Lot 323

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Description:

President James K. Polk Sends Letter of Credence with First American Consul General to Egypt

The United States first established formal diplomatic relations with Egypt in 1848, when President James K. Polk appointed Daniel S. Macauley as the first envoy to Egypt with the title of Consul General. Macauley and his family arrived in Egypt from Tripoli aboard the USS Constitution in February 1849.

JAMES K. POLK. Copy of Letter of Credence to Pacha of Egypt for Daniel S. Macauley, October 24, 1848. 2 pp., 8ʺ x 12.625ʺ. Also has copied signature of Secretary of State James Buchanan. Folded; minor staining; tears along some folds.

Complete Transcript:

James K. Polk.
President of the United States of America
To His Highness, / The Pacha of Egypt, / &c. &c. &c.
Great and Good Friend!
I have chosen Daniel S. Macauley, a respectable citizen of the United States as Consul General of the United States of America for Egypt, to reside at Alexandria, to watch over our interests, and, by all honorable means, to cultivate and to maintain harmony and good will between us. Wherefore, I request Your Highness to receive him in this character,—to cause him to be duly respected, and to give full credit to what he shall represent from his Government; more especially when he shall assure you of our cordial friendship.
Written at the City of Washington, the Twenty-fourth day of October, in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and forty eight.
Your Good Friend,
(signed) James K. Polk
By the President
(countersigned) James Buchanan / Secretary of State

Historical Background
Muhammad Ali (1769-1849) seized power in Egypt in 1805, after a French army under Napoleon Bonaparte withdrew. Over the next four decades, Muhammad Ali modernized Egypt and welcomed Europeans and European ideas. Recognized as the founder of modern Egypt, he stabilized the country, expanded trade, and increased agricultural production and exports. In March 1848, his eldest son Ibrahim Pasha (1789-1848) briefly succeeded him as ruler of Egypt. When Ibrahim Pasha died in November 1848, the Egyptian throne passed to his nephew Abbas I (1812-1854), the son of Muhammad Ali’s second oldest son.

On October 25, 1848, Secretary of State James Buchanan sent aboard the USS Constitution a letter to Macauley, along with his commission, the original of this letter of credence, and a set of consular instructions. Buchanan emphasized the importance of Macauley’s assignment: "Your mission, both Consular and political, is one of great importance; and you have been selected for the station on account of your long experience at Tripoli, and the acceptable manner in which you have performed your duties there. We have, heretofore, had no direct Diplomatic relations with the Pacha of Egypt, and but very little commercial intercourse with his dominions. But, nominally dependent upon the Porte [Ottoman Empire], Egypt has become, in point of fact, an Independent Power; and it is of great importance that we should cultivate the most friendly political relations with the Pacha."

When Polk signed the original letter of which this offering is a copy, Ibraham Pasha was the ruler of Egypt, but by the time Macauley arrived in Egypt in February 1849, he would have presented this letter of credence to Abbas I.

Daniel Smith Macauley / McCauley (1798-1852) was born in Philadelphia and served as a midshipman in the U.S. Navy, beginning in February 1814. He remained in the navy after the end of the War of 1812, rising to the rank of lieutenant. He married Sarah Yorke in 1824, and they had three children before her death in 1830, including future Rear Admiral Edward Yorke Macauley of the U.S. Navy. Daniel Macauley married Frances Ann Jones of North Carolina on October 24, 1831, in Philadelphia. A week later, they sailed for Tripoli, to which Macauley had been appointed as the U.S. Consul. He served in that position until 1848, when President James K. Polk appointed Macauley as Consul-General to Egypt at Alexandria. Macauley transferred to Alexandria in February 1849 and died there in October 1852.

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.

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