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Estimate Range: $1,500 - $2,000
Current Bidding Status
This Lot is CLOSED for Absentee Bidding.
Wentworth Cheswell the First African American Elected to Public Office in the United States and the First Black Judge - 1812 Autograph Document Signed.

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WENTWORTH CHESWELL (1746-1817). Born in Newmarket, New Hampshire to a Free black man of biracial ancestry and a white woman, he attended the prestigious Governor Dummer Academy in Byfield, Massachusetts, where he received a classical education, and returned to Newmarket, NH to become a Schoolmaster; Elected as Town Constable in 1768, and was elected to other positions, including Assessor, Auditor, and Justice of the Peace, to which last post he was elected in 1805 and served until his death. He is considered to be the First African American elected to public office in the Unitd States, as well as the First Black Judge in the United States. A black Revolutionary War veteran, Cheswell served in 1777 in the Saratoga Campaign.

Scarce January 13, 1812-Dated War of 1812 Period, Autograph Document Signed, "Wentworth Cheswell, as Justice of the Peace at Newmarket, New Hampshire, 1 page, measuring 12.25" x 7.5", Choice Very Fine or better. An impressive legal document in which Cheswell, as Justice of the Peace, summarizes the proceedings in a case between John Dearborn of Newmarket, a blacksmith, and Richard Hilton, who Dearborn claimed owed him money. The parties agreed to have the case decided by three referees. On the back is a finding by the referees, dated April 2, 1812, finding in favor of the Plaintiff. A similar signed document previously offered in our December 14, 2024 EAHA auction Lot 10, realized $2,340. An impressive example from Wentworth Cheswell, the First African American Elected to Public Office in the United States and here, as the First Black Judge.
Keywords: WENTWORTH CHESWELL, New Hampshire, Newmarket, Justice of the Peace, African American, Saratoga Campaign, Revolutionary War, Black
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Estimate Range: $1,500 - $2,000
Early American History Auctions, Inc.
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