Autographed Document Signed - War Date Promissory Note

1780. framed. near fine. American statesman, diplomat and signer of the Declaration of Independence who also served as the second President of the United States (1797 - 1801). Outstanding war-date A.D.S., a promissory note, 12mo. 1 p. [Mass.], Oct. 24, 1780, to fellow patriot and signer of the Declaration of Independence: THOMAS STONE - (1743 - 1787) - American planter, patriot and delegate from Maryland, written one day before Adam's draft of the Massachusetts Constitution was adopted, buying imported cleaned tobacco (possibly seized) at an extreme discount, in full: "I promise to pay Thomas Stone on order two thousand pounds of crop imported tobacco clean of cask - with interest till paid. Have received of him ... also: the sum of seventy three pounds fifteen shillings currency. Witness my hand this 24 October 1780". Also signed by Ann Mostyn, wife of the Tory politician of the same last name. Float mounted on orig~al folio decorative page together with an early original engraved portrait by J.B. Longacre. Presented in a black and gold Americana frame, 16 1/2" X 21 ", to preservation standards. Excellent condition.

John Adams was a Founding Father and the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before his presidency, he was a leader of the American Revolution that achieved independence from Great Britain. During the latter part of the Revolutionary War and in the early years of the new nation, he served the Continental Congress of the United States as a senior diplomat in Europe. Adams was the first vice president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. He was a dedicated diarist and regularly corresponded with contemporaries, including his wife and advisor Abigail Adams and his friend and rival Thomas Jefferson.