(LOT 1689)
Morgan Bulkeley Baseball HOF 1st President of the National League Signed 1891 Document While Governor of CT!
As a descendant of Peter Bulkeley, a founder of Concord, Massachusetts, Morgan Bulkeley ultimately followed in his father's footsteps to become the president of Aetna Life Insurance Company in Hartford, Connecticut. He spent six months serving the Union Army during the Civil War before returning to Hartford, where he established the United States Bank of Hartford. It was during this time that he also formed the Hartford Dark Blues, a National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (NAPBBP) team that rostered Candy Cummings, among others. When the NAPBBP became the National League, Morgan Bulkeley was tapped to head the upstart league as its first president. He would only serve a single season at the helm, but his focus was far-reaching as he worked feverously to eliminate illegal gambling and drinking from the newly formed baseball league. He was also a part of the commission that accepted that Abner Doubleday was, in fact, the inventor of our national pastime. He was replaced by William Hulbert in 1877, when Bulkeley left to be the Mayor of Hartford, a US Senator and then Governor of Connecticut.

The offered 1891 signed document from Bulkeley fulfilling his duties as governor is an appointment of one "Charles A. Elliott" to "Director of the State Prison... until the next regular session of the General Assembly". This remarkably well-preserved document is half printed and then hand-written in Bulkeley's own hand and signed, in black fountain pen, at the bottom right on the provided "Governor" line. PSA has deemed the signature as a 7. Secretary of State R. Jay Walsh has also signed. Featuring an embossed Governor's Seal at the bottom right, the lightly toned parchment is in excellent condition, showing three vertical storage folds and some soiling on the reverse, though nothing obstructs the signatures. Measuring 11" x 16", this is a wonderfully attractive 132-year-old historical document signed by the first National League President and turned Governor of Connecticut. Full LOA from James Spence Authentication. Full LOA from PSA/DNA.

MIN BID $750
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