Lot 475
U. S. Surgeon General Clement A. Finley (1797-1862) Finley received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1818 and joined the U.S. Army as a surgeon's mate. He served under Gen. Winfield Scott in the Black Hawk War of 1833, in the Seminole War (1834-38) and was part of the invading force against Mexico in 1846, becoming medical director of the Army under Gen. Zachary Taylor. At the age of 64, he was appointed by President Lincoln to the office of Surgeon General, where he served from May 15, 1861 to April 14, 1862, when he was forced to retire after a heated run-in with Secretary of War Stanton. He received the brevet rank of Brigadier General in 1879 for his long, meritorious service in the Army.
Offered here are three documents that belonged to Finley: (1) His very attractive 1818 diploma as Doctor of Medicine from the University of Pennsylvania, 20¾x25", with 14" embossed blue silk ribbon, signed by twelve professors, matted to 24x27" (2) his 1833 diploma from the Therapeutic Institute of Materia Medica Botany &Toxicology in Philadelphia, with a printed acorn "emblem" type seal and red wax paper seal, 9½x12¼", matted to 18x20½"; and (3) his 1856 membership certificate for the American Philosophical Society, an invitation-only intellectual society founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1743, 9½x14½", matted to 18x22½". All very fine.
Estimated Value $800 - 1,200.
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| Realized $776 |
