His first major railroad case - photo 1
His first major railroad case - photo 2
His first major railroad case - photo 3

His first major railroad case

Lot 200
27.01.2023 10:00UTC +00:00
Classic
Starting price
$ 4 000
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
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ID 887978
Lot 200 | His first major railroad case
Estimate value
$ 5 000 – 8 000
LINCOLN, Abraham (1809-1865). Autograph document signed ("A. Lincoln") three times, Springfield, 15 December 1851.

Four pages, bifolium, 335 x 208mm (spine fold reinforced with glassine).

Abraham Lincoln's first major railroad case, which established him "as one of the most prominent and successful Illinois practitioners of railroad law." Here, Lincoln represents the Alton & Sangamon Railroad before the Illinois Supreme Court in a case against James A. Barrett, one of the company's stock subscribers who had defaulted on his payment. Barrett had contracted to purchase thirty shares in the company with the knowledge that the route of the planned road would run near his property, thus raising its value. Subsequently, the Illinois legislature amended the company's charter to alter the route, bypassing Barret's land. For this reason, Barret refused to pay the balance of the $1,350 owed to the railroad. Lincoln successfully argued for the railroad, asserting that the change in route did not absolve Barret of his contractual obligations. The case proved highly influential and was cited in other venues as well as in treatises on railroad law through much of the century. The present document concerns both the railroad's case against Barret and the subsequent appeal. (See James W. Ely, Jr., "Abraham Lincoln as Railroad Attorney" https://indianahistory.org/wp-content/uploads/51a319bce67b7f5614886cd3a4504ef7.pdf, Accessed 21 December 2022)
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
13.01.2023 – 27.01.2023
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
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