Partly-printed vellum DS as president, one page, 15.5 x 18, March 13, 1851. President Fillmore appoints Donald McNeill Fairfax as “a Lieutenant in the Navy.” Crisply signed at the conclusion by Fillmore and countersigned by Secretary of the Navy William A. Graham. The paper seal affixed at the bottom remains fully intact. Intersecting folds (one vertical fold passing through a single letter of the signature), small areas of paper loss along the central horizontal fold (affecting a few words), a few small edge tears, and slight show-through from mounting remnants to reverse, otherwise fine condition. Fairfax went on to serve in the Civil War and was central in the ‘Trent Affair,’ a diplomatic incident that occurred when he boarded a British mail-steamer to remove two Confederate officials as prisoners. His distinguished service in the Union Navy included command of the Cayuga, Nantucket, and Montauk, and by the end of his career Fairfax had achieved the rank of rear admiral. Fillmore documents signed as president are rather scarce, as his stint in office lasted under three years. Pre-certified John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA.
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