Letter Signed as Secretary of the Treasury, February 1850 Regarding Payment for the Placement of Machinery Aboard the Revenue Steamer "Dallas"

1850. Manuscript. LS single sheet on lined blue paper, one paragraph in secretarial hand, dated from the Treasury Department, February 19th, 1850. The letter is authorization to H. Maxwell, Collector of Customs at New York, to pay to one E.Campbell the sum of $1783.20 "for placing certain machinery of his invention on board the Revenue Steamer "Dallas". Signed "W.M. Meredith". Letter has two light mailing folds and is a bit ragged along the left edge. William Meredith (1799-1873) , a Philadelphia native and University of Pennslyvania alumnus, was a Whig who argued strongly for protective tariffs partly because of increased public debt resulting from the Mexican War. He became the 19th Secretary of The Treasury, appointed by President Zachary Taylor; he resigned upon Taylor's death but remained in the Cabinet under Millard Fillmore until a replacement could be found (Late July, 1850). His portrait appeared on U.S. fractional currency (10 cents, 5th issue) during his tenure as Treasury Secretary. He later served as Attorney General for Pennsylvania. Item #X164

Price: $475.00

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