Scarce ALS signed “E. Whitney,” one page both sides, 7.75 x 9.75, October 2, 1803. Letter to Nathaniel Terry. In full: “The Duplicate of yours of the 19th ult. I recd last evening—I had written by Mr. Savage which I presume you must have recd. I find that Mr. Price mentioned in my letter has met with some material injury by a fall from his Carrige [sic] & is not likely to be here as was expected. I since wrote you I have conversed with a Gent. of Charleston relative to the Character in question & find his ideas on the subject to coinside [sic] with my own. Mr. D.S. is not a man of much visible property—he does much business in his profession & lives up to his income—he is a Federalist, has an air of haughtiness in his manner & is, I suspect, obnoxious to the present ruling party—I cannot however point out to you a better man in that country: but you must observe that my acquaintance in Charleston is circumseneterd [sic] & superficial. I shall leave this for So. Carolina in about three weeks if it is in my power to procure any information for you or under you any other service be assured I shall do it with great cheerfulness & am with sentiments of Esteem.” The reverse of the second integral page bears an address panel in Whitney’s hand to “Nathel Terry, Esq., Hartford,” with a New Haven, Connecticut postmark. In fine condition, with intersecting folds.
Since patenting his cotton gin in 1794, Whitney struggled to stop southern farmers from copying his design and illegally reproducing the machine to use without payment. In 1801, after years of litigation with southern states, South Carolina expressed interest in protecting their state’s growing cotton industry and avoiding future lawsuits. Whitney made several trips there to negotiate the sale of a license allowing South Carolina citizens unlimited use the machine, finally settling on a $50,000 price tag, which the state paid in full in 1805. This letter to Nathaniel Terry—who would go on to hold several high-ranking positions in Connecticut, including state representative, congressman, and governor—precedes one of the many negotiation visits that the inventor made. An incredibly scarce and desirable letter—only the fourth Whitney ALS we have ever offered! Pre-certified John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and RR Auction COA.
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