Lot 341

Previous image preload Next image preload

Description:

U.S. Supreme Court Justice James Wilson Acknowledges Payment of Salary by Treasurer

By signing this receipt, Supreme Court Justice James Wilson acknowledged receipt of his quarterly salary and his support of a road at the Great Bend of the Susquehanna River in northern Pennsylvania. It may have been a turnpike from Great Bend to Cochecton, New York, on the Delaware River, or a planned turnpike from Great Bend directly to Philadelphia that was never built. In each case, the purpose was to divert upper Susquehanna Valley trade from Baltimore to Philadelphia.

JAMES WILSON, Manuscript Document Signed, Receipt to Samuel Meredith, July 2, 1796. 1 p., 8.25? x 4.875?. Minor edge tears not affecting text; tape residue on top margin also not affecting text; signature clear and dark; very good.

Complete Transcript
Recd 2nd July 1796 of Saml Meredith T.U.S. Eight hundred & Seventy five Dollars including a note of 145 Drs and 100 Drs for my Subscription Money for opening the Road at the Great Bend.
James Wilson
Cash
             630 (Salary 2nd quarter of 1796)
Note
             145
Subscription 100
    875


James Wilson (1742-1798) was born in Scotland and immigrated to America at age 23, studying law under John Dickinson. As a Pennsylvania delegate to the Continental Congress, Wilson signed the Declaration of Independence. At the Constitutional Convention of 1787, he was a member of the Committee of Detail and perhaps second only to James Madison in his far-reaching influence on the Constitution. George Washington appointed him to the first U.S. Supreme Court, and he served as Associate Justice from 1789 until his death. In 1789 he also became the first law professor of the College of Philadelphia (now the University of Pennsylvania), and was the founder of Penn’s Law School. Wilson engaged in land speculation during the Revolutionary War, and again starting in 1792. Ill-fated investments in Western New York, Pennsylvania, and Georgia caused him to spend some time in debtor’s prison in New Jersey and North Carolina, while he was serving on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Samuel Meredith (1741-1817) was an American merchant from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He represented the state in the Continental Congress from 1786 to 1788. President George Washington appointed Meredith as Treasurer of the United States in 1789, and he held the office until his retirement in 1801.

From the famous Supreme Court collection of Scott Petersen.


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 5 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 Westport, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

August 19, 2020 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