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Territorial Auditor Receipt Signed by Orion Clemens (brother of Mark Twain) [202464]

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Paper Start Price:150.00 USD Estimated At:300.00 - 500.00 USD
Territorial Auditor Receipt  Signed by Orion Clemens (brother of Mark Twain) [202464]
SOLD
225.00USDto S********e+ buyer's premium (56.25)
This item SOLD at 2025 Nov 03 @ 11:07UTC-08:00 : PST/AKDT
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This is a document on blue paper from the Office of the Territorial Auditor. Orion Clemens is acting as attorney for AM Baldwin, a member of the then-recent Territorial Legislative session. Dateline Carson City, N.T., Marc 16th, 1864. 9.75 x 8"Orion Clemens (1825-1897) served as Secretary for Nevada Territory from 1861-64. Clemens worked in the newspaper industry in Missouri and Iowa before joining the election campaign for Abraham Lincoln. When Lincoln was elected, Clemens was appointed Secretary of Nevada Territory. He moved to Nevada with his wife and brother, Samuel, even paying for his brother's Overland Stage ticket. (Twain recounts this journey in Roughing It). Orion served as acting governor when James Nye was out of the territory. He served in such a capacity during the dispute over Susanville and Lake Honey Valley between California and Nevada (the "Sagebrush War"). When Nevada became a state in 1864, Clemens tried to run for Secretary of State. However, his opposition to whiskey (he was a tee-totaler) made him unpopular and he lost. He left Nevada and headed to the Meadow Lake area in 1866. He eventually returned to Iowa and lived out his life practicing law, farming chickens, and working at inventing various gadgets. He died in 1897. His brother became involved in mining and newspapers upon arriving in Nevada and eventually became world-famous author Mark Twain after moving to Virginia City and working for the Territorial Enterprise.
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Date: 1864
Country (if not USA):
State: Nevada
City: Carson City
Provenance: