Description: Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles Signed Check & CDV Up for auction is a very nice, signed check from Civil War Secretary of War Gideon Welles, President Lincoln's trusted "Neptune," dated May 21, 1868. This check was drawn from Welles account at The Riggs and Company Bank in Washington for the unusually large amount of $6,000 (equivalent to $133,225 today). This was an extremely large amount of money at the time. Welles’s signature is bold and dark in period ink on the lower right. Very well-preserved check. Also included is a CDV of Gideon Welles. Gideon Welles was formerly a Jacksonian Democrat, who joined the newly founded Republican Party in 1854 because of his strong opposition to slavery. An able administrator, he served as Secretary of the Navy throughout the Presidencies of Abraham Lincoln (who called him "Neptune") and Andrew Johnson (1861-1869). Welles generally supported Johnson's policies, including Johnson's reluctance to impose far-reaching changes and full rights for African Americans during the Reconstruction of the South. This is a rare opportunity to own a piece of history from the Civil War Secretary of the Navy which makes it a must have for any Civil War collection. Gideon Welles Biography Gideon Welles (1802-78) was Secretary of the Navy in the cabinet of President Abraham Lincoln. Born in Glastonbury, Connecticut, the son of a merchant and shipbuilder, Welles studied law but never practiced. He worked as a journalist for the Hartford Times and Weekly Advertiser and in 1825 he was elected to the Connecticut General Assembly. A longtime Democrat, he broke with his party over the issue of slavery and helped to find the Hartford Evening Press to promote the Republican Party and its principles. When Welles took office in March 1861, the U.S. Navy consisted of a mere 45 ships, of which only 12 were ready for service. Over the course of the next four years the navy purchased or constructed 313 vessels and bought or leased another 184 ships. By blockading the Confederate coast, cooperating with the army to capture New Orleans, and working with the army to gain control of such important inland waterways as the Cumberland, Tennessee, and ultimately the Mississippi rivers, the Navy under Welles made a major contribution to winning the war for the North. Gideon Welles was the Secretary of the United States Navy from 1861 to 1869 and a cabinet member during the presidencies of Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson. His development of the Navy into a force that could successfully execute blockades of Southern ports was a key factor in the North’s Civil War victory. Also, he was instrumental in the construction of the ironclad USS Monitor and establishment of the Navy’s Medal of Honor. See photos for condition. Thanks for looking and good luck bidding.
Price: 225 USD
Location: Kitty Hawk, North Carolina
End Time: 2025-01-04T03:34:32.000Z
Shipping Cost: 10.45 USD
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All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Industry: Historical
Signed: Yes
