Sold For $3,670
*Includes Buyers Premium
Three important electoral college documents certifying the votes of New York's electors for the William Henry Harrison–John Tyler ticket in the 1840 presidential election, all dated December 2, 1840. First is a 22.25 x 17.25 document signed by New York state's 42 electors—including Pierre Van Cortlandt Jr., Peter Buell Porter, John L. Lawrence, Elisha Jenkins, and Gideon Lee—in part: "We the Subscribers, Electors appointed by the State of New York, in the manner directed by the Legislature thereof…formed a College of Electors and voted by ballot for President and Vice President of the United States…And we further Certify that the following is a correct list of all persons so voted for by us as President, and of the number of votes for each, wiz: For William Henry Harrison, of the State of Ohio, Forty-Two votes were given which were all the votes given by said Electors for President."
Second is a similar document, measuring 21 x 17.25, signed by the same 42 electors, certifying that "the following is a correct list of all persons so voted for by us as Vice President, and of the number of votes for each, viz: For John Tyler, of the State of Virginia, Forty-Two votes were given."
Third is a document signed by William Seward as governor of New York, 10.75 x 17.75, certifying the list of the state's 42 electors as accurate, with the "Great Seal" of the State of New York applied to the lower left corner; countersigned by New York Secretary of State John C. Spencer. All three are affixed to same-side cardstock mounts. In overall very good condition, with soiling and staining to documents, as well as chipping and wear to edges, the heaviest of which is present to the Harrison document, which includes a tear to the right side, and a missing mount section to the lower right corner.
In the 1840 United States presidential election, Whig candidate William Henry Harrison narrowly won New York State over incumbent Democrat Martin Van Buren, who was a New York native. Harrison secured 51.18% of the state's popular vote (226,001 votes), while Van Buren received 48.18% (212,733 votes), resulting in a narrow margin of approximately 3%. This victory awarded Harrison all 42 of New York's electoral votes, significantly contributing to his success in the election. The vice presidential pick proved to be as important as the presidential one, as Tyler took office upon Harrison's death just 31 days into his term. John Canfield Spencer, who here signs as New York's Secretary of State, would be promoted to Tyler's cabinet as Secretary of the Treasury in 1843; and Governor Seward would go on to become Lincoln's Secretary of State. Notably, New York was among the nine states that shifted from supporting the Democratic candidate in 1836 to the Whig candidate in 1840, reflecting a broader national trend. An intriguing and historically significant set of electoral documents.
Provenance: The Forbes Collection.
This item is Pre-Certified by PSA/DNA
Buy a third-party letter of authenticity for
(inquire for price)
*This item has been pre-certified by a trusted third-party authentication service, and by placing a bid on this item, you agree to accept the opinion of this authentication service. If you wish to have an opinion rendered by a different authenticator of your choosing, you must do so prior to your placing of any bid. RR Auction is not responsible for differing opinions submitted 30 days after the date of the sale.
Third-party authentication service applies only to signatures and handwriting, and does not cover the addition of sketches, artwork, musical quotations, etc.
