Morgan Bulkeley's Personal 1790s-1920s "Presidential Cabinet" Autograph Collection

As the first National League president in baseball history (1876), Morgan Bulkeley is a much sought-after signature in his own right, and we've been fortunate to showcase the early Hall of Famer's signed personal effects in our recent auctions. Now the shoe is on the other foot, so to speak, because it turns out that Bulkeley himself was an autograph collector—and he happened to focus his efforts on fellow presidents! U.S. presidents, that is, plus the inner circles of cabinet members who served them. This political theme was quite apt considering that Bulkeley went on to serve as Hartford mayor, Connecticut governor and U.S. Senator before his death in 1922 at age 84.

Thus we proudly present Morgan Bulkeley's presidential cabinet autograph collection spanning George Washington's coterie in the 1790s up through the Harding/Coolidge/Hoover era after World War I. There are 10 presidents and 17 vice presidents represented, plus Daniel Webster, William Jennings Bryan and the Great Compromiser, Henry Clay. Also no fewer than 9 members of Lincoln's famed "Team of Rivals" cabinet, including Salmon Chase and William Seward. Some cabinet members in the collection served multiple positions and/or administrations. The various cuts originate mainly from official documents, letters/envelopes and souvenir cards. They range in size, condition and mounting, yet are uniform in their elegance, scarcity and historical import. Each elite offering comes with an Auction LOA from JSA.

James Garfield/Lucretia Garfield and Assassin Charles Guiteau Signed Cuts (2) 

As recounted in "The Ballad of Guiteau" from Stephen Sondheim's musical Assassins, the man who killed President Garfield at the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station believed his actions to be divinely inspired. "I am going to the Lordy," Guiteau sings. "I killed Garfield / I'll make no denial / I was just acting / For someone up there / The Lord's my employer / And now he's my lawyer / So do what you dare / Hell if I am guilty / Then God is as well." Garfield died on September 19th (almost 3 months after the shooting) and Guiteau was executed by hanging in June of 1882 (after reciting a poem at the gallows with those immortal aforementioned words, "I am going to the Lordy). James Garfield/Lucretia Garfield: 4-1/4" x 2-1/8", GD condition, "7-8" signatures. Charles Guiteau: 3-7/8" x 2-1/4", VG-EX, "6"-strength signature with fading.