1904 Theodore Roosevelt & William Taft Signed & Framed Military Commission. This 1904 Document promotes Robert C. Richardson to serve as Second Lieutenant of Cavalry. Richard later rose to the rank of a General in the United States Army. The document has been personally signed & autographed by Theodore Roosevelt & William Howard Taft. This is a scarce historical document signed by two Presidents; William H. Taft signed as the Secretary of War under Theodore Roosevelt and Theodore Roosevelt as President shortly after his inauguration and first full-term as President.
This item has been authenticated by not one but two noted authentication services. It includes a Letter of Authenticity (LOA) / with the hologram by Beckett Authentication Services. In addition, it has been also authenticated by PSA/DNA Autograph Authentication Team and a copy of the certificate is included and can be verified on the PSA/DNA website as certification # Y00859. The document has an area of paper loss which was repaired at one point in history, to the left of Taft's signature that has been professionally repaired and fortuntely the repaired area just barely touches the edge of Taft's signature.
Robert C. Richardson's military career spanned many decades and resulted in a multitude of promotions. This military commission is for the appointment of Richardson to "Second Lieutenant of Cavalry, long before he became a general in the U.S. Army. . He later was promoted to First Lieutenant of Cavalry and then First Lieutenant of Infantry, then Colonel of Infantry, then Brigadier General American Army general commanding of the Hawaiian Department, Military Governor of Hawaii and commander of all Army personnel in the Pacific Ocean Areas and Mid-Pacific. One quote about Richardson is particularly interesting "General Robert C. Richardson Jr had a successful and signficicant career in the United States Army, but is rarely remembered for this contributions. "
The commission is professionally and beautifully framed with conservation glass and archival matting. Along with the certificate is a photo of President Roosevelt and then Secretary of War William Taft along side the official military photo of Lt. General Robert C. Richardson. A beautiful piece that will be a key piece in your presidential and militaria collection.
From the collection of an avid fifty-year collector on the East Coast who is a descendant of the family of Herbert Hoover.