Partly-printed vellum DS as president, one page, 15 x 18, April 3, 1858. President Buchanan appoints John Grimes Walker as "a Lieutenant in the Navy, from the 23d of January 1858." Crisply signed at the conclusion by President Buchanan and countersigned by Secretary of the Navy Isaac Toucey. The orange seal affixed at the bottom remains fully intact. In very good to fine condition, with scattered light staining. Walker was a significant figure in the American Navy during the last half of the 19th century. After serving with distinction in the Civil War, he went on to become assistant superintendent of the Naval Academy, chief of the Bureau of Navigation, head of the Lighthouse Board, and commander-in-chief of the Squadron of Evolution and of the North Atlantic Squadron. Buchanan military commissions are uncommon, especially regarding such a well-known officer early in his career.
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