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US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES PAGE WALKER AUTOGRAPH NOTE SIGNED 42nd CONGRESS 1872
$ 5.27
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Description
THOMAS J. WALKER19
th
CENTURY PAGE IN THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 42
nd
CONGRESS 1871-1873.
In the nineteenth century, Page boys in both the House and Senate were as young as eight and perhaps as old as 16.
Employing young boys, rather than adults or older teenagers, to perform mundane, often menial, tasks had several advantages. Young boys would be compliant and less likely than older teens to be obtrusive or truculent when given direction.
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HERE'S A VERY RARE AUTOGRAPH NOTE SIGNED BY WALKER, WHILE A HOUSE PAGE IN THE HALLS OF CONGRESS, REMOVED FROM A 19
th
CENTURY AUTOGRAPH ALBUM, and SIGNED:
“
Wm H. Weston
With the Highest Regards
Of His Friend
Thom. J. Walker
Page H. R.
42
nd
Congress”
A FINE PIECE OF AMERICAN CONGRESSIONAL HISTORY TO ADD TO YOUR AUTOGRAPH, MANUSCRIPT & EPHEMERA COLLECTION!
The document measures 6¼” x 4” and is in VF CONDITION.
History of the U. S. House Page Program
Eyewitnesses to both ordinary proceedings and monumental events, Pages played an important role in the House of Representatives from the earliest Congresses.
For more than two centuries, young people served as Pages in the U.S. House of Representatives and enjoyed an unparalleled opportunity to observe and participate in the legislative process in “the People’s House.” The expectations and experiences of House Pages, regardless of when they served, have been linked by certain commonalities—witnessing history, interacting with Representatives, and taking away lifelong inspiration to participate in civic life.
In the nineteenth century, Page boys in both the House and Senate were as young as eight and perhaps as old as 16.
Employing young boys, rather than adults or older teenagers, to perform mundane, often menial, tasks had several advantages. Young boys would be compliant and less likely than older teens to be obtrusive or truculent when given direction. And, according to the committee, in the cramped hall of the House, there was an advantage to employing small, fleet-footed boys who could easily dart among the labyrinth of Members’ desks.
9
During his first term in the House, former U.S. President
John Quincy Adams
of Massachusetts even jotted in his diary that Pages were often akin to “tripping Mercuries who bear the resolutions and amendments between the members and the chair.”
I am a proud member of the Universal Autograph Collectors Club (UACC), The Ephemera Society of America, the Manuscript Society and the American Political Items Collectors (APIC) (member name: John Lissandrello). I subscribe to each organizations' code of ethics and authenticity is guaranteed. ~Providing quality service and historical memorabilia online for over 20 years.~
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