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Partly-printed vellum DS as president, one page, 14.75 x 18, October 1, 1850. President Fillmore appoints Jefferson H. Nones as a “First Lieutenant in the Second Regiment of Artillery, in the service of the United States.” Signed boldly at the conclusion by Millard Fillmore and countersigned by Secretary of War Charles M. Conrad. The original War Office seal remains affixed to the upper left. In fine condition.
Jefferson H. Nones (1824–1903) belonged to one of the most distinguished Jewish families in early American history. His grandfather, Benjamin Nones, was a Revolutionary War officer who served under Generals George Washington, the Marquis de Lafayette, and Johann de Kalb after fighting with Count Casimir Pulaski's Legion. Captured by the British during the Siege of Charleston in 1780, he remained a prisoner of war until his exchange following the British surrender at Yorktown. After the Revolution, Benjamin became a prominent Philadelphia merchant, civic leader, and longtime officer of Congregation Mikveh Israel, while later generations of the family continued a tradition of public service as diplomats, naval officers, and military officers.
This appointment continues that legacy, commissioning Jefferson H. Nones as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He later served in the Mexican-American War and ultimately attained the rank of assistant adjutant general with the rank of captain. Presidential military appointments to members of America's prominent early Jewish families are exceptionally uncommon, making this an especially significant surviving example.
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