Lot 759
Johnson, Andrew (1808-75) 17th president of the U.S. (1865-69).
Partially Printed Document. One page, elephant Folio on vellum, Washington DC, March 23, 1867, with President Johnson's stamped signature below the text. Beautifully preserved Engraved Military Appointment installing Palmer G. Wood as First Lieutenant in the Fifth Regiment of Infantry. Countersigned by Edwin M. Stanton as Secretary of War, with ornate martial devices engraved in two large vignettes framing the document, which bears a pristine blue wafer seal of the United States War Office.
This Presidential Military Appointment is of particular interest, as it was one of the last that Johnson and Stanton would sign together as President and Secretary of War. The President was becoming increasingly unpopular for his "gentle" Constructionist policies, which alienated him from the "Radical" (Reconstructionist) Republicans who dominated Congress: on this very same day, March 23, 1867, Congress overrode Johnson's presidential veto to pass a second Reconstruction Act. Five months later, in August, Johnson had Stanton removed from office for proposing that the newly appointed military governors of the defeated Southern states should be answerable directly to Congress and not to the President. This act, which became a test of executive versus congressional powers, precipitated Johnson's impeachment before Congress one year later in 1868. Fine.
Estimated Value $50 - 75.
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| Realized $150 |
