Page 135 - 4095-BOOK1

Both he and his brother served in the Civil War, Morgan only briefly
in a home guard unit, while his brother Charles served with the
1st Connecticut Heavy Artillery, dying of disease in 1864. Bulkeley
appears to have returned to Hartford sometime around 1872, and
in 1874 he is noted as a major share holder and the president of a
professional baseball team, the Hartford Dark Blues. In 1876, a new
baseball league called the National League was formed and Bulkeley
was chosen as president, which he served as for one year. In 1875
and 1876, he served on the Hartford Common Council, in later 1876
became an alderman, and in 1878 lost a bid to be mayor of Hartford.
In 1879, Bulkeley became the third president of the Aetna Insurance
Company which his father had helped found, and served in that
role until 1922, increasing the value of the company dramatically. By
1880, Bulkeley had secured enough votes, many of which from Irish
immigrants (some claim through bribery), and was elected mayor of
Hartford. He took over an running an annual excursion to a seaside
resort for the poor of the city, financing it from his own pocket, and
in 1882 was again elected mayor. An article from 25 August 1882 in
the “Hartford Courant” details one of these very excursions as well as
the presentation of this revolver. The article notes that around 1,300
people of all manner of disability, race, religion, age, and ethnicity
were loaded onto a train and taken to the seaside at Fenwick for
a day of enjoyment. It goes on to state that just as the train had
started, a woman whose name was unknown approached Major
Woods, another dignitary on the journey, and handed him a case
with instructions to present it to Mayor Bulkeley. The article notes
that “The revolver is one of the finest of the Colt’s manufacture, with
chased silver mountings and pearl stock, on which is engraved the
city’s coat-of-arms...” as well as mentioning the inscription in detail.
It would appear that, at the time it was given, the presenter of the
revolver remained anonymous, and unfortunately, they remain a
mystery to this day. One possibility is certainly Richard Jarvis, who
was president of the Colt Patent Firearms Company at the time.
Bulkeley served as mayor of Hartford until 1888, having run for
Governor of Connecticut in 1886, but being defeated. In 1888, he
won the governorship, with most sources stating he spent most
of his time with his Aetna Company presidential duties, rather
than being governor. In 1890, he ran for reelection but was not
nominated by his party. However, due to a lack of clear majority in
the ensuing election and a stalemate among the legislature, Bulkeley
remained in office. One of the officials whose election was approved
was the Democratic comptroller, who subsequently padlocked the
executive offices at the capitol building in an attempt to keep out
the Republican governor and officials he believed had been beaten.
On 21 March 1891, Bulkeley discovered the locked door and had it
opened with a crowbar, leading to a nickname that stuck with him,
“the Crowbar Governor”. Bulkeley left the governorship in 1893 and
decided his next step was to run for U.S. Senate, running against
Joseph R. Hawley in 1893 and 1899, who, interestingly enough
was the presenter of a beautiful pair of Colt revolvers also in this
auction, Lot 1137. In 1896, Bulkeley was put forward as a candidate
for Vice-President alongside William McKinley, but finished third.
In 1905, Hawley died two weeks after leaving office, leading to
Bulkeley being elected to the senate, with one of his first official
duties being to attend Hawley’s funeral. Bulkeley served in the
U.S. Senate until 1911. During his tenure as president of the Aetna
Company, it became the largest insurance company in the nation,
and Bulkeley spent his vast wealth in many philanthropic pursuits.
On 6 November 1922, he died after a short illness at the age of 84. In
1937, Bulkeley was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame for being
the first president of the national league. Bulkeley biographer Kevin
Murphy summed up “the Crowbar Governor” and described his life
as, “Beyond the dreams of most men—and for the greater part of
his long life—he completely controlled his world. With courage and
political savvy, Morgan Bulkeley hopscotched from great success in
business and laudable accomplishments in community affairs to the
realization of some rather robust political dreams.”
Included with this magnificent revolver and its case is a copy of
Kevin Murphy’s book “Crowbar Governor: The Life and Times of
Morgan Gardner Bulkeley”, a Bulkeley Vice Presidential campaign
ribbon and two buttons, two medallions, a Grand Army of the
Republic commander ribbon, a National Baseball Hall of Fame card
featuring Bulkeley, a copy of a letter signed by Bulkeley and a copy
of a photo of him, as well as a copy of the letter from R.L. Wilson
regarding the cased revolver and the story surrounding it.
CONDITION: Excellent, retains 98% plus of the untouched, original
nickel finish with a few scattered very light specks of flaking and
the incredible Cuno Helfricht engraving remaining crisp overall. The
grips are also excellent with only the slightest handling marks and
the carving on the left panel remaining crisp with most of the ink-
fill contrast remaining. Mechanically excellent. The case is fine with
moderate wear and mild flaking on the exterior, while the interior
remains very fine with minimal wear. This revolver is an incredible
offering to the Colt collecting fraternity as the finest example of
factory engraved New Police Model “Cop & Thug” revolver extant,
a Cuno A. Helfricht masterpiece, and a documented presentation
to one of the most prominent figures of 19th century Hartford,
Connecticut, Morgan G. Bulkeley.
Provenance: Morgan G. Bulkeley and Descendants;
The R.L. Wilson Collection; The Fred Sweeney Collection;
The George S. Lewis Jr. Collection.
Estimate: 95,000 - 150,000
133