James Monroe Signs Appointment of U.S. Agent in Chile and Peru

President James Madison appointed Lewis as Agent for Commerce and Seamen of the United States in Chile and Peru, and Secretary of State James Monroe signed this appointment. Five months later, Monroe won the election as the fifth President of the United States, taking office in March 1817.

JAMES MONROE, Document Signed, Appointment of Jacob Lewis, June 12, 1816, Washington, D.C. 1 p., 7.75" x 9". Includes embossed paper seal affixed with wax; some toning; some small tears on folds; very good.

Complete Transcript:
To All to Whom These Presents Shall Come, Greeting:
I certify That Jacob Lewis Esqr is appointed by the President of the United States Agent for Commerce and Seamen of the United States for the Provinces of Chili and Peru, in South America; with all the powers, privileges and emoluments thereto of right appertaining.
In testimony whereof, I, James Monroe, Secretary of State of the United States, have hereunto subscribed my name, and caused the seal of the Department of State to be affixed.
Done at the City of Washington, this Twelfth day of June A.D. 1816.
Jas Monroe

Historical Background:
Spain ruled much of South America in 1816. The Viceroyalty of Peru was a stronghold of Spanish colonial power for many years, and the viceroy there sent expeditions to re-establish royal rule in Chile when revolutionary forces attempted to gain independence. The Viceroyalty of Peru secured Chile in 1815. Both Peru and Chile were important to American seamen, as they covered most of the western coast of South America, where American ships might dock for supplies or repairs. Jacob Lewis served as the U.S. Agent for American Commerce and Seamen there from 1816 to 1819. Later in the nineteenth century, American ships bound for the whaling grounds of the Pacific Ocean or for California around the southern tip of South America visited ports in Chile and Peru for trade, supplies, and repairs.

James Monroe (1758-1831) was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia, and he attended the College of William and Mary before dropping out to serve as an officer in the Revolutionary War. He studied law under Thomas Jefferson from 1780 to 1783, and served as a delegate to the Continental Congress. He represented Virginia as a U.S. Senator (1790-94) and twice served as governor of Virginia (1799-1802, 1811). From 1794 to 1796, Monroe served as the U.S. minister to France. In 1803, he helped negotiate the Louisiana Purchase for President Jefferson and then served as ambassador to the United Kingdom (1803-1807). Monroe served as President James Madison’s Secretary of State (1811-1817) and briefly as Secretary of War (1814-1815). Elected President in 1816 and again in 1820, receiving 231 out of 232 electoral votes in his reelection bid, his party’s ascendancy was heralded as the Era of Good Feelings. His administration is notable for the recognition of the new Latin American republics and, of course, the Monroe Doctrine, written by his Secretary of State John Quincy Adams. In Monroe’s Annual Message of 1823, he responded to European threats of encroachment on Latin American land by declaring that the American continents, "by the free and independent condition which they have assumed and maintain, are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonization by any European Power." Although Monroe could do little to back up these statements, the doctrine influenced American foreign policy through the rest of the century. Through the Adams-Onis Treaty of 1819, the United States gained Florida and a clearer demarcation of its border with New Spain in the West. Monroe retired to Monroe Hill, now part of the University of Virginia, for the remainder of his life.

Jacob Lewis (1764-1824) was born in Massachusetts and became a Boston merchant. From 1797 to 1799, Lewis served as U.S. consul for the Île de France at Paris. In 1802, he was appointed as U.S. consul to Calcutta, but the British government refused to recognize him, so he did not assume the post. Before the War of 1812, Lewis was the captain of a privateering vessel. In November 1812, Lewis received a commission as a Master Commandant in the American navy and was placed in charge of a gunboat flotilla in New York. Lewis served as Agent of the United States in Chile and Peru from 1816 to 1819.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE.