ALS signed “J. Marshall,” one page both sides, measures 11.5 x 7.25 open, August 6, 1788. Handwritten letter to attorney Archibald Stuart, in part: “I am just now in a hurry setting out for Fauquier from whence I shall not return until the last of the month. I must trouble you with the enclosed & rely on your assistance in getting them conveyed to the proper officer. I congratulate on the progress of the constitution. The adoption by New York seems to have given the finishing blow to opposition. The Antis hereabout hang their ears…Yet I am afraid the next assembly will do some foolish thing on the subject. Tis pity that so many of the clever fellows of the former assemblies have deserted this.” Marshall has added a postscript and signed with his initials, “You must let us see you in October; if you do not I shall be able to give you a knight. Mr. Madison wrote to me that he would pay the money long ago for which this judgment [against] Lockart but he has deceivd me." In good to very good condition, with trimming, tears, and chipping to the edges, a small area of paper loss affecting the signature, and complete fold separations repaired with archival tape, which now discourages the folding of the letter.
On July 26, 1788, the Convention of the State of New York met in Poughkeepsie and voted 30 to 27 in favor of ratifying the Federal Constitution. With its ratification of the Constitution, New York entered the new union as the eleventh of the original 13 colonies to join together as the United States of America. Before he became the fourth U.S. chief justice, John Marshall had, in 1788, served in the Virginia Ratification Convention, which would either ratify or reject the United States Constitution that had been drafted at the Philadelphia Convention the previous year. The Convention met and deliberated at the Richmond Theatre from June 2 through June 27, with the vote to ratify passing 89 to 79. Marshall's 34 years of service on the Court would see some of the most important rulings to help establish the nation the Constitution had begun.
This item is Pre-Certified by PSA/DNA
Buy a third-party letter of authenticity for
$50.00
*This item has been pre-certified by a trusted third-party authentication service, and by placing a bid on this item, you agree to accept the opinion of this authentication service. If you wish to have an opinion rendered by a different authenticator of your choosing, you must do so prior to your placing of any bid. RR Auction is not responsible for differing opinions submitted 30 days after the date of the sale.
