Warren G. Harding

Partly-printed DS as president, one page, 20 x 16, March 8, 1922. President Harding appoints Merlin O'Neill as "Lieutenant (junior grade) in the Coast Guard of the United States." Neatly signed at the conclusion in ink by President Warren G. Harding and countersigned by Secretary of the Treasury Andrew Mellon. The gold foil seal affixed at the lower left remains fully intact. Affixed to a same-size mount and in fine condition, with small tape remnants to the edges.

Merlin O’Neill (1898–1981) rose through the ranks to become a senior officer in the United States Coast Guard, most notably serving as the tenth Commandant of the service from January 1950 to June 1954. During World War II, O’Neill commanded the Coast Guard‑manned attack transport USS Leonard Wood, participating in Allied amphibious operations in North Africa, Sicily, and the Pacific campaigns. For his leadership in Sicily he was awarded the Legion of Merit.