Orr Benjamin G (1 results)
More imagesPublished by [Washington. 1818]., 1818
Seller: William Reese Company, New York, NY, U.S.A.William Reese Company
Contact seller5-star sellerAn unrecorded Washington, D.C. imprint, not found in Sabin or Shaw & Shoemaker and not located by OCLC. This folio pamphlet prints a letter and table submitted by Washington mayor, Benjamin G. Orr, to the United States Senate defending his handling of a major military contract for troop provisions in Georgia and South Carolina.…Orr, who had owned a grocery and liquor store in Georgetown before moving to Washington in the early 1810s, began contracting for the military in 1813, supplying army troops in Ohio and Michigan Territory. In 1817, Orr was elected by City Council to serve as the fourth mayor of Washington, D.C., a position he held for two years and distinguished with several successful public improvement projects. Shortly before entering office, Orr was granted a second army contract to supply provisions for troops on the frontier, this time in South Carolina and Georgia. Andrew Jackson, still at his headquarters in Nashville, complained to Congress that the contract was not being fulfilled properly, and Orr responds here with an explanation that the problem actually lay in faulty communications Jackson had received. From the biographical information available, it appears that Orr was vindicated and suffered no damage to his reputation; a postscript in the pamphlet notes that since the letter and table were composed, evidence had been received confirming Orr's figures. "Orr, Benjamin G.," from Congressional Cemetery (online). Folio. Name of U.S. Congressman Mark Richards inscribed in contemporary ink on verso of second leaf. Portion of upper inner corner, approximately 1¼ x 2¼ inches of each leaf, excised, affecting a few characters of text on p.[2]. Two vertical and three horizontal folds with two neat tears (measuring approximately 1½ and 11 inches) along two folds, affecting some text. Good.
