Group lot of three items signed by Cyrus McCormick (1809-1884), the inventor of the mechanical reaper, including:
An ALS signed “C. H. McCormick,” two pages on two adjoining sheets, 5.25 x 8.25, June 6, 1871, addressed to James D. Reid, in part: “In accordance with your note to me, I have the honor to accept your invitation to the ‘Reception to be given to Prof. S. F. B. Morse, at the Academy of Music, Saturday Evening, June 10th, 1871.’”
An LS signed “C. H. McCormick,” two pages, 8 x 10.5, Spring House letterhead, July 25, 1881, addressed to E. W. Stoughton, in part: “I wrote you a letter some time ago about the Rail Road Case, which had been in the hands of Mr. Beach as you know—inquiring what you knew of the situation of the case to which I received no answer. My son afterwards spoke to you about the case, when I understand you told him it was progressing I wrote Mr. Beach subsequently about the case, and about your connection with it, when he replied that the case had been argued and that the case was then before the court for its decision, saying he had not heard from you concerning the case after seeing me, at the time I made the arrangement with you and himself for your participating with him in the argument of the case—you in fact expected to take the leading position in Court. He also enclosed to me an apologetic letter (or a copy of one) from you to him, giving some reasons why you had paid no attention to the case etc. I now have only to ask whether you have known anything of the case since, or whether any decision has been made by the Court in it—with anything else you may think proper to say in relation to the matter.”
A National Park Bank check, 7.75 x 2.75, filled out in another hand and signed by McCormick, "C. H. McCormick," payable to Sidney Morse, Jr. & Co., for $4.50, April 13, 1867. Also includes a $1,500 promissory note dated February 13, 1817, signed in another hand on behalf of inventor Eli Whitney. In overall fine condition. Although McCormick’s fortune lay in the invention of his reaping machine, he had a wide array of business activities, including great interest in the expansion of the railroads. In fact, he was a director of the Union Pacific prior to the Crédit Mobilier scandals.
