321. JAMES BUCHANAN Uncommon D.S., as president of Franklin and Marshall College, 1p., 15" x 19", Lancaster, Pa., Aug. 3, 1862, being a Bachelor's degree diploma, entirely in Latin, boldly signed in the lower left margin above the signatures of the faculty members. Printed on vellum with a red wax seal tied with a 14" powder blue silk ribbon. Contained in the original round 17" tin skippet. On December 6, 1849, Franklin College and Marshall College began to explore the possibility of a merger as a method to secure the future of both institutions. Three years later, on June 7, 1853, the combined college was formally dedicated at Lancaster's Fulton Hall. The merger created an all-male Reformed Church institution that combined the resources of both schools. James Buchanan, four years shy of becoming the 15th President of the United States, was named president of the first Franklin & Marshall board of trustees. The first such Buchanan document we've seen, particularly desirable with the addition of its original container. Fine. $400 - 600