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Lot #1
George Washington

Handwritten letter by George Washington, inviting a prominent Southern Loyalist to dinner before the Revolution

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Estimate: $12000+
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Description

Handwritten letter by George Washington, inviting a prominent Southern Loyalist to dinner before the Revolution

ALS signed “Go: Washington,” one page, 6.25 x 6.75, December 18, [1772]. Letter to the Reverend Jonathan Boucher, written from Mount Vernon, in full: "I send my Carriage up but cannot undertake to promise for the Horses bringing you down, as two of them are unused to drawing, & but one Postilion accustomd to drive, the other, with my lame Horses not being return’d from Williamsburg—Mrs. Washington &c join in Compliments to Mrs. & Miss Boucher, who, together with yourself, we shall expect to see at Dinner." Includes the detached address panel, addressed in Washington's hand, "To The Rev'd Mr. Boucher in Alexandria." In very good to fine condition, with light creasing and toning, and old repairs to back of the letter and its detached integral address leaf, including a tear just above the signature; the address panel is annotated in an unknown hand, "December 18th, 1772/3." In Washington's collected papers, the letter is documented as 1772, and on December 18, 1772, Washington logged 'Mr. Boucher, his Wife & Sister came to Dinner' in his diaries. Despite counting George Washington as a close friend, Boucher was one of the most prominent Loyalists in the South. In 1775, because of his opposition to the Revolution, Boucher chose to return to England, where he was rewarded with a government pension for his loyalty.

Auction Info

  • Auction Title: Fine Autograph and Artifacts
  • Dates: #604 - Ended March 10, 2021





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