Description:

John Randolph of Roanoke ALS "Death has been busily engaged in pursuit of his work this spring..."

1p, measuring 7.75" x 9.75", No place, dated April 18, 1816. Signed "John Randolph of Roanoke" and addressed to David Parish Esq. In his letter, Randolph discusses his recent ill health and the recent deaths of many others around him. Reading in full:

"I had forgot to return the copy of the D. of Kent's letter to your venerable father. Since I wrote last I have been laboring under great depression of health & spirits. It is in that frame of body & mind that I now write. You will therefore have the goodness to excuse this apology for a letter. Death has been busily engaged in pursuit of his work this spring. Since poor Stanford, two of my valuable friends have been taken off, & all here for whom I cared a share* have been seriously ill. I do not know when I have been so depressed as during the last fortnight. You will not have been a sufferer by my creaking, but in arranging my papers (as you have an Augean task to the) preparatory to the breaking up of congress. I found the enclosed in the map upon my table. They talk of adjourning about the last of the month. …*Messer Mercer, Tazewell (who arrived a few days past), F. Key, Hanson, Lewis, Mason of N.H., Two of our House be at the point of death (Taylor of N.Y. & Thomas of Ten:) Blount & several more very ill." The letter has flattened mail folds, with ink spots and soiling. Edge mounting present at the left vertical front edge. Boldly signed.

John Randolph of Roanoke (1773-1833) served in the House of Representatives at numerous and various points between 1799 and 1833. He initially served as President Thomas Jefferson's spokesperson in the House, but the two had a falling out in 1805 as a result of what Randolph saw as a dilution of traditional Jeffersonian principles and the mistreatment of Samuel Chase during his impeachment. Randolph went on to declare himself leader of the "Old Republicans". Under President Andrew Jackson, he served as Minister to Russia. Despite being a skilled orator and a House leader, Randolph was frequently ostracized due to his heavy drinking, use of opium, and person eccentricities made worse by his lifelong ill health. Modern scientists believe that he had a latent form of tuberculosis that prevented the onset of puberty and caused him extreme pain throughout his life. Randolph would eventually die from tuberculosis at the age of 60.

David Parish (1778-1826) was a German land speculator who played a great part in financing America's military in the War of 1812. He emigrated to the U.S. in 1806 and purchased a plot of land containing 200,000 acres in the St. Lawrence River Valley. During the War of 1812, he brokers a loan of $7.5 million to aid James Madison and the war effort. From 1819 to 1823, he also served as the American consul in Antwerp.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

We do our own in-house worldwide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses who proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with signature required, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice, unless you inform us otherwise, immediately upon your receipt of invoice***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third Party Shipping Option: If a third party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third party Please copy and paste this following link into your browser: http://universityarchives.com/UserFiles/ShippingInfo.pdf. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third party shippers.


After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 10 business days following receipt of full payment for item.


Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

September 29, 2021 10:30 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of up to 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000