Revolutionary War Pay Order signed by William Williams, Oliver Wolcott, Jr. and William Pitkin - Signer of Declaration of Independence - 1780 dated Autograph

Pay order to William Williams signed by Williams, Oliver Wolcott, Jr. and Wm. Pitkin.

William Williams, born on April 8, 1731, and passing away on August 2, 1811, was an American Founding Father, a merchant, and a delegate for Connecticut to the Continental Congress in 1776. He also signed the United States Declaration of Independence. Williams dedicated 67 years to his service in the Connecticut House of Representatives, spanning from 1757 to 1762, 1763 to 1776, and 1780 to 1784. Notably, he served as Speaker of the House during the 1775 session and from 1781 to 1783.

Williams was an ardent participant in the protests that paved the way for the American Revolution. He was a member of the Sons of Liberty and later served on Connecticut’s Committee of Correspondence and Council of Safety. He vehemently supported the non-importation agreements enacted in 1769 to counter the Townshend Acts and the occupation of Boston by British Regulars. However, he expressed disappointment when merchants disregarded these agreements after the repeal of the Townshend Acts, except for the tax on tea. Furthermore, he harbored mistrust towards more established merchants, particularly Silas Deane.

Oliver Wolcott Jr. (January 11, 1760 – June 1, 1833) was an American politician and judge. He served as the second United States Secretary of the Treasury, a judge on the United States Circuit Court for the Second Circuit, and the 24th Governor of Connecticut. Wolcott began his adult life working in Connecticut, later joining the federal government in the Department of Treasury, before returning to Connecticut, where he spent the remainder of his life until his death. Over the course of his political career, Wolcott's views shifted from Federalist to Toleration and ultimately to Jacksonian. He was the son of Oliver Wolcott Sr. and was part of the Griswold-Wolcott family.

Born on January 11, 1760, in Litchfield, Connecticut Colony, British America, Wolcott served in the Continental Army from 1777 to 1779 during the American Revolutionary War. He graduated from Yale University in 1778, where he was a member of the Brothers in Unity society, and studied law in 1781.

Before becoming the second Secretary of Treasury, Wolcott was the first Auditor in the Treasury Department. According to Richard White, his duties as Auditor involved making the initial examination of accounts and determining balances on all claims against the government. Working alongside the first Secretary of Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, and as a fellow Federalist, Wolcott became a target for criticism from Thomas Jefferson. This was due to the rivalry between Hamilton's Federalists and Jefferson's Democratic-Republicans, who were the two main political factions of the time.

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