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LOT #42080 |
Starting Bid: $40,000
Thomas Jefferson Wonderful Partial Autograph Address Signed as President...
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Description
President Jefferson Prepares to Retire: "...should I be so fortunate as to carry into retirement the equal approbation and good will of my fellow citizens generally, it will be the comfort of my future days"
Thomas Jefferson Wonderful Partial Autograph Address Signed as
President ("Th: Jefferson"). One page, 7 3/4 x 9 3/4
inches; [Washington]; December 10, 1807. The final page only of
Jefferson's address "To the Representatives of the people of New
Jersey in their legislature." Endorsed on the verso in
another hand, "Answer of the President of U.S. 10 Decr.
1807," and, "to the Address of NJ legislature."A poignant statement from Jefferson in the seventh year of his presidency, completed with his bold signature at the conclusion. Here, the nation's third president replies to the New Jersey legislature following his decision not to seek a third term, continuing the precedent established by George Washington. In full:
"Truth also obliges me to add that I am sensible of that decline which advancing years bring on; and feeling their Physical, I ought not to doubt their Mental effect. happy, if I am the first to perceive & to obey this admonition of nature, and to sollicit a retreat from cares too great for the wearied faculties of age.
Declining a re-election on grounds which cannot but be approved, I am sincerely thankful for the approbation which the Legislature of New Jersey are pleased to manifest of the principles & measures pursued in the management of their affairs: and should I be so fortunate as to carry into retirement the equal approbation and good will of my fellow citizens generally, it will be the comfort of my future days, and will close a service of forty years with the only reward it ever wished.
Th: Jefferson."
At the time of writing, Jefferson was sixty-six years old and nearing the end of a career that had spanned four decades of public service. His decision to retire after two terms reinforced the developing American tradition of a limited two executive terms, as set by Washington's example. As Jefferson himself notes in the portion of the address not present here, without that limitation the presidency might, in practice, become a lifetime office.
Following his retirement in 1809, Jefferson returned to Monticello, where he devoted himself to intellectual pursuits and continued to influence American political life through an extensive correspondence with figures such as James Madison, James Monroe, and John Adams. In 1819, he founded the University of Virginia, a project that exemplified his enduring commitment to education and republican ideals.
In the pages of this address not present, Jefferson reflects on broader national and international concerns, including the state of Europe during the Napoleonic Wars, the reduction of the national debt, and the constitutional importance of electoral accountability. He emphasizes his belief that a representative government, "responsible at short periods of election," is essential to preserving liberty and promoting the general welfare.
Condition: Lightly toned with flattened folds and very minor creasing; separations at fold lines, touching text but not affecting legibility. A few light spots of foxing, minor ink show-through from docket.
References: "From Thomas Jefferson to New Jersey Legislature, 10 December 1807," Founders Online, National Archives.
Provenance: Sotheby's, Fine Books and Manuscripts, Including Americana, July 20, 2023, lot 1014.
Auction Info
2026 June 19 The John H. Freund Americana Collection Signature® Auction #6331 (go to Auction Home page)
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June
19th
Friday
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19th
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