Calvin Coolidge Signed Consular Appointment.

Fine consular appointment signed by Calvin Coolidge as President. One page, partially printed and accomplised in manuscript, the document appoints Samuel Sokobin a Consul of the United States at Harbin, China and reads in part: The President of the United States of America, To all who shall see these presents, Greeting: Know ye, that reposing special trust and confidence in the abilities and integrity of Samuel Sokobin, a Consul of the United States of America, I do assign him as Consul of the United States of America at Harbin, China, for Harbin and its prescribed district; and do authorize and empower him to have and to hold the said office, and to exercise and enjoy all the rights, privileges and immunities thereunto appertaining, during the pleasure of the President of the United States; and I do hereby enjoin all Captains, Masters, and Commanders of ships and other vessels, armed and unarmed, sailing under the flag of the United States, as well as all other of their citizens, to acknowledge and consider him the said Samuel Sokobin accordingly; and I do hereby pray and request the Government of China, its Governors and Officers to permit the said Samuel Sokobin fully and peaceably to enjoy and exercise the said office, without giving or suffering to be given unto him, any molestation or trouble, but, on the contrary, to afford him all proper countenance and assistance, I offering to do the same for all those who shall in like manner be recommended to me by the said Government. Signed by Coolidge as President, "Calvin Coolidge" and countersigned by Frank B. Kellogg as Secretary of State with an intact paper seal of the United States on the lower left. Samuel Sokobin served as an American consular official to China from 1914 until 1940 and then from 1940 to 1941 was U.S. consul to Japan before being taken prisoner by the Japanese during World War II. After two years in a prisoner-of-war camp, he was the first American held by the Japanese to be released and repatriated during the war. Sokobin was also a translator, writer and collector of rare books in China. In near fine condition. Double matted to an overall size of 24 inches by 20 inches.