Gallery of History - Auctioneer of Historical Documents

Click on Image To Enlarge

autographs

Document 16515

JOHN TYLER
Appointment to safeguard live oak timber in Florida, necessary for building Navy ships.
ALS: "J. Tyler" as tenth U.S. President, 1p, 7¾x6½. (Washington), 1844 December 5. To Judge Mason, his Secretary of the Navy, John Y. Mason. In full: "Appoint John W. Rochelle Timber agent in Florida in the place resigned by J.A. Semple and oblige". In the South, especially in Florida and Louisiana, reservations of live oak forests were harvested for use in the building of ships for the U.S. Navy. There was evidence that live oak timber was being taken from public lands by thieves who then sold it to the U.S. and foreign governments. On January 4, 1843, the U.S. Senate "Resolved, That the Secretary of the Navy be directed to communicate to the Senate the evidence in his possession, showing that depredations of the most ruinous kind are being daily committed on the navy timber growing on the public lands; and that our own people are daily selling to our Government live oak timber which they take from the public lands; and, also, such proof as may be in his possession, tending to show that any foreign Government has, by contract with any of our citizens, obtained supplies of live oak cut from the public lands; and, also, inform the Senate, what additional grants of power and means to the officers of Government are, in his opinion, necessary, to the complete preservation for national uses, of the live oak timber growing on the public lands in the State of Louisiana, and the Territory of Florida." Navy personnel, including ROCHELLE, were appointed as agents to oversee the operations and safeguard against the unauthorized harvesting of the trees. Federal Judge JOHN Y. MASON served as Tyler's Secretary of the Navy from March 14, 1844 to March 3, 1845, becoming Polk's Attorney General (1845-1846) and Secretary of the Navy (1846-1849). Light folds, vertical fold touches the "J". Fine condition. Framed in the Gallery of History style: 32¾x20½.

SEE IF DOCUMENT 16515 IS FOR SALE RIGHT NOW!!

This document was available for sale in a previous auction. It may or may not be currently available for sale. It is also highly likely that we have more of this personality available for sale either in our archives or on our direct purchase website www.historyforsale.com.

For direct purchase information, call 1-800-GALLERY (1-800-425-5379) Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm Pacific Time or email inquires to sales@galleryofhistory.com. RIGHT NOW YOU CAN BID ON A SIMILAR ITEM IN OUR CURRENT AUCTION!

Autograph Archive Index