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Lot 51: Capt. Stephen Champlin Signed CDV

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Lot   51: Capt. Stephen Champlin Signed CDV
<b>Autographs</b><hr><b>Captain 'Stephen Champlin' Signed CDV</b>

<b>STEPHEN CHAMPLIN, American Naval Commander Who Fired the First and Last Volleys of the Battle of Lake Erie.</b>
Carte-de-visite Photograph Signed, 'Stephen Champlin Captain USN' in the lower margin, Very Fine. The waist-length portrait of Champlin in uniform is by J.T. Upson of Buffalo, N.Y. There is a light crease in the lower margin and some light soiling; pencil notations on verso. Champlin signed boldly in dark brown ink. Extremely rare. Champlin, who was first cousin to Oliver Hazard Perry, was in command of the 'Scorpion,' one of PerryÕs squadron of nine ships in the historic victory of the fledgling U.S. navy over the British. Champlin fired the first and last shots of the three-hour engagement, and he was the last officer survivor of this historic battle. Accompanied by some 1952 notes on the provenance and a genealogy showing ChamplinÕs relationship to Oliver Perry and his famous brother Mathew, who opened Japan to trade with the West.