Description:

Lincoln Assassination
Massachusetts, March 19, 1974
Lincoln Assassination: Dr. Samuel Mudd Pardon Proposal from Massachusetts
Document
Legislative Resolution, from the Massachusetts House of Representatives, dated March 19, 1974, issuing a formal request urging the President of the United States to proclaim the innocence of Dr. Samuel A. Mudd, the doctor who cares for an injured John Wilkes Booth, regarding any complicity in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. In fine condition with expected toning. The document measures 9.875" x 15."

The document outlines several "Whereas" clauses that provide the basis for the resolution, stating that Dr. Mudd, a Southern Maryland doctor, was innocent of any involvement in the assassination, and that his conviction was a result of the hysteria of the time. The resolution is signed by the House Speaker David M. Bartley, House Clerk Wallace Mills, and Representative Francis W. Hatch who offered the resolution. The document also includes an official Massachusetts seal.

The "Whereas" clauses include:

First Clause:
"Whereas, Dr. Samuel A. Mudd, a southern Maryland doctor, treated the broken leg of John Wilkes Booth, injured when the actor jumped from a theater box after assassinating President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theater in our nation's Capital in April, 1865; and"
Second Clause:
"Whereas, Dr. Mudd was fulfilling his sworn duty as a physician by treating an injured person of whose crime he was unaware; and"
Third Clause:
"Whereas, Although history has subsequently revealed that Dr. Samuel A. Mudd, in acting as a physician, was innocent of any involvement in the assassination, as the result of the hysteria of the times the doctor was convicted as a conspirator in said assassination and imprisoned; and"
Fourth Clause:
"Whereas, President Andrew Johnson gave a pardon to Dr. Mudd, which pardon, however, does not confirm innocence but merely grants forgiveness; and"
Fifth Clause:
"Whereas, The good name of the Mudd family has suffered during the past century for the wrong done to its ancestor; now, therefore, be it"

An excerpt from the March 9, 1974 "Massachusetts Transcript Telegram" which is shown above, discusses the Massachusetts Senate's recent adoption of a resolution asking President Richard M. Nixon to declare Dr. Samuel A. Mudd innocent of any complicity in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. The resolution, sponsored by Republican Whip Ronald C. MacKenzie and Democratic Leader Joseph J. C. DiCarlo, was passed by voice vote without debate. The Massachusetts resolution joins similar ones passed by Maryland and Michigan, and a similar resolution has been introduced in the U.S. Congress by Senators Edward M. Kennedy and Philip Hart. Although Dr. Mudd was pardoned by President Andrew Johnson in 1869, the Senate argues that a pardon does not equate to a declaration of innocence. The move is seen as a significant victory for Dr. Richard Mudd, Dr. Samuel Mudd's grandson, who has spent 60 years trying to clear his grandfather's name. The resolution claims that Dr. Mudd was simply "acting as a physician" and was "innocent in the assassination."

Mudd was charged as an accomplice in the Lincoln assassination for treating escaped assassin John Wilkes Booth's broken leg. Although Mudd was unaware of who Booth was, a court sentenced Mudd to life in prison at hard labor, escaping the gallows by one vote.

Was Dr. Samuel A. Mudd an innocent country doctor unjustly imprisoned for treating John Wilkes Booth, Abraham Lincoln's assassin, or was he a Confederate agent who conspired with Booth to assassinate the President and help him escape? Opinions are divided—some see Mudd as a victim of unfortunate circumstances, while others view his role in the assassination as deeply suspicious and controversial.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 9.875" x 15"
  • Medium: Document

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