(NEW YORK CITY) John K Porter Diary kept by the retired lawy

Sale 2546 - Lot 171

Price Realized: $ 228

?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price

Estimate: $ 300 - $ 400

(NEW YORK CITY.) John K. Porter. Diary kept by the retired lawyer who had prosecuted Charles Guiteau. [16] manuscript diary pages, plus one memorandum laid in. 12mo, original gilt-stamped cloth, worn; minimal wear to diary pages. [New York], January to May 1886

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John Kilham Porter (1819-1892) of New York was one of the leading lawyers on the later 19th century, best known as one of the prosecutors in the case against Charles Guiteau for the Garfield assassination. He also served as a judge on the New York Court of Appeals from 1865 to 1867. He suffered a severe stroke on 10 April 1885, which resulted in the New York Sun printing his obituary with a diagnosis of "no hope of recovery." He lived for 7 more years, but as this diary will show, his handwriting suffered. He was in retirement with dual residences in Waterford, NY and a Manhattan hotel. The bulk of these entries were written in February 1886, apparently while in Manhattan with his wife. Tucked in a rear pocket is a worn 3-page memorandum: "Arguments & Speeches of John K. Porter collected for Hon. Grosvenor P. Lowry," listing 20 items on 3 pages, the most recent being #7: "Argument in Guiteau Case, Washington, January 23, 1882."