Partially Printed Document Signed by Gibbons Thomas (1 results)

unbound. 1 page signed "Tho. Gibbons," 12 x 7 inches, New Jersey(?), November 3, 1784 -- a pensions document signed by Gibbons as Witness. Several closed tears, including both sides of the one fold. Very good(-) condition. American lawyer, politician, and early steamboat route operator. He became the plaintiff in one of the most important landmark cases decided by the United States Supreme Court, Gibbons -v- Ogden. In 1817 he acquired a little steam ferry, The Staudinger, and in 1818, The Bellona, of which Cornelius Vanderbilt was Captain. Shortly thereafter, he entered into a partnership with Aaron Ogden running ferries between New Jersey and New York but dissolved the business and ran his own ferries in direct competition with Ogden. Ogden secured an injunction on October 21, 1818, but Gibbons appealed and the case, and it eventually ended up in the Supreme Court. Landmark Decision: Chief Justice John Marshall held that the power to regulate interstate commerce was granted to Congress by the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution, and thus gave Congress the power to regulate navigation.