Our Collection

At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Adams, John Quincy, 1767-1848 [Patent for George M. Selden's improvement in the tide pump basin or reservoir]

Order a pdf of this item here.

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC06467 Author/Creator: Adams, John Quincy, 1767-1848 Place Written: Washington, District of Columbia Type: Document signed Date: 10 March 1828 Pagination: 4 p. : Height: 38 cm, Width: 28.8 cm Order a Copy

Signed by Adams as President. Countersigned by Henry Clay as Secretary of State and William Wirt as Attorney General. Selden's written description of his improvement is signed by Thomas Addis Emmet and Dudley Selden as witnesses. Contains a receipt attached to page one signed 9 February 1828 by Michael Nourse, Assistant United States Treasurer. Sealed and bound with red ribbon.

Adams, John Quincy, 1767-1848
Clay, Henry, 1777-1852
Emmet, Thomas Addis, fl. 1828
Nourse, Michael, 1778-1860
Selden, Dudley, fl. 1828
Selden, George M., fl. 1828
Wirt, William, 1772-1834

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources