Lot 64
Adams, John (1735-1826) Second President of the United States (1797-1801). Autograph document signed ("John Adams"), as Minister to the Netherlands, 1 page, 9 x 7½ in., Amsterdam, Nov.28, 1780. Order draft to " Messrs Hornaca Fizeau & Co, Bankers in Amsterdam" reads "Gentlemen; Please to pay the Honourable Francis Dana, Esq. Two thousand four hundred Livres Tournois, on account of Mr. F. Grand, at Paris. John Adams." With the docket at bottom noting receipt, signed "F.M.Dana".
In 1778 Adams was appointed to supplant Silas Deane as a member of the commission to France, which included Benjamin Franklin and Arthur Lee. In 1780 he was sent to the Netherlands as a commissioner; in the next two years he successfully negotiated sorely needed loans and Dutch diplomatic recognition of American Independence. This early financial instrument that Adams sends to Francis Dana (1743-1811), his secretary in France, may have been the first use of the newly acquired Dutch loan.
Estimated Value $7,000 - 9,000.
Sotheby's New York, June 6, 1996, lot 2.
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| Realized $4,680 |
