Partly-printed DS, one page, 15 x 12, June 9, 1788. As governor of Massachusetts, Hancock appoints Abel Wentworth as “Ensign of a company in the fourth Regim[ent] and first Division of the militia in this Commonwealth.” Signed on the left side by Hancock and countersigned at the conclusion by John Avery as secretary. The white paper seal affixed above Hancock’s signature remains intact. In very good condition, with repaired separations to intersecting folds (one vertical fold passing through a single letter of the signature), repaired paper loss to the right edge (affecting a small section of the filled-in text), other smaller areas of paper loss, and heavy show-through from docketing to reverse affecting the signature area.
Although Hancock was concerned with the newly drafted US Constitution’s lack of a bill of rights, he came to support it during the contentious ratification debate of 1788. Hancock’s position in support of the Constitution was probably a deciding factor in the Massachusetts Convention’s vote to ratify on February 6, 1788, in a close vote of 187 to 168. New Hampshire was the last state to ratify, its vote coming mere weeks after this document on June 21, 1788. Pre-certified PSA/DNA.
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