E. Childs esquire of New York City. In volume 1 of this work exists a lovely india ink drawing of Mary L. Booth along with a notation: "presented by her to E E C" in pencil. Next to the title page we find an original letter of Booth to Childs dated April 4, 1872: "I am in receipt of your favor of the 4th inst., and am grateful to hear that you are taking the trouble to illustrate my History of the City of New York in the manner you describe. I shall be happy to see you, should you favor me with a call as I am usually in my office during business hours and should be pleased to facilitate your Enterprise by any means in my power"

It is assumed that the book took several years to assemble at which point, assumedly through Childs, it made its way to Senator Charles B. Farwell of Chicago who took the seat of John A. Logan in 1887. Farwell had an extensive library that fortunately survived the great Chicago fire in 1871 having been housed in his Lakeside home. In the American Bibliopolist of November 1871 there is an article about the devastation to libraries caused by the tragedy. "Mr C. B. Farwell's library is also fortunately far out from the city, at his country house, and is safe. The same remark will also apply to the extensive collection of books and curiosities belonging to Mr. E. E. Childs." This establishes the Chicago connection between Childs and Farwell.

That these letters were preserved for over 140 years and have never been on the market for that period is remarkable on many levels. It is the state of being wedged in these volumes that also account for what is mostly the pristine state of preservation.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. Shipping and handling costs are competitive as we maintain discounted contracts with FedEx. If you have any questions, contact University Archives prior to bidding. After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 5 business days following receipt of full payment for item. We currently ship via FedEx but if your purchase is shipping to a P.O. Box, we ship via USPS. All items are insured. We ship from our offices in Westport, CT. We may opt to use a third party shipper for very fragile, bulky or oversized items. Items requiring third party shipping will be denoted in the item description. Packages shipped internationally will have full value declared on shipping form. International buyers will be responsible for any customs fees incurred.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Westport, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

June 14, 2017 10:30 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 20% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000