Roger Sherman autograph letter signed ("Roger Sherman"). One page, 7" x 9.25", Philadelphia, [Pennsylvania]; February 25, 1791. Docketed. Roger Sherman, signer of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, writes to the Naval Officer of the Port of Boston offering his services concerning an unidentified matter. Letter from Roger Sherman, U.S. senator from Connecticut, to James Lovell (1737-1814), Naval Officer of the Port of Boston, concerning an unidentified matter in which Lovell sought Sherman's assistance. Sherman, without knowledge of the matter, offers his services to his former colleague and friend. The letter reads, in full: "I received your letter of the 22d of Jany. I spoke to Mr. Gerry respecting the communications that you made to him, referred to in your letter to me, he told me that your letter was in the hands of the Vice President and that he would get it and shew it to me, which he has not yet done, nor acquainted me with the Subject Matter of it, so I remain wholly ignorant of the affair. I should be happy to render you any Services in my power. I trust I shall always have a grateful remembrance of our former acquaintance and friendship while we were fellow labourers in the cause of our Country. I enquired after you when I was at Boston last fall and should have made you a visit, but was informed that you were Sick, and supposed that it might be inconvenient to you to receive company. My stay in town was short. Congress have but six days more to sit this Session, so that nothing could probably be now done in your affair if I knew what it was. I am Sir with respect and esteem". Signed, "Roger Sherman". Roger Sherman (1721-1793), born in Massachusetts, was the only person to sign all four of the new nation's most significant state papers: the Articles of Association, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution. A lawyer by trade, he moved to Connecticut to establish his business in 1743 and enjoyed an extensive career in Connecticut politics. He served as a delegate for the state in the Continental Congress, a representative from 1789 to 1791, a senator from 1791 to 1793, and as a justice of the Superior Court of Connecticut from 1766 to 1789. Also included is a steel engraving of Sherman by John, Fry & Co., circa 1861. James Lovell (1737-1814), born in Massachusetts, was an educator and statesman from Boston. He attended the Continental Congress from 1777 to 1782 as a delegate for Massachusetts, and signed the Articles of Confederation. After his term in Congress, Lovell returned to teaching but continued to hold various political offices. He was collector of taxes in Massachusetts from 1784 to 1788 and Customs Officer of Boston in 1778 and 1789. He was the naval officer of the port of Boston and Charlestown from 1789 and held that position until his death. Condition: Thin strip of paper attachment on verso. Small area of paper repair at top edge that does not touch any text. HID03101062020 © 2022 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

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