Uncut Pair both Signed by Oliver Wolcott Jr. - Issued to Roger Sherman and William S. Johnson - January 6, 1788 dated Pay Orders

Pair of Civil List Comptroller's Office Pay Orders signed by Oliver Wolcott, Jr. Portrait and biography included. Issued to Roger Sherman and William S. Johnson.

William Samuel Johnson, born on October 7, 1727, and passing away on November 14, 1819, was an American Founding Father and statesman. He played a pivotal role in shaping the nation’s history by attending all four founding American Congresses. These included the Stamp Act Congress in 1765, the Congress of the Confederation in 1785-1787, the United States Constitutional Convention in 1787, where he chaired the Committee of Style that drafted the final version of the Constitution, and as a senator from Connecticut in the first United States Congress from 1789 to 1791. Additionally, Johnson served as the third president of Columbia University, then known as Columbia College.

Roger Sherman, born on April 19, 1721, and passing away on July 23, 1793, was an early American politician, lawyer, and a Founding Father of the United States. Representing Connecticut, he holds the distinction of being the only individual to sign all four significant state papers of the United States: the Continental Association, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution. Furthermore, he also signed the 1774 Petition to the King.
Born in Newton, Massachusetts, Sherman, despite lacking formal education, established a legal career in Litchfield County, Connecticut. After serving in the Connecticut House of Representatives, he held the esteemed position of justice of the Superior Court of Connecticut from 1766 to 1789. Connecticut entrusted him with a significant role, sending him to the Continental Congress. During his tenure, he played a pivotal part as a member of the Committee of Five, which was instrumental in drafting the Declaration of Independence.

Sherman’s contributions extended beyond the Continental Congress. He served as a delegate to the 1787 Philadelphia Convention, where he was the second oldest delegate present, after Benjamin Franklin. Initially, he favored granting the federal government the power to raise revenue and regulate commerce. However, he initially opposed efforts to replace the Articles of Confederation with a new constitution. After supporting the establishment of a new constitution, Sherman became a key delegate and a prominent opponent of James Madison’s Virginia Plan. To resolve this conflict, he introduced the Connecticut Compromise, which secured the approval of both the more and less populous states.

Following the ratification of the Constitution, Sherman represented Connecticut in the United States House of Representatives from 1789 to 1791. Subsequently, he served in the United States Senate from 1791 until his passing in 1793.

Oliver Wolcott Jr., born on January 11, 1760, in Litchfield, Connecticut Colony, British America, 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’s adult life began in Connecticut, where he later joined the federal government in the Department of Treasury. After returning to Connecticut, he spent the rest of his life until his death there. Throughout his political career, Wolcott’s views shifted from Federalist to Toleration and ultimately to Jacksonian. Wolcott was the son of Oliver Wolcott Sr. and a member of the prominent Griswold-Wolcott family.

During the American Revolutionary War, Wolcott served in the Continental Army from 1777 to 1779. He graduated from Yale University in 1778, where he was a member of the Brothers in Unity society, and later studied law in 1781.

Before becoming the second Secretary of Treasury, Wolcott held the position of the first Auditor in the Treasury Department. According to Richard White, his duties as Auditor involved conducting initial examinations 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 faced criticism from Thomas Jefferson. This was due to the ongoing rivalry between Hamilton’s Federalists and Jefferson’s Democratic-Republicans, who were the two dominant political factions of the time.

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