Lot 65
(Post Office) Appointment of William Van Voorhies as the Agent of the Postmaster General in California. Handwritten letter headed "Post Office Department, November 1st, 1848", delivered in person or by hand to "Wm. V. Voorhies Esqr, Present", and signed by Postmaster General "C. Johnson" with Post Office Department embossed seal (five pages on two sheets with original ribbon tie, with the sheets reversed to display the signature page first), among the key points are "Being authorized by an Act of Congress, approved 14th August, 1848, to employ an Agent in making arrangements for the establishment of Post Offices and for the transmission, receipt and conveyance of letters in California, I hereby appoint you such Agent… your first duty will be to proceed to the selection of suitable persons for Postmasters at San Diego, San Pedro, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Monterey, and at such other points on the Pacific at which the United States steam mail Packets shall touch as may need such appointments. For San Francisco a Postmaster has already been appointed, Samuel Yorke At Lee Esq, who will repair by the first opportunity to that place… as no [Post] route into the interior of California has yet been created by act of Congress, you will have to make the supply of each office situated in the interior conditioned upon the expense thereof being defrayed out of the net proceeds of such office. This restriction will necessarily keep the Post route arrangements, which you may create, upon an economical footing… William Nelson Esq. United States Consul at Panama will be the Mail Agent of the United States for the Pacific mails. You will promptly advise him by the earliest opportunity of every office put in operation upon the coast… so that he may properly bag the mails for those places…." (Capt. William G. Marcy was appointed postmaster in Monterey subsequent to this letter, and Samuel Yorke At Lee failed to serve as postmaster in San Francisco), minor edge wear and toning along one edge, Very Fine.Estimate $2,000 - 3,000.
William Van Voorhies established the first official Post Offices in California at Monterey and San Francisco in February of 1849. He was then replaced as Special Postal Agent in California by R. T. P. Allen after Postmaster General Cave Johnson under President James K. Polk was succeeded by Postmaster General Jacob Collamer under President Zachary Taylor.
Realized: $6,500