Came across this interesting account today and wanted to share it.
It all started with the find of a book in our Lawyer’s Books collection… A Defense of Fishermen by Former President Grover Cleveland. This book complies a series of articles written by President Cleveland, first published in The Saturday Evening Post, and was later published by Princeton Press as a small run of 60 books to be used as gifts for his friends. We have a copy that was dedicated and signed by Pres. Cleveland to Mr. Bessey. Versions like it last sold through PBA books for $7500 and is mentioned by Christy’s as only one of 2 that have come to market since 1975.
What a treasure to find!
There is another copy out in the world inscribed, “and sometimes woman do fish” and it really makes me wonder if that copy was given to Mrs. Bessey. Or maybe to his wife, Frances, who is pictured here fishing with him when he visited FL in 1903.
