St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-03-11
GEORGE HAS SAT IN IT.
Presentation Of Washington's
Chair to the Historical
Society.
Hole-In-T The Days Pipe, as
Well as 10 ROtelle'S
Picture.
Relic to Be Treasured by the
State For Future Gen
epatiOnS.
First Step Taken in the In
terest Of the Highest
Culture.

The ordinary monthly meeting of the
State Historical society last evening
was an eventful one. for outside the
general routine business a presentation
of rare historic relic was made to the
society. The gift was a library chair,
owned (and presumably sat upon) by
George Washington, and the donor was
Maj. George B. Clitherall, of Mobile,
Ala. Who the donor is and why the
presentation of so valuable relic was
made to the Minnesota Historical So
ciety was explained by Judge Flan-
drau and Hon. Henry M. Rice, who
were commissioned to make the gift.
The address of these gentlemen to the
society is as follows:
We have been charged with duty which,
if not one of the most important certainly
is one of the most interesting that has &C.
cupied the attention of this society since its
organization.
We are the channel through which is to be
presented to the society one of the most
scored relics OF the past history OF our coun-
try. 1t is no less than one of the library
chairs of Gen. George Washington, first pres
iden of the United States and father of our
country.
This Gift comes from Maj. George BurgW1n
Clitherall, of Mobile. Ala.
The donor is a descendant of one of the
most illustrious families of the Revolution.
and sole representative OF his noble house.
The father Of Maj. Clitherail was Dr.. C..
Clitherall, of the United States Army. He
was relative and intimate friend of Gen.
Ben Smith, of North Carolina, who died at
Fort Johnston in January, 1926. Gen. Smith
was man of high social position and great
wealth, and married sarah, daughter OF Col
Fry, who was colonial governor of North
Carolina. During the war for the independ-
ence of this country Gen. smith was vol
unteer member of Gen. Washington's staff
and military family, and there always ex-
listed between them close intimacy and
warm attachment. When Gen. Smith learned
of the illness OF Gen. Washington, he imme-
diately left his home in North Carolina and
hastened to the bedside of his beloved chief
where he remained until Washington passed
into immortality.
Washington were, 10y his family, presented
to Gen. Smith, who treasured them as long
as he lived At his death, in 1926; these
venerated relics passed by bequest to the
father of Maj. Clitherall, and on his death in
1929 they passed by inheritance to the don
or, Maj. George B. Clitherall, VINO was the
eldest son. Among these was this library
chair, which we now present, in his name, to
this society.
For three score years the major has cher
ished this relic with feeling of patriotic
love and veneration which can only be awak-
ened by the close association il has with the
grandest man Of history. Originally it was
upholstered in red morocco, but time, with
its crumbling hand, aided by the strong de-
sire of many patriots to occupy the place
where once sat its illustrious first owner, so
destroyed Its Trailer parts as to render res
toration necessary. The frame of the chair
is. however, perfectly intact and presents
exactly the same appearance as 1t did when
in the library at Mount Vernon
Mai. Clitherall came to Minnesota in the
early territorial days and remained until
1860 an officer of the United States land de-
partment in Otter Tail county, where town,
village and beautiful lake bear his hon
ored name.
During his residence among US, his ex-
allied recognition of every thing honorable.
together with his charming social and genial
characteristics endeared him to all the old
settlers who were fortunate enough to enjoy
his acquaintance; and while he was loved by
US all, he on his part formed the warmest at
tachment for the country and the people,
and at that early period he determined to be-
queath this chair, his most valued posses
sion, to our society, as the representative of
the state of his admiration, and he has stead
lily adhered to this purpose during all of
these years. Notwithstanding the longing eye
which many prominent, learned and sCien-
tifc Southern institutions have kept upon it,
and their earnest solicitations that it be be-
slowed upon them.
The gift, valuable as it is historically, in
trinsically, and as connected with the great
Washington, brings with it all assurance of
fraternal love between our states and sec
tons as dear to us as the original achieve
ment of our liberties. We will allow the
donor to convey this view OF the case in his
own eloquent and patriotic words He says
in his letter to us conveying his intention to
present the chair
This Gift make as evidence of my ad-
| niration of, and attachment to, that great
state of which was citizen in her terrific
rial DAYS and subsequently. l imagine few
of the original members survive. i treasure
the memories OF my ASSOCIATION III the past,
with some of them, and for the love l bear
these, coupled with the hope of the good
your society will accomplish, I present this
THE Library Chair of the immortal Washing
TOM may Its possession ever remind, and
keep ever present in the minds and hearts of
the members of the Minnesota Historical So
ciety,' the sturdy virtues of the Father of
his Country and incite them to a love of
country paramount TO devotion to party.
1.-THE gift comes from an extreme Southern
state whose border is layed by the Gulf of
Mexico. to yours. one of the most Northern,
whose shore is washed by that great sea,
Lake Superior,
'Since the science Of this age has ami
hilated distance, let us know no divisions
often exchange visits, and thus learn to
know each other, and we will forge chains
of mutual interest and fraiernal regard
Mr.. President ana gentlemen of the COM
mittee In the name ana on the behalf of the
venerable octogenarian. patriot and lover of
his whole country, we present TO the Mime
sofa Historical society this sacred memorial
of the age that gave us liberty and the man
to whom, more than all others, we are in
debted for it's inestimable blessings.
1t is with fear and trembling that we en-
trust this gift to your keeping: not from any
lack of confidence in the guardian care with
which you will cherish 1t, but from appre-
tensions of the dangers it will encounter
from the lily protected home the state has
given us as casket for our invaluable jew.
els Very respectfully.
HENRY M. RICE,
CHAs. E. FLANDRAU.
Fl. P. Upham made the formal re-
Spouse, accepting the relic in behalf of
the society. He said:
This is no ordinary occasion; 1t is an event