[ad_1]
For Marcus Gutierrez ’18, lover of history and his alma mater, the seemingly unassuming piece of paper deserved a one-day bidding war that played ping-pong 45 times and required help. of a group of like-minded Hamiltonians.
The determined former history professor led a group of 11 young alumni in the successful effort to purchase at auction a document signed on February 25, 1822 by New York Governor DeWitt Clinton, known as “the Father of the Erie Canal. “. The buyers then quickly presented the award to MC Lang of Hamilton. Special collections and Archives.
The auction was a fundraiser for St. John’s University Law School, where Gutierrez is a student. The Clinton document authorizes the appointment of a certain Lorenzo B. Jones of Rensselaer County as Acting Commissioner. “This is a neat, pre-printed form, completed in handwritten form, by one of New York State’s most famous governors,” says Christian Goodwillie, director of special collections and archives for Hamilton.
Gutierrez, who spent hours as an undergraduate in the archives researching his dissertations, adored the Mohawk Valley threads from the history of the document. Clinton’s son was a member of the Hamilton Class of 1825. His uncle was George Clinton, the first Governor of New York, US Vice President, and for whom the Clinton village is called.
As for Jones, Gutierrez discovered that his son was born and raised in Utique, served as a Brigadier General in the Civil War and as Lieutenant Governor, and had become a prominent businessman.
For Gutierrez, everything was irresistible. “I thought to myself, wouldn’t it be cool if we could get this document? And then bring him back to upstate New York, where he belongs? He remembers.
Discover other alumni who are impacting their professions and communities around the world.
His friend Michael Russo ’18, also a law student in St. John’s, agreed and agreed to participate. For support, they asked for the support of former student friends, including Gutierrez’s brother Joshua Gutierrez ’19. It was not a hard sell. “We always felt compelled to give back to Hamilton,” Gutierrez said of the ad hoc group of graduates.
Auctions started at around $ 90 at 7 a.m. and peaked at around $ 700 just before 10 p.m. With the prize in hand, Gutierrez and Russo took a few minutes to admire the piece of history before packing it up for delivery to College Hill.
[ad_2]
Source link