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Lot 75: Jefferson Davis Signed Letter 1875

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Lot   75: Jefferson Davis Signed Letter 1875
<b>Autographs</b><hr><b>Jefferson Davis Promotes Trade With England</b>

<b>JEFFERSON DAVIS, President of the Confederate States of America.

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Autograph Letter Signed, 2 pages, recto and verso, 5' x 8', Vicksburg, November 2, 1875. To Mr. Cordman in London. Very Fine; traces of mounting along left margin. In full: 'Permit me to present to you Geo. T. Lewis of Tennessee, and to ask for him such attention as may be due to a gentleman of high character and intelligence who visits your country in the interest which has received such efficient aid from you - a more direct intercourse between the capitalists of England and the people of the Valley of the Missi. Mr. Lewis has been long and extensively engaged in the reduction of iron ores, and is particularly informed in regard to the coal and iron mines of Tennessee. He will at your pleasure explain to you more fully the object of his visit, and I will feel personally obliged to you for such assistance as you can consistently give.'

At the age of 67, Jefferson Davis - ex-war hero, ex-Congressman, ex-Senator, ex-Secretary of War, ex-President, and ex-con - was almost penniless, with no tangible prospects. Then came an invitation from the Mississippi Valley Association, a new British concern that hoped to induce foreign emigration to the South and to develop a commercial trade directly between New Orleans and the ports of Europe, to be carried in company-owned holds. It brought a salary of $6,000, and at last, Davis had what seemed promising work. Here Davis, with his usual meticulousness and grace, promotes trade between the 'capitalists of England' and 'people of the Valley of Missi.' The Mississippi Valley Association failed a year later.