1836-41 Clipped Signed Free Frank of Jacksonian General Land Office Commissioner James W. Whitcomb - Rare Future Indiana Governor Signature

This listing is for the clipped envelope of a free frank signed by James W. Whitcomb while he was the Commissioner of the General Land Office under Andrew Jackson. The letter that was mailed inside of this envelope was sent in the short period of time when Whitcomb served as the General Land Office Commissioner, from 1836 to 1841. The letter was sent to Norman Williams of Woodstock, Vermont. The clipped signature also includes the postmark detailing that it was sent from Washington D.C. on August 18th but does not include a year. This hand signed clipping is from a unique point in Whitcomb's career, as it was dated before he became the 8th Governor of Indiana in 1843 and U.S. Senator of Indiana in 1849, while he was working directly under President Andrew Jackson in Washington D.C. Amazing piece of history!

A free frank was a special mailing privilege in the United States that allowed certain government officials, most famously members of Congress, to send mail without paying postage. Instead of a stamp, they simply signed their name (their “frank”) on the envelope to show it qualified for free delivery. The idea was to let officials communicate easily with constituents and handle government business without personal cost, though it was sometimes criticized because it could be used for self-promotion.

James W. Whitcomb was born in Vermont in 1795, but his family moved to Ohio in 1806. He attended Transylvania University in Kentucky and began practicing law in the state in the 1820s before he moved to Bloomington, Indiana at the end of the decade. He was appointed the Prosecuting Attorney of Monroe City, Indiana, serving as a state senator from 1830 to 1836. In 1836 he was appointed Commissioner of the General Land Office by President Andrew Jackson where he served in that position until 1841. After leaving office he was elected the 8th Governor of Indiana in 1843 where he served until 1848. He was then elected a U.S. Senator representing Indiana in 1849 and served until 1852.

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1836-41 Clipped Signed Free Frank of Jacksonian General Land Office Commissioner James W. Whitcomb - Rare Future Indiana Governor Signature