Lot 119

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Description:

A COLT LOBBYIST IS SUBPOENAED BY CONGRESS
Interesting partly-printed D.S. 1p. 4to., Washington, July 15, 1854, a Congressional summons to one Horace H. Day of New York to: "...appear before the Committee of the House of Representatives...on the subject of alleged improper means used to procure the passage or defeat of a bill to extend Colts Patent, or other bills before Congress...". Firearms manufacturer Samuel Colt received Patent No. 138 in 1836 for the first revolving pistol. It was exhibited at the London Crystal Palace Exhibition in 1851 and following that Colt built Colt's Armory in England. Horace H. Day (1813-1878) was a rubber manufacturer who specialized in licensing vulcanized goods such as those manufactured by Charles Goodyear, making a fortune in the process. In 1846 Day was sued by Goodyear for patent infringement and Day countersued. After lengthy litigation, whose participants included notable such as Daniel Webster and Rufus Choate, Day was found guilty and made reparations in 1862. It appears that Day, lobbying for opposing interests, instigated a campaign against Colt in January 1854 that accused him of attempting to bribe Congress and to which this document refers. We could not find more in reference to this case, but surely worthy of further research. Light wrinkling, else very good.

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March 30, 2011 11:00 AM EDT
Stamford, CT, US

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