An Oration Pronounced July 4, 1800, at the Request of the Inhabitants of the Town of Boston, in Commemoration of the Anniversary of American Independence.

HALL, Joseph.

$8,800.00

Item Number: 125043

Boston: From the Printing-Office of Manning & Loring, [1800].

First edition of Hall’s famed speech tracing the history of the American Revolution. Octavo, bound in paper-covered boards, original wrapper bound in at rear. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the title page, “Ephraim Williams Esq. from his friend J. Hall.” In very good condition. Housed in a custom cloth chemise and half morocco slipcase. Exceedingly rare.

Born in Methuen, Massachusetts, Josesph Hall moved to Camden, Maine in 1809 and engaged in mercantile pursuits. In 1814 (during the War of 1812), he served as ensign in Colonel Forte's regiment, Massachusetts Militia, and was subsequently appointed colonel. He was appointed deputy sheriff in 1821, became sheriff in 1827, and was appointed postmaster of Camden 1830-1833. He was elected as a Jacksonian Democrat to the Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth Congresses (March 4, 1833 – March 3, 1837) and was chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Navy Department in both congresses. He was an unsuccessful candidate for Mayor of Boston in 1849.