Group of four items relating to Henry Brockholst Ledyard, the former president and chairman of the Michigan Central Railroad: a leather bound "resolution" book from the board of the Michigan Central Railroad including a presentation letter and given to Le

Detroit and NY, 1860s - 1946. Item #99-2101

"Resolution' book: 12 x 9, gilt ruled dark maroon leather, gilt ruled watered silk pastedowns, 10 vellum pages (including endpapers), calligraphic script (one side only) with rubrication, cream satin ribbon; print: Charles Magnus: New York nd (1860s); booklet: New York Central: NY 1946, lithography by Evans-Winter-Hebb, Detroit, 12 x 9.5, unpag (8pp); photograph: printed with printed signature, 16 x 12, image of Ledyard is 6 x 4.5, no photog etc. listed. Condition: "Resolution" book cover leather scuffed/scraped with some staining and abrasions and sunned spine, pages have scattered foxing and toning, small marks on inner spine indicating that the pages had been attached, ribbon has light fraying else contents very good, lettering very attractive; print: chipping, tears, margins have staining, light soiling and spotting, creasing, small stain to one corner, colorful image shows the railroad yards, vessels on the Detroit River, surrounding neighborhood, a nice early image of the city; booklet: covers soiled and spotted, interior very good, program for the centennial dinner which was held at Detroit’s Book Cadillac Hotel, includes the menu, company history, list of speakers, etc., and has an illustr of the same Michigan Central print that’s offered with this lot; photograph: stained but doesn’t affect the image, creased, soiled, tears, lacks lower right corner, other corners breading off, printed signature of Ledyard, image matches the one shown in the booklet, photo sold as is. The Resolution book lists the action taken "At a Meeting of the Board of Directors of the Michigan Central Railroad Company held at Grand Central Station Terminal, in the City of New York on Wednesday, the fifteenth day of June, nineteen hundred and twenty-one, the following action was taken: We the Directors of the Michigan Central Railroad Company, mourn the death of our Chairman, Henry B. Ledyard. . ." The text continues on to heap praise on this grandson of former Michigan governor and prominent statesman Lewis Cass and lists all of his accomplishments in his 47 year career with the company. This beautiful book is signed by both the president of Michigan Central Railroad, Alfred H. Smith, and its secretary Edward F. Stephenson. The accompanying typed presentation letter on New York Central Line letterhead is from Stephenson and signed by him; he also expresses his personal sympathy. From Clarence Burton’s book "History of Wayne County and the City of Detroit, Michigan:" " ‘Service to All’ became his slogan in railroad management . . . ‘We must provide facilities for men to make new business profitable. . . by giving them shipping facilities as good as they could get in any other center’ (per Ledyard). . .When the passenger station in Detroit was destroyed by fire, within two hours he was running trains out of the new station which was then being built but which lacked two months of completion. He always recognized merit, faithfulness and ability upon the part of his employees and was ready to accord promotion as opportunity offered. While his business life was characterized by much of the precision of the military commander, those who came within the closer circle of his personal acquaintance had for him the greatest love and respect." Henry Brockholst Ledyard was born in the American embassy in Paris in 1844 while his father was part of the American delegation and died of heart disease at his home in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, on May 24, 1921. Sold as a lot only.

Price: $7,500.00

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