(1797-1878) Born in Cortlandt, New York, he entered the navy as a midshipman in 1811. During the War of 1812, he served on Lakes Ontario and Champlain, participating in the victory at the latter place for which he received the "Thanks of Congress." He served on the frigate Constellation during the Algerine War, cruised on the frigate Macedonia suppressing piracy in the West Indies, commanded the schooner Shark and the sloop Levant in the Mediterranean, and commanded the sloop Vincennes in the East Indies. He was in charge of the Navy Yard at Washington, D.C., 1853-55, and the Home Squadron, 1856-58. In 1861, Paulding was appointed by President Abraham Lincoln to assist in building up a wartime fleet which included construction of ironclad gunboats. Paulding was assigned to evacuate ships from the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, in Virginia, which the Confederates planned to seize, in April 1861. He found that Charles S. McCauley, commander of the navy yard, had ordered the destruction of the ships. Paulding had to complete the work of burning and scuttling the largest number of the ships, and was able to remove the USS Cumberland, towed by the USS Pawnee. The USS Merrimack was burned to the waterline, but it was later refitted as the CSS Virginia, also known as the Merrimac. In August 1861, Paulding was named by Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles to the Ironclad Board, responsible for approving designs for and the construction of ironclad warships for the Union navy. The result was the construction of the USS New Ironsides, the USS Galena, and most famously the USS Monitor, who fought the Confederate ironclad, the CSS Virginia, on March 9, 1862, in Hampton Roads, Va., becoming the first ever battle between two ironclad warships in naval history. He was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral, on July 10, 1862, and rendered valuable service in command of the New York Navy Yard, at Brooklyn, until May 1865. After the war he served as Governor of the Naval Asylum at Philadelphia, and as the post admiral at Boston. Paulding died at Huntington, Long Island, New York, on October 20, 1878.

Signature: 3 x 1, in ink, H. Paulding. Light wear. Very fine.