$1,197
Estimate: $800 - $1,200
Auction: February 2, 2023 11:00 AM EDT
Washington, (D.C.), March 6, 1874. One sheet, 9 7/8 x 7 3/4 in. (251 x 197 mm). Partially-printed presidential order, signed by Grant, directing the "Secretary of State," Hamilton Fish, "to affix the Seal of the United States to a Warrant for the pardon of Benjamin Hardaway..."; docketed in pencil on verso; creasing from old folds. In mat with an engraved portrait of Grant, and in frame, 13 3/4 x 17 7/8 in. (349 x 454 mm).
President Grant pardoned three others on March 6, 1874: John F. Hightower, Richard McGee, and William Gardner. These men were four of the 1,332 overall individuals pardoned by Grant during his time in office from 1869-77. He had the largest number of pardons of any United States president by the end of his two terms, and was not surpassed until 28th president Woodrow Wilson, in the 20th century.
Provenance
From the autograph collection of B. Harold Smick, Jr. (1925-2022) of Salem, New Jersey