Secretary of Navy Gideon Welles papers go for $281,000 at auction

The highlight of Swann Auction Galleries’ September 29 Americana auction was a large archive of family papers of Gideon Welles, who served as secretary of the Navy through the Civil War. It went for $281,000, including buyer’s premium, according to Antiques and the Arts Weekly. The extensive archive of Welles’ personal and family papers comprise more than 1,000 items in six boxes, including his letters to his son regarding the Lincoln assassination and Andrew Johnson’s impeachment, four of his prewar diaries and more. -- Article / -- Swann listing