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Lot #167
James M. Curley

Boston's controversial mayor to the famed lawyer of the Scopes Monkey Trial

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Estimate: $800+
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Description

Boston's controversial mayor to the famed lawyer of the Scopes Monkey Trial

Democratic politician from Boston, Massachusetts (1874-1958) who served four terms as Mayor of Boston. He also served a single term as Governor of Massachusetts, which was characterized by one biographer as 'a disaster mitigated only by moments of farce' for its free spending and corruption. Signed book: Boston, 1822 to 1922: The Story of Its Government, and Principal Activities During One Hundred Years. Boston, Mass.: City of Boston Printing Department, 1923. Hardcover, 6.25 x 9.25, 214 pages. Signed and inscribed on the first free end page to famed lawyer Clarence Darrow—"To Clarence Darrow, with very best wishes of James M. Curley, 1925." In fine condition. The autograph dates to the famed Scopes Monkey Trial of July 1925, in which high school teacher John T. Scopes was accused of violating Tennessee's Butler Act, which had made it unlawful to teach human evolution in any state-funded school. With Darrow serving as defense attorney, the trial is perhaps best remembered for his cross-examination of celebrity prosecutor William Jennings Bryan, a moment famously reenacted in the 1960 film Inherit the Wind.

Auction Info

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





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