ALS signed “A. Hamilton,” one page, 7.25 x 9, September 18, 1792. Hamilton writes land developer and New York politician Nicholas Low. In full: “I thank you for your care of the News Papers. It reminds me of some other custom house transaction. Are you not in advance for me something. If you are how much? You see here proof of the badness of my memory. I shall certainly (Dio volente) meet you & other friends at New Ark on the first Monday of October. I am glad to learn that King will be there; & shall be more glad to find that he will be willing to be a director.” Several intersecting folds with one passing through his first initial and a tiny paper separation at the left edge, upper right corner chip, and areas of faint edge toning, otherwise fine condition.
Hamilton was much too young to be suffering from memory loss, but the nation’s first treasury secretary seems to be drawing a blank here whether there is some outstanding personal debt between the two men: “It reminds me of some other custom house transaction. Are you not in advance for me something. If you are how much?” Perhaps he was too busy organizing America’s finances to be focused on his own. As treasury secretary, Hamilton advocated the creation of a national bank, with the creation of the Bank of the United States receiving congressional approval in 1791. From there, he turned his attention to establishing a strong manufacturing sector—one that differed from the farming way of life imagined by many of the Founding Fathers—and became a supporter of an organization called the Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures. The organization, headquartered in New Jersey, relied heavily on New York developers such as Low, who was serving as director. Hamilton traveled to Newark...here dubbed “New Ark”...to attend a society meeting on October 1. Interestingly, a portion of this letter is quoted in book, The Papers of Alexander Hamilton Volume XXVI. Pre-certified John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and RRAuction COA.
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