(1804 - 1869) Fourteenth President of the United States who initiated the Gadsden Purchase, opening up the Northwest for settlement. Fine association, partly-printed D.S. as President, 1p. folio, Washington, June 27, 1856. A naval appointment of CHARLES C. CARPENTER to the rank of Passed Midshipman. Countersigned by JAMES C. DOBBIN as Secretary of the Navy. Folds, else very good, with a bold 4 in. signature. CHARLES CARROLL CARPENTER (1834-1899) was an officer in the U.S. Navy for almost 50 years. During his illustrious career, he participated in the African Slave Trade Patrol, served as lieutenant commander in the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron during the Civil War, and was promoted to commander in 1865. Following the Civil War, Carpenter served as commander-in-chief of the Asiatic Squadron during the first Sino-Japanese War. He was then briefly recalled to duty in 1898 during the Spanish-American War.