Lot 77

Abraham Lincoln’s Secretary Certifies Document as Consul in Paris After War

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Abraham Lincoln’s Secretary Certifies Document as Consul in Paris After War

Estimate: $200 - $300

Current Bid: $140

(2 Bids)

by University Archives
July 28, 2026 10:00 AM EDT
Live Auction
88 Danbury Road
Suite 2A
Wilton, CT, US 06897

Abraham Lincoln
Paris, France, October 5, 1867
Abraham Lincoln's Secretary Certifies Document as Consul in Paris After War
Partially printed DS

[ABRAHAM LINCOLN]. JOHN G. NICOLAY, Partially Printed Document Signed, Certification of Charles Leonard Bonuarie, Power of Attorney Appointment, October 5, 1867, Paris, France. 2 pp., 8" x 6.75" and 8.25" x 10.5". Expected folds; minor soiling; embossed seal of the United States at lower left affixing two sheets together; internal revenue stamp on second sheet.

John G. Nicolay certified this power of attorney appointment for Charles Leonard Bonuarie in October 1867 as part of his duties as Consul of the United States in Paris, to which he had been appointed in March 1865 by President Abraham Lincoln, just over a month before Lincoln's assassination.

Excerpts
[Nicolay Certification:]
"Be it known that on the Fifth Day of October One Thousand Eight Hundred and Sixty-seven before me the undersigned, Consul of the United States of America at Paris, in the Empire of France, personally appeared Charles Leonard Bonuarie known to me to be the person named in and who executed the within Instrument, and acknowledged the execution thereof for the uses and purposes therein mentioned."

[Bonuarie Power of Appointment:]
"Know all Men by these Presents that I Charles Leonard Bonuarie do hereby make constitute and appoint Mess Brown Brothers &C of Philadelphia true and lawful attorney for me in my name, place and stead to receive the amount due and payable upon all Pennsylvania State Loan which now doth belong to me or stand in my name on the books of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as stated in the certificate No 2931 for $1000 Date Philada April 10th 1850 Five per cent Stock 16th April 1845 Pennsylvania Loan and Collection of Interest on Pennsylvania Loan...."

Historical Background
John G. Nicolay and John M. Hay served as private secretaries to President Abraham Lincoln throughout his administration, though Nicolay accepted a diplomatic post in France shortly before Lincoln's assassination.

The two secretaries later collaborated on the official biography of President Lincoln. It first appeared serially in The Century Magazine from 1886 to 1890 and then as a ten-volume work, together with a two-volume Complete Works of Abraham Lincoln. They later edited a twelve-volume version of Lincoln's Complete Works, published in 1905.

John G. Nicolay (1832-1901) was born in Bavaria and came to the United States as a child. He grew up in Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, and Illinois. In 1854, he became the editor of the Free Press newspaper in Pittsfield, Illinois, where he became a friend of Abraham Lincoln and John Hay (1838-1905). When Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860, he selected Nicolay and Hay as his private secretaries. Lincoln appointed Nicolay as U.S. Consul at Paris, a position he held from 1865 to 1869. He later served as the marshal of the U.S. Supreme Court (1872-1887). He and Hay collaborated on a multi-volume biography of Lincoln and a collection of Lincoln's papers. Nicolay died in Washington, D.C.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 8.25" x 10.5"
  • Medium: Partially printed DS

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