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Description

Sam Houston Autograph Letter Signed. Two pages on one leaf with address panel on separate leaf, 7.875" x 9.75", Nashville, Tennessee; November 13, 1821. A letter addressed to the "Hon. John Ha[y]wood" in Sparta, Tennessee recommending a judicial clerkship at the Tennessee Supreme Court of Errors and Appeals for one Sterling Henry Lester (1798-1876). It was penned while the young Houston was living in Tennessee and two years before he ran for his first political office. Docketed on address panel. He writes, in part:

"The subject of this letter, I hope will be an excuse for intruding on the attention of your Honor. Mr Lester the bearer of this address is an applicant for the appointment of Clerk to the Supreme Court recently located at Columbia. I have known Mr Lester for the three last years, intimately, an[d] no young man can demean himself more correctly that what he has done - his conduct has at all times be[een] discreet and examplary [sic]. I know his opportunities of qualification[s] have been good and I have [no] dobt [sic], but he has well improved there." Boldly signed, "Sam Houston".

John Hayward was appointed to the Court of Errors and Appeals in 1816. The letter is accompanied by a copy of the 1927 letter of transmittal and a print of Lester's home, circa 1830, which has been affixed to a mounting board that measures 7.75" x 7" overall. While it is not known if Lester received the appointment Houston recommended for him, he did go on to serve as Clerk of the Circuit Court in Lowndes County after relocating to Columbus, Mississippi in the 1830s.

Condition: Letter is neatly separated along the horizontal fold. Three minor areas of paper loss measure approximately .5" x 1" and affect a few letters of text, but the letter remains clearly legible. Letter exhibits very minor splits at three vertical folds. Letter and address leaf are dampstained and toned, with some scattered soiling to address leaf. Address leaf is also partially separated along one fold, which crosses the text, and with four areas of paper loss to blank portions of the sheet. Address leaf with numerical pencil annotations.


Auction Info

Auction Dates
November, 2022
30th Wednesday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 5
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 385

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Sold on Nov 30, 2022 for: $1,500.00
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