FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Boston, MA – A historic document signed by President Theodore Roosevelt, crucial to the construction of the Panama Canal, was auctioned for $49,711, according to Boston-based RR Auction. This item headlined a highly successful sale that featured a remarkable array of presidential documents and artifacts, totaling $1,119,186.
The partly-printed document, dated February 24, 1904, features President Roosevelt’s directive to his Secretary of State, authorizing the exchange of ratifications for a treaty with Panama that provided for the construction of a ship canal connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The document is boldly signed by Roosevelt as “T. Roosevelt.”
This directive came just two days before the proclamation of the ‘Isthmian Canal Convention,’ marking a pivotal moment in American engineering and politics. The Panama Canal, completed between 1904 and 1914 by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, dramatically changed maritime trade by reducing both the time and distance ships needed to travel between the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans.
Described by historian David McCullough as the ‘moonshot of its era,’ the Panama Canal is not only one of Roosevelt’s crowning achievements but also a monumental feat of engineering. It is recognized as one of the ‘Seven Wonders of the Modern World’ by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
“This document represents a pivotal moment not only in American history but in global commerce,” said Bobby Livingston, Executive Vice President at RR Auction. “The foresight of President Roosevelt to connect two oceans set the stage for the modern era of trade.”
Other highlights of the Auction included:
Thomas Jefferson Historic Signed Letter as Secretary of State, announcing the ratification of the Bill of Rights to Governor Josiah Bartlett of New Hampshire, which fetched $43,751.
Thomas Jefferson Signed Letter on the scientific progress in Europe, expressing concern over the return to ‘Gothic darkness,’ sold for $41,250.
George Washington Signed Document as President, commissioning one of the sixteen original US Marshals, achieved a sale price of $25,000.
President Abraham Lincoln Appointment Document, signed just days before the First Battle of Bull Run, appointing a Surveyor General for Illinois and Missouri, sold for $22,154.
Walt Disney Signed Disneyland Ticket Booklet Cover, a rare piece of Americana, fetched $21,996.
Jimmy Carter Correspondence Archive, a collection of 70 signed letters discussing a wide range of topics including religion, geopolitics, and personal insights, brought in $21,360.
The Fine Autographs and Artifacts Featuring Presidents Auction by RR Auction ran from January 10 to February 12. For more information, visit www.rrauction.com.
