The signature of George Washington along with other clips of his writing in a binder containing Mark Fields’ collection of presidential autographs.
RYAN TRARES | DAILY JOURNAL
The faded formal script brought nearly 250 years of American history to life.
Even after all that time, the signature was still easy to decipher — George Washington, the first President of the United States. Washington’s exacting flourishes match the strong and decisive leader he was.
Mark Fields had been chasing the first president’s elusive autograph for more than 30 years. Finally, his collection was complete.
Fields, a Center Grove-area resident, has spent three decades acquiring signatures from all of the U.S. presidents. Starting with his first, Ulysses S. Grant, and ending with Washington, he has assembled signatures of all the commanders-in-chief, as well as some of their First Ladies, in an impressive collection.
For an avowed history buff, each signature is a glimpse into the lives of these great leaders.
“They actually touched these to sign them. That’s what really registers with me,” he said.
Collecting has been a hobby for Fields, outside of his work in the pharmaceutical industry as well as in landscaping and his business, Bonsai by Fields.
The sheer enormity of historic significance inside Fields’ home is staggering.
Binders full of autographs, from Michael Jordan to Frederick Douglas to Sally Field, are organized on a shelf. A baseball with the signatures of the 1928 New York Yankees is in a protective case on another shelf. Fossilized trilobites — the prehistoric creatures who roamed the oceans for approximately 270 million years — are safely shown off underneath glass.
One subject stands out among all of the rest.
Fields’ favorite historical figure is Abraham Lincoln — he attended Abraham Lincoln Elementary School growing up — and it shows in his collection. Display cases are filled with busts, statues, even ballots from elections sent to Union soldiers during the Civil War to cast their votes.
Framed photographs and notes from Lincoln hang on the wall, along with a series of drawings Fields did himself.
The presidential autographs are just an extension of those collections.
“I focused on Abraham Lincoln, and it just kind of led to everything else,” he said. “I was intrigued by Lincoln, and I’ve been doing it ever since. There’s too many to count.”
Fields has accumulated his collection of autographs with the help of a friend who owns Abraham Lincoln Book Shop in Chicago. Whenever something interesting pops up in the collecting world, or if Fields requests something specific, his friend can usually help acquire it.
Despite his admiration for Lincoln, Fields’ first presidential autograph was not from Honest Abe, but from his commanding general in the Civil War, Grant.
“I’ve always been interested in the presidents, which got me into this, and I found it in a Civil War show,” he said.
More and more signatures rose through Fields’ collection channels. Some were from letters the presidents had written to their constituents. Others were on official documents from the government. A few were jotted on scraps of paper, while others were on campaign photographs.
George W. Bush’s is on the back of a dollar bill. Fields was able to get the autographs of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama after meeting them in person.
Lincoln’s signature, along with that of his wife Mary Lincoln, comes from a White House reception held on Jan. 1, 1863 — which is the day Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
“They say he was shaking so many hands that his hands were shaking. They say he had to stop and rest his hands,” Fields said.
The second-to-last autograph came from one of the United States’ least-known presidents.
“One of the hardest ones was (James K.) Polk. It was really tough to get,” he said.
All of the autographs, along with a photograph of the president and some biographical information, are laid out in chronological order in a black binder. Year after year, Fields filled more of the binder, until only one open page remained — the first one, reserved for George Washington.
The final signature came from a Washington-specific auction, focused mostly on letters and documents that other collectors were fiercely bidding on. The signature was kind of a leftover, Fields said.
“I just wanted a clip. I didn’t need more than that,” he said.
With his presidential autographs complete, Fields plans to continue looking for autographs from the first ladies, as well as vice presidents. He already has a number of both.
Still, those collections don’t quite have the urgency or significance of the presidents, Fields said.
“It was a big sigh of relief — especially knowing I don’t have to spend more money on this,” he said.
