June 2013 Auction Ends Thursday, June 27th, 5pm Pacific
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 6/27/2013
William Seward autograph letter signed, dated 20 January 1846 from Albany, New York. Here, Seward writes to Supreme Court Justice John McLean regarding the ''Jones vs. Van Zandt'' Supreme Court case which pitted a Kentucky slaveowner against an Ohio abolitionist who had assisted nine slaves in search of their freedom. Seward defended farmer John Van Zandt in the case, though in 1847, the Supreme Court ruled against Van Zandt, determining that the federal government had the power to enforce slavery. Reads in part, ''...I thank you sincerely for your kind reply to my prior note about the argument of the Van Zandt case...I have not [?] enough to ask the court to grant an oral argument after they have expressed themselves adversely to such an application. I have therefore prepared in haste and this day send to the Honorable Washington Hunt a printed argument with copies...William H. Seward''. 2pp. letter on a single sheet measures 4.5'' x 7.25''. Toning throughout, and one minor archival repair near the bottom. Very good condition.
William Seward Autograph Letter Signed -- Regarding the Supreme Court Case ''Jones vs. Van Zandt'' -- Seward Defended Van Zandt, an Ohio Abolitionist Who Helped to Free Slaves
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