- Creator
- Washington, Bushrod, 1762-1829
- Call number
- MssCol 4674
- Physical description
- .1 linear feet (1 folder)
- Preferred Citation
Bushrod Washington letters, Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library
- Repository
- Manuscripts and Archives Division
- Access to materials
- Request an in-person research appointment.
Virginia lawyer Bushrod Washington (1762-1829) was an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court and a nephew of President George Washington. He inherited the estate of Mount Vernon upon Washington's death. The collection consists of letters written by Bushrod Washington to various recipients concerning personal, business and legal matters, 1786-1826 and undated, including a signed check. Letters to his friend Samuel Hodgdon at Philadelphia, dated 1785 [i.e., 1786] and 1786, tell of his recent marriage and express his views on political and economic matters. His letter "to Chancellor de Saussure" (as endorsed in another hand), dated November 29, 1814, includes a description of British fleet movements on the Potomac River in late August and praises Commodore Gordon (British naval captain James Alexander Gordon) for preserving Mount Vernon from destruction. Henry W. de Saussure was a South Carolina judge and a director of the United States Mint. Two items, 1802-1803, pertain to the settlement of George Washington's estate.
Administrative information
Source of acquisition
Donated by John S. Kennedy, 1896 as part of the Emmet Collection and J. Pierpont Morgan, 1899 as part of the Ford Collection; various purchases.
Processing information
Compiled by Susan P. Waide, 2015
Related Material
Forms part of Emmet collection
Key terms
Names
- De Saussure, Henry William, 1763-1839 -- recipient
- Gordon, James Alexander, 1782-1869 -- Sir
- Hodgdon, Samuel, 1745-1824 -- recipient
- Washington family
- Washington, Bushrod, 1762-1829
- Washington, George, 1732-1799 -- Estate
Places
- Alexandria (Va.) -- History -- Capture by the British, 1814
- Mount Vernon (Va. : Estate)
- United States -- History -- War of 1812 -- Naval operations, British
Occupations
Using the collection
Location
Manuscripts and Archives DivisionStephen A. Schwarzman Building
Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street, New York, NY 10018-2788
Brooke Russell Astor Reading Room, Third Floor, Room 328