Extremely Rare Letter of Nathaniel Gorham, Signer of the U.S. Constitution

Nathaniel Gorham was a Massachusetts merchant. He served as a delegate to the state Provincial Congress in 1774-75, as a member of its Board of War, as a delegate to its constitutional convention, and representative in both its upper and lower houses of the legislature. He was twice a member of the Continental Congress (1782-83 and 1785-87), and held the office of President of Congress from June 1786 until January 1787. In 1787 he was a Massachusetts delegate to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, and signed the U.S. Constitution on September 17, 1787.

Autograph letter signed, Charlestown, Mass., January 9, 1772, to merchants Messrs. Reynell & Coates in Philadelphia, with whom he regularly did business. “Per Capt. Lamson I sent you a number of shoes which please to sell to best advantage, as also all others you may have of mine in your hands & place the net proceeds to my credit. I desired you & Lamson to ship me 25 barrels common flour by him which please to increase to 50 barrels – 25 by him & 25 by any other vessel that sails before him and if there is none will sail before him then please to send the whole 50 by Lamson, with full insurance upon the same wither by him or another. I should be glad if you would forward by account current as soon as is convenient. I shall send you a quantity of shoes by first spring vessel interim.” He adds a P.S.: “Lamson stopped at New York to deliver some flax seed so that it is very likely you may have an opportunity to send 25 barrels before him.”

Letters of Gorham are rare, this being the first we have had. Moreover, a search of public sale records over the past fort years shows that it has been almost 20 years since one reached that marketplace. And all of the four over that entire span dealt with personal business.