Description
Signed limited edition of On Active Service In Peace and War by Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson, inscribed to his law partner, Arthur E. Pettit.
Octavo, [two volumes], xxii, 320pp; vi, 323-698pp. Blue cloth, title on paper label on spines. Stated “first edition” on copyright page of both volumes. Wear to tips of cloth spines, faint brown mark on side panel of Volume I. Publisher’s “Autograph Edition” dust jackets, noting “Autographed Edition, Two Volumes, Boxed” on front panels of both volumes, chipping along edges, notable toning to spine, closed tears. Housed in custom black cloth slipcase.
Inscribed by Secretary Stimson in Volume I: “For Arthur E. Pettit, with the affection of his partner, Henry L. Stimson.”
Arthur E. Pettit (1897-1988) was a senior partner at the Manhattan law firm of Winthrop, Stimson, Putnam & Roberts. Stimson joined the law firm in 1891 and became a partner in 1893. The firm bore his name until a merger in 2001. Pettit remained close with Stimson throughout his time in government.
Henry L. Stimson (1867-1950) served as Secretary of War under President William Howard Taft, Secretary of State under President Herbert Hoover, and Secretary of War again during World War II under Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman. Stimson played a crucial role in shaping U.S. policy during significant historical events, including the implementation of the Stimson Doctrine in 1932, which articulated U.S. opposition to territorial expansion through aggression, and his oversight of the Manhattan Project, which developed the atomic bomb. He passed away in 1950.
