REVOLUTIONARY WAR TRAITOR COLONEL GENERAL WASHINGTON SECY TAVERN DOCUMENT SIGNED
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| Reference Number: Avaluer:16440818 | Modified Item: No |
| Country/Region of Manufacture: United States |
HERE’sA DOCUMENT SIGNED BY REVOLUTIONARY WAR PATRIOT [orTRAITOR?]GENERAL:RICHARD VARICK(1753-1831)REVOLUTIONARY WAR COLONEL &INSPECTOR GENERAL IN THE CONTINENTAL ARMY, FRIEND OF TRAITOR BENEDICT ARNOLD, AIDE & SECRETARY TO GENERAL GEORGEWASHINGTON&MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY!As an Aide-de-Camp toBenedict Arnold at West Point, Varick was strongly suspected of complicity inArnold's treasonous schemes. Due to General George Washington's efforts, acourt of inquiry cleared his name..., at which point he became Washington'sPrivate Secretary!HERE'S An EARLYAMERICAN 1795 DOCUMENT SIGNEDBY RICHARD VARICK AS MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY RE GRANTING A LICENSE TO OPERATE ATAVERN FOR RETAILING "STRONG ORSPIRITUOUSLIQUORS" THE DOCUMENT GOES ON TO WARN THE TAVERN OWNERTHAT THE LICENSE WOULD BE REVOKED IF THERE'S ANY DISORDERLY BEHAVIOR, GAMBLING, COCK-FIGHTING, PLAYING WITH CARDS OR DICE, KEEPING ANY BILLIARD TABLE, OR OTHERGAMING TABLE, ETC.!A Beautiful and BoldVarick Signature!A WONDERFUL andRARE ADDITION TO YOUR AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY WAR AUTOGRAPH, MANUSCRIPT &EPHEMERA COLLECTION!<<>::<>>THE DOCUMENT READS INFULL:City of New-York 228.. {Cityof New-York} BE IT REMEMBERED, That on the Fourth Day of March in the Year ofour Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and Ninety-five, before me, Richard Varick, Esquire, Mayor ofthe faid City, perfonally appeared Thomas McCready of the First Ward, of thefaid City, grocer and acknowledged himself to be indebted to the People of theState of New York, in the Sum of Fifty Pounds, lawful Money of the faid State, to be levied of his Goods and Chattles, Lands and Tenements, for the Use of thePeople of the faid State, If Failure shall be made in the Performance of theCondition following:"WHEREAS the faid ThomasMcCready on the Day of the Date hereof hath obtained a License to keep an Innor Tavern for retailing Strong or Spirituous Liquors in his Dwelling-House, inthe faid City, from the Date of the faid License until the Day of Marchnext “NOW, the Condition ofthis Recognizance is fuch, That if the faid Thomas McCready do not, during theTime that he shall keep an Inn or Tavern, keep a disorderly Inn or Tavern, orSuffer or permit any Cock-fighting, Gaming, or Playing with Cards or Dice, orkeep any Billiard Table, or other Gaming Table, or Shuffle Board, within theInn or Tavern by him to be kept, or within any Out House, Yard or Garden belongingthereunto; then this Recognizance to be void, elfe to remain in full Force.“Taken and acknowledgedthe Day and Year above-written, Before me, Richard Varick~~"Thedocument measures approx. 13" x 8¾” and is in very good condition and anice large and boldly executed signature of Varick with his characteristic paraph!A RARE ADDITION TO YOUR REVOLUTIONARYWAR MILITARY HISTORY AUTOGRAPH, MANUSCRIPT & EPHEMERA COLLECTION!<<>::<>>BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OFTHE HONORABLE RICHARD VARICKVarick, Richard (1753-1831), soldier, politician, and businessman, was born in Hackensack, New Jersey on March 25, 1753, the son of Johannis Varick and Jane Dey. He had studied law and had establisheda practice in New York City as a partner of John Morin Scott when the revolutionarywar broke out. Declaring for the American cause, he joined the First New YorkRegiment, commanded by Colonel McDougall, as a captain on 28 June 1775. Inearly July he was appointed military secretary to Major General Schuyler.Accompanying Schuyler to Albany, Varick soon proved himself an able assistant.In the summer of 1776 he worked diligently to supply Schuyler, Benedict Arnold, and Horatio Gates with light artillery and shot for a fleet being built on LakeChamplain. On 8 August Arnold commended Varick for his "industrious"efforts, and eight days later Gates praised him for his "love & Industryto serve the public." In September Varick acted for Schuyler as judgeadvocate in acourt-martial and on the 25th, with Schuyler's warm recommendation, was named deputy muster master general of the Northern army. During the firstweek of November Varick conducted a whirlwind tour of military posts in hisdepartment, and on 16 February 1777 he reported to Schuyler that he hadmustered 1, 045 troops at Fort Ticonderoga.On 10 April 1777 Varick was appointed deputy commissary general of mustersand promoted to lieutenant colonel when the muster department of the Northernarmy was reorganized. That summer he joined the staff of Benedict Arnold, whohad been ordered to New York by General George Washington to assist Gates inhalting a British invasion. When a vicious quarrel broke out between ArnoldandGates on 22 September, Varick took Arnold's side, writing Schuylerdisparaging letters about Gates and praising Arnold. After Gates forced thesurrender of British commander John Burgoyne at Saratoga on 17 October, Varickdeclared that Schuyler had "paved the way to Victory." In OctoberVarick superintended the rebuilding of Schuyler's mansion, "Saratoga, "after it had been destroyed by the enemy. When Schuyler was court-martialed inSeptember 1778 on charges of negligence, Varick assisted Schuyler in preparingfor his defense and materially contributed to his acquittal. Varick's positionas commissary general of musters was terminated by Congress in June 1780; threemonths later he joined Arnold as an aide-de-camp at West Point.On 23 September 1780 Varick was dismayed to learn that Arnold, intreasonous correspondence with Sir Henry Clinton, had attempted to turn WestPoint over to the enemy. Almost out of his mind with chagrin because hisreputation had been sullied by his close association with a traitor, he petitionedWashington on 21 October for a court of inquiry to restore his good name.Washington obliged, although he insisted to Varick that a hearing wasunnecessary because his character had never been in doubt. In a court ofinquiry, which deliberated from 2 to 5 November, Varick introduced letters of testimonyin his favor from Washington, Schuyler, and Arnold and was completelyexonerated. Nevertheless, Varick continued to be hounded by suspicions, and hewas also without employment. Hence, on 12 November he petitioned Washington torecommend him to Congress for a job. Although nothing came of Varick's requestat the time, on 15 May 1781 Washington, with congressional approval, appointed Varickhis private and confidential secretary, with the task of copying and preservingWashington's headquarters papers for posterity. His reputation restored and therumors against him silenced, Varick joined Washington at Poughkeepsie, NewYork, and began his stupendous task.For the next two and a half years Varick toiled diligently at copyingWashington's papers, and when he had finished he had produced forty-four boundvolumes. On 1 January 1784 Washington, who had just received the product ofVarick's labors, wrote Varick a letter praising his work and declaring thatboth present and future users of the papers would consider his time and laborwell spent.In 1784 Varick was appointed recorder of New York City, a position that heheld until 1789. He complained to Washington about his poor health in 1784 and1785 but was not deterred in 1786 from accepting a position with Samuel Jonesas a codifier of New York's statutes. Three years later he and Jones publishedLaws of the State of New-York, Comprising the Constitution and the Acts of the Legislaturesince the Revolution, in two volumes. When the New York militia was organized, hewas commissioned colonel of one of the regiments. He was elected to the NewYork State Assembly in 1786 and served as Speaker of that body in 1787 and1788. He was attorney general of New York from 1788 to 1789 and mayor of NewYork City from 1789 to 1801. An ardent Federalist, he strongly supported theJay Treaty in 1795, although it was extremely unpopular in New York. Excludedfrom public office after 1801 by a rising tide of antifederalism, he turned toother pursuits. He was president of the New York chapter of the Society of the Cincinnatifrom 1806 until he died, an appraiser for the Erie Canal in 1817, and presidentof the Merchants' Bank for many years. A founder and benefactor of the AmericanBible Society, he was president of that organization from the resignation ofJohn Jay in 1828 until his death, in Jersey City, New Jersey on July 30, 1831.Over six feet tall and imposing in presence, he was a man of integrity who was respectedby his contemporaries. [Source: American National Biography]I am a proud member of the Universal Autograph Collectors Club(UACC), The Ephemera Society of America, the Manuscript Society and theAmerican Political Items Collectors (APIC) (member name: John Lissandrello). Isubscribe to each organizations' code of ethics and authenticity is guaranteed.~Providing quality service and historical memorabilia online for over tenyears.~
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