Description:

George Washington
Washington, D.C., March 21, 1791
Washington and Jefferson Signed Appt for First U.S. Customs Collector…For Port Near Washington's Birthplace!
DS
A fine partly-printed D.S. 1p. 14.5" x 10.5", Washington, D.C., March 21, 1791. An appointment of Vincent Redman as "…Inspector of the Revenue for the Port of Yeocomico, in Virginia…". Boldly signed by each. Handsomely double-matted and presented in a gilt frame with overall dimensions of 23" x 19". A central fold tear is discreetly conserved and the document exhibits a bit of offsetting and toning, else in very good condition with both signatures excellent!

Vincent Redman was one of the original 59 revenue collectors upon the creation of the U.S. Customs Service and its ports of entry on March 4, 1789 by the 5th Act of the First United States Congress. The purpose of the office was to regulate by ships, and collect tariffs of the goods transported by them.

It opens: "…An ACT to regulate the COLLECTION of the Duties imposed by Law on the TONNAGE of SHIPS or VESSELS, and on GOODS, WARES, and Merchandizes, imported into the United States…there shall be established and appointed district, ports, and officers, in manner following, to wit: the State of New Hampshire shall be one district to include the town of Portsmouth as the sole port of entry…".

The Act went on to list every state and its designated ports, some 59 in all. Washington nominated the Collectors, and Senate would then approve them. Although this task began in 1789, it would not be until March 21, 1791 -- the day of our document -- that official commissions were signed by Washington and Jefferson.

The U.S. Customs Service was created with an urgent and immediate need in mind: revenue. For 125 years, it the prime provider of governmental funds which paid for the nascent country's infrastructure and territorial growth.

The Port of Kinsale was designated as the official port on the Yeocomico River -- a tidal tributary of the southern portion of Potomac River that ran through the county of Westmoreland County on Virginia's Northern Neck, the birthplace of George Washington himself. It is the oldest port on the Virginia side of the Potomac river. As a deep-water port but with a very sheltered harbor, Kinsale was well-suited to the transportation by seagoing vessels, and was able to handle deeper draft ships from England as well as East Coast shallow draft schooners. A significant historical site from the standpoint of trade, Kinsale would also be remembered as the site of a British attack in August, 1814 in which the British marines reportedly sank three schooners on Cone Creek and burned the town.

In addition to naming customs officers, on March 21, 1791, Washington would depart for his famed Southern Tour, explaining to his Vice President John Adams that he wished to undertake it to learn about the populace, "in order to become better acquainted with their principal Characters & internal Circumstances, as well as to be more accessible to numbers of well-informed persons, who might give him useful informations and advices on political subjects…".

For his part Jefferson would depart with James Madison on a Northern Tour exactly two months after Washington's Southern counterpart. Rather than learn from and interact with the populace, however, Jefferson spent his time on botany and fishing. Jefferson's meagre one-page takeaway from the month-long trip chronicles his observations as a plant and nature lover, with nary a line about people or politics!

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:
  • 23" x 19"
  • Artist Name:
  • George Washington
  • Medium:
  • DS

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