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Archive of material relating to diplomat Henry C. Hall (circa 1820-1901), the U.S. Consul at Matanzas (1864-73), U.S. Consul General at Havana (1873-77), and U.S. Minister at Costa Rica, Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua (1882-89). Highlights --------- 1). Document measuring 14 x 20 inches, with State Department raised seal, appointing Hall as the temporary U.S. Vice-Consul at Havana; dated March 1869; signed by Secretary of State William H. Seward. 2). Document measuring 15 x 20 inches, with Executive Department raised seal, appointing Hall as the U.S. Consul General at Havana; dated November 7, 1873; signed by President Ulysses S. Grant and Secretary of State Hamilton Fish. 3). Document measuring 12 x 24 inches (both sides), with state Department raised seal, appointing Hall as U.S. Minister to the "Central American States"; dated May 9, 1882; signed by Secretary of State Frederick T. Frelinghuysen. 4). Document measuring 14 x 22 inches, testimonial acknowledging Hall's efforts at defusing the "recent political crisis" in Guatemala through his "wise and beneficent counsels," thereby sparing "us from anarchy and bloodshed, which the whole Republic so very narrowly escaped"; dated April 18, 1885; signed by 70 leading Guatemalans -------- President Grant conferred upon Hall the position of Consul General at Havana on November 7, 1873, the day that Spanish authorities in Cuba shocked Americans by executing 53 crew and passengers of the "Virginius," a vessel caught off the island trying to supply insurgents while falsely flying the U.S. flag. Grant, Secretary Fish, and Hall spent a difficult month balancing public demands for retribution with the knowledge that the "Virginius" had limited grounds for legal protection. Before passions cooled, most Washington lawmakers had shied away from action, causing Grant to quip "if Spain were to send a fleet into the harbor of New York, and bombard the city, the Senate might pass a resolution of regret that they had had cause for so doing, and offer to pay them for the expense of coming over and doing it." A remarkable archive with historical significance. Shipping extra. Seller Inventory # ABE-4749506087
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