ALS signed "A. Burr," one page, 8 x 9.75, October 30, 1823. Handwritten letter to Samuel C. Reid, noted for having helped design the 1818 version of the flag of the United States, which first established the rule of keeping thirteen stripes and adding one star for each state. In part: "Your letter of the 23d was most welcome—so then you have not forgotten our talks!…they have occupied much of my thoughts." In a postscript, he mentions that his landlord's son is preparing to enter military service. In very good to fine condition, with seal-related paper loss to the integral address leaf (and associated chip to the left edge), split to the fold ends, and light toning from prior display.
After the War of 1812, Samuel Chester Reid became harbor master for New York City. He made many innovations including a signal code for U. S. vessels and the use of the semaphore system for speedy advice on ship arrivals. He devised a method of rapid signaling by land which permitted messages to go from New York to New Orleans in two hours. In 1818 Reid designed the third version of the Stars and Stripes at the request of a Congressional Committee headed by Peter H. Wendover, Representative from New York City. By 1818 there were twenty states and entry of others was expected soon. It was impractical to continue to add stripes as more and more states were admitted. So, Wendover's committee adopted Reid's proposal that the stripes be fixed at thirteen with one star for each state.
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