$22,000
Estimate: $40,000 - $60,000
Auction: November 12, 2020 10:00:00 AM EDT
Washington, July 7, 1802. 9 1/8 x 8 in. (231 x 302 mm). Autograph letter, signed by Jefferson ("Th. Jefferson") as President of the United States, to Maryland Governor John F. Mercer. Creasing from original folds; repair at bottom of pp. 3-4 (letter is written on one sheet folded in half to make four pages, repair in blank and not affecting letter); tape remnants from original mount on verso, docketed to same.
An important letter about the formation of the nation's new capital. President Thomas Jefferson writes to Maryland Governor John F. Mercer about the financing of the nation's new capital city, a few months into his first term: "By the act of Congress of May 1, which I now inclose, you will percieve that the interest of the 200,000. D. borrowed by the Commissioners of Washington on the guaranty of Congress, is directed to be paid by a sale of the lots, which have never yet been sold; with a proviso that if a sufficient number cannot be sold without an unwarrantable sacrifice of the property, paiment shall be made out of the treasury. time was necessary for this experiment. it has been tried, and a sale found impracticable for prices warranted. by a due regard to the ultimate security of the US. the Secretary of the Treasury is therefore now occupied in remitting this interest according to your desire..."
Thomas Jefferson was the first President to fully reside in the new federal city, and the first to be inaugurated there. With the passage of the Residence Act of July 1790, that provided for a national capital on the Potomac, and up to and during his presidency, Jefferson was intimately involved with Washington, D.C.'s planning and financing. He worked closely with the city commissioners appointed by George Washington to plan, design, and facilitate the financing of the new federal city, going as far as designing buildings and organizing contests to design the Capitol building and the President's house.
John Francis Mercer (1759-1821) was a soldier, congressman, and governor of Maryland. He studied law under Jefferson at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, while the latter served as Governor of that state. Mercer served two terms as governor.