Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-07-19
WRITTEN BY FAMOUS MEN.
autographs Collected by q Venerable
Citizen Of Washington.

N.
Samuel Yorke AtLee is the oldest member of
the bar in the District Of Columbia, having
been admitted TO practice in Philadelphia on
the day that Andrew Jackson was inaugurated
PRESIDENT for the first time, March 4, 1929. He
has not been in practice for number Of years,
but he can be found every day in Office hours
at the office of his son. William Yorke Alice,
on New York avenue. Mr.. AtLee is now in his
eighty-frst year. He has been a resident of
Washington for forty-si years, but before he
came here enjoyed some interesting expert
ences in western states. He walked from Phil
adelphia to Cincinnati and began the practice
OF the law there sixty years ago. He
soon drifted to journalism and was the
editor OF the old Cincinnati Chronicle tor sew
eral years. He was grand secretary of the
Grand Lodge, LO.O.F., of Ohio in 1888 and
grand master in 1884, and is one of the oldest
grand officers living. He was the first in
structor in constitutional law In the Cincinnati
pubic schools, and a member of the Cincinnati
board OF education for several years. He re-
moved to Michigan just after the Toledo war
and was secretary of II constitutional convention
held in that territory i'll 1886. which refused
the congressional proposition to admit Michi-
gan as state If she would accept the great
upper peninsula i'll exchange for the Toledo
strip. later convention more complai-
SAINT and Michigan has never regretted the
trade
Mr.. AtLee is the oldest surviving secretary
OF the senate OF Michigan and was deputy sec
| rotary of state and deputy commissioner of
the state land Office of Michigan almost fifty
years ago. In lt45 he came to Washington and
entered the Treasury Department as librarian.
In 1913 Postmaster General Cave johnson COM
missoned him the first postmaster at San Fran
cisco, but be declined the office. being advised
by his physician that Mrs. AtLee might not
| survive the voyage around the Horn.
Mr. Alice was for many years in the Treas
ury Department, ard before the war was an
active District public man, serving as school
trustee and member of and president of the
old common council While on the school
board he was instrumental as he had been
many years before in Cincinnati. in instituting
the study of constitutional law in the public
schools OF Washington. Twenty thousand dol
lars was the annual appropriation for school
purposes when he was trustee. Now the APP
preparation has sweled to many times III, 900.
A BOOK OF AUTOGRAPHS
Mr.. AtLee is the possessor of a remarkable
book of autographs. 1t is not a collection of
signatures by distinguished men to miscella-
| neous letters gathered by contribution or pur-
chase from various sources. Each signature Is
either affixed to note or letter to Mr.. At Lee.
or written in the book by persons who
called upon him at various times or with whom
he has been on terms OF intimacy during his
long life. He began keeping this book in 1884.
| although some of the autographs i'll it date
| back of that year, and he has signatures of
many noted and some forgotten men for every
year since he purchased the book. Many of
| the signatures of men afterward distinguished
were given Mr.. AtLee before the writer's ac-
| quired distinction. and others were given while
| the writer's were at the height of their fame.
Mr.. AtLee well acquainted with several
| of the Presidents before the war and has had
some acquaintance with all the later ones, ex-
| cepting Grover Cleveland and Benjamin Har-
| rison. His book contains the signatures of
every President from Andrew Jackson to Ches-
| ter A. Arthur, and also personal note in the
| trembling chirography of the venerable James
| Madison. which, was written but few
| months before his death. The signatures of
| Jackson. Van Buren,, Pierce and Lincoln are to
| personal notes.
GEN. WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON.
The autograph of the grandfather of the
present President was written in the common
place book August 4. 1884 The handwriting
is broad, flowing, but somewhat broken
backed The future President wrote simply:
Nv II. Harrison. late major general in the
army Of the United States, was born at Berkeley
(the seat of his father, Ben amin Harrison). in
the county of Charles City, and state of Vir-
ginia, February g. l773."
This was long before Gen. William Henry
Harrison was nominated for President A dozen
or fifteen pages further along in the book APP
pears the signature of the only son and father
of President that this country has ever pro-
duced. j. Scott Harrison and Representative
Harlan of Ohio dined with Mr.. Alice the
date-May n. lS54-when this autograph was
given. In signing his name the second Harrison
stated that he vas born at Vncennes, Ind, Oc-
tober 4, 1904
LUcIEN MURAT.
The first name in Mr.. AtLee's book of auto
graphs is that of Lucien Murat and it was
written in 1924. Young AtLee had called on
Joseph Bonaparte, ex-king of Spain, at his seat
in Bordentown n. j., and been by him intro
duced to his nephew I.ucien. who was visiting
him. Lucien returned the call at the residence
of AtLees father in Philadelphia the following
day. and during his stay at BordentOwn the
boys were quite friendly. This Lucen Murat
| was the son of the king of Naples and the sister
| of Bonaparte and the father of the late high
priced sutton for the hand of Miss Gwendoline
| Caldwell. Charles Carroll--the last signer of
| the Declaration of lndependence-puts bis
name i'll the book in 1928. In the same year
the young student of Philadelphia who after
ward became Archbishop Wood inscribed his
! name in the book.
During most of the earlier portion of his
| life Mr. AtLee was a strong democrat, but he
| became free soiler about 1850, and afterward
| an ardent republican which he has ever since
| remained. Long prior to his utilization with
| the free soil party he had been an abolitionist
| i'll principles. and he has preserved with much
! pride a receipt given him by David Paul Brown
| in 1925 for years subscription to the early
abolition organ, The Genius Of UniUersai Emdn-
| ctpdttOn.
| REPRESENTATIVE MEN.
Henry Clay, Thomas E. Benton, Lewis Cass,
George NJ. Dallas and dozens Of the most dis
tinSuished ante-bellum public men; Chase,
| Seward, Stevens, Speed, Stanton, Dix and the
| figures Of the war period and many prominent
! men Of the years since the war appear in this
/ book. So also there the names of WASH
| ington Irving Willis and other noted lights
| of literature. Most Of the autographs at
| tached to personal letters There is q little
natl in 1893, and another with his signature at
| changed greatly between twenty-seven and
sixty Polk WAS Speaker when he wrote his
name and Johnson was Vice President MIR.
Alice secured many names in advance of the
| time when their owners were distinguished
| For instance, William L. Chandler wrote his
| name November "a, 1865. He was then twenty
| nine years old.
Gen. Grant gave AtLee roughly scrawled
, note in lead pencil on a memorandum book
| page at Galena in 1865. Prince John Van
| buren, dined with him January 81 1866, and
| contributed to the old book. Later in the year
| he died en- route home from Europe or the
| Scotia.
The noted Gen. Humphrey Marshall wrote
in Mr.. AtI4ee's book in the summer of 1860 a
short sketch of his life. concluding follows:
''Was nominated for reelection to the
| House of Representatives i'll 1859, but declined
the candidacy and retired from public life
| preferring the quiet pursuit of the legal pro-
hot