Found 25 collections related to United States -- Politics and government -- 1783-1865

Oliver Wolcott Jr. (1760-1833) was United States Secretary of the Treasury, 1795-1800; United States Circuit Court judge for the Second Circuit, 1801-1802; and governor of Connecticut, 1817-1827. Oliver Wolcott Jr. letters and documents, 1799-1826, contain three letters written or signed by him regarding government business to Governor Jedediah Huntington of Connecticut, 1799; to Governor Isaac H. Williamson of New Jersey, 1818; and to Lieutenant Colonel George Bomford, 1823; and a signed printed circular letter to the Governor of Ohio (Jeremiah Morrow), 1825, regarding state resolutions to emancipate the slaves. A personal letter to James W. Henry at Baltimore, 1807, introduces Virgil Maxcy; and a letter to Wolcott's wife Betsy with a torn date [December 1800] tells of the close electoral vote count for Burr and Jefferson in the presidential election. Also included are signed certificates for civil and military appointments, 1817-1826; an order to his bank for Archibald Gracie, 1806; and a clipped signature. less

Jacques Donatien Le Ray de Chaumont (1726-1803) was a French supporter of the American Revolution. Volume contains correspondence of Le Ray de Chaumont with Benjamin Franklin, Antoine de Sartine, and Charles Gravier, comte de Vergennes, as well as letters of John Adams, John Jay, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, James Monroe, and others. Also includes tables of depreciation, minutes of Congress, extracts from newspapers, and letters of his grandson, James Le Ray de Chaumont, also known as James Le Ray. Letterpress copies of transcripts in French and English. less

Letters from American military officer, politician, journalist, and railroad industrialist Duff Green to various parties. Early letters are political in nature, with most written in confidence, including an 1827 letter to publishers Gale and Seaton effectively leaking information relating to the Democratic Party from an unnamed colleague. The bulk of the letters date from 1858-1859, and pertain to Green's involvement with railroad expansion and consolidation projects, including the Texas Railroad and the New Mexican Railway, and to land grants relating to those railroads less

Letters of Massachusetts merchant and statesman Abbott Lawrence written mainly to Washington, D. C., attorney David A. Hall between 1830 and 1854. The letters predominantly document Abbot's mercantile activities, his Congressional duties, his political efforts on behalf of the Whig party, and his activities as Minister to Great Britain less

Collection consists mainly of letters written by American lawyer and politician Louis McLane, with most items dating from his tenure as United States Secretary of the Treasury. Content relates mostly to professional matters, such as distribution of federal funds and pensions for veterans of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, with many letters to Joseph Gales of the publishing firm Gales and Seaton discussing political events of the day. Other recipients include John C. Calhoun, Isaac McKim, and Mississippi governor Charles Lynch. Also present are several financial documents, autographs, and an engraving of McLane less

William Peter Van Ness (1778-1826) of Kinderhook, Columbia County, New York and New York City was a lawyer, U.S. District Court judge, author, and Columbia College graduate. He was active in Democratic-Republican politics and served as Aaron Burr’s second in his duel with Alexander Hamilton. The collection consists of approximately 100 letters, most written to Van Ness at Kinderhook, New York City and elsewhere, from friends, political figures and lawyers, and from his brothers John P. Van Ness and Cornelius P. Van Ness. The bulk date from 1801 to 1819 and concern state and national political affairs, especially party politics in the Hudson River Valley region and New York City, and the electoral strategies of DeWitt Clinton and his supporters. Political appointments or offices for Van Ness and others are also discussed. Correspondents include Peter Irving, Isaac Mitchell, John Swarthout, Matthias B. Tallmadge, Daniel C. Verplanck, and other New Yorkers. Letters from his brother John in Washington, D.C., and a lesser number from Cornelius in New York and Vermont pertain to personal, family and political matters. Van Ness’ relationship with Aaron Burr is seen primarily through John’s letters, questioning his brother’s public support of Burr. A small number of letters written by Van Ness include four to his father Peter Van Ness while a student in New York City, 1795-1796, as well as a letter to Richard Riker, July 17, 1810, accusing Charles Holt of spreading lies, with Holt’s response to Richard Riker. Also present are some undated legal notes and voting tallies. less

Stephen Van Rensselaer (1764-1839) was an American soldier, New York State lieutenant governor, U.S. congressman, and the last patroon of the manor of Rensselaerswyck, near Albany. Letters to Van Rensselaer (1786-1826) and from him (1790-1838) pertain to New York State and U.S. politics, business affairs concerning Rensselaerswyck, and personal and family matters. Family correspondents include Alexander Hamilton, Jr., thanking his uncle for supporting his education, 1806, and brother-in-law William B. Paterson, congratulating Van Rensselaer on the honorable termination of his military career, 1813. A letter from the proprietors of the Rensselaer glass works, 1792, seeks his aid in establishing a reputable tavern to replace numerous "dram shops." Also present are some invoices and checks, including two signed in Paris by Van Rensselaer's son Stephen, 1813. less

James Barbour (1775-1842) was a Virginia planter and political figure. Collection consists of letters to Barbour chiefly on political and public affairs, and letters from Barbour to family members and others. Correspondents include John Quincy Adams, John S. Barbour, Henry Clay, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, and Richard Rush. less

Henry Alexander Scammell Dearborn (1783-1851) of Roxbury, Massachusetts was a politician, militia officer, author and horticulturist. Born in Exeter, New Hampshire, he was the son of Henry Dearborn (1751-1829), an American army officer and statesman, and Dorcas Osgood Marble. The Henry Alexander Scammell Dearborn writings comprise six scrapbook volumes containing his published writings, speeches, and reports, and Dearborn's collected papers regarding his role in the 1842 Dorr Rebellion in Rhode Island. The volumes were compiled by Dearborn for his family between 1844 and 1849; contents date from 1806 to 1849. Horticulture and American politics and government are the chief topics represented in his writings. A few illustrations, mostly botanical, are found within. less

Caesar Rodney (1728-1784), his brother Thomas Rodney (1744-1811) and Thomas Rodney’s son Caesar A. (Caesar Augustus) Rodney (1772-1824) were prominent American politicians and statesmen from Kent County, Delaware. The Rodney family papers, dating 1759-1823, comprise the papers of Caesar Rodney and letters received by Thomas Rodney and Caesar A. Rodney, documenting their professional and personal lives. Caesar Rodney papers, 1759-1781, consist of correspondence and other materials reflecting his militia and government responsibilities during the American Revolution, as well as personal and business matters. Letters to Thomas Rodney, 1776-1804, consist of personal letters from Caesar A. Rodney, nephew Caesar R. Wilson, and John Dickinson, and a letter regarding a legal matter from Thomas Collins. Letters to Caesar A. Rodney, 1795-1823, concern his legal, business and political affairs, and his missions to South America; there is some personal correspondence from John Dickinson, James Barron, and others. less

Charles Herman Ruggles (1789-1865), judge and congressman, was elected a representative from Poughkeepsie, New York, to the U.S. Congress, 1821-1823. He was a circuit judge and vice-chancellor of the Second Judicial District of New York, 1833-1846; and served as a judge of the New York Court of Appeals from 1847 to 1855. Collection consists of correspondence, accounts and land papers of Ruggles. Correspondence, 1821-1855, includes letters from family members and general correspondence concerning business matters, politics, the purchase of law books from New York courts, and personal affairs. Accounts, 1826-1843, cover loans and household expenses. Land papers, 1835-1843, contain correspondence, deeds, bills, and receipts for properties in New York City. less

Aaron Burr (1756-1836) was a Revolutionary War soldier, lawyer, United States Senator, and third Vice-President of the United States. Collection consists of miscellaneous letters to and from Aaron Burr, and documents signed by him, 1780-1835, including a letter from his wife Theodosia Prevost Burr, 1786 August; Burr's manuscript map of the Bastrop Grant in Louisiana, enclosed with his letter of 21 Oct 1806 to William Wilkins; and collateral material about Aaron Burr, circa 1800-1950, including newspaper clippings, auction catalog clippings, and printed matter. less

Pierre Van Cortlandt, Jr. (1762-1848) was a soldier and politician from Westchester County, New York. He was a U.S. Congressman from 1811-1812 and a brigadier general in the Westchester militia during the War of 1812. His first wife, Catharine Clinton Taylor, was the daughter of George Clinton, governor of New York from 1777 to 1795 and 1801 to 1804, and vice-president under Jefferson and Madison, 1804-1812. Van Cortlandt was the son of Pierre Van Corlandt (1721-1814) who had been the first lieutenant-governor of New York. Collection consists mainly of letters received by Van Cortlandt. Letters concern family, political and personal matters and are from members of the Van Cortlandt family, the Clinton family, as well as political figures. less

Jedidiah Morse (1761-1826), a Congregational clergyman, was known as "the father of geography". His lectures on geography included Geography Made Easy (1784), the first geography publication in the U.S. Morse established the Andover Theological Seminary (1808), the New England Tract Society (1814), and the American Bible Society (1816). He started several periodicals and devoted the latter part of his life to working in behalf of American Indians and the poor. Collection consists of three autograph letters signed by Morse, 1801-1824: to an unidentified recipient, 1801 April 17, regarding political matters and efforts to counteract the influence of the Illuminati in the United States; to Rev. Dr. Benjamin Trumbull, 1809 March 2, regarding Trumbull's manuscript history, presently under review by John Adams; and to Messrs. Davis & Force, Washington, D.C. booksellers, concerning their stock of his works, with a request to sell some copies of his report on Indian affairs without commissions, for the benefit of Native Americans. less

Daniel Webster (1782-1852) was an American lawyer and statesman. He served as U.S. Representative from New Hampshire and later Massachusetts, U.S. Senator from Massachusetts, and U.S. Secretary of State. The collection contains letters written or signed by Webster and a few letters to him, 1823-1851 and undated; Webster’s drafts of political articles for the Washington, D.C. newspaper National Intelligencer, 1823-1850; and financial documents, including signed agreements, a bill of sale for an enslaved man, checks, and notes, 1829-1850. Correspondence concerns political, legal and business matters; many items have been published. Recipients include James A. Hamilton, H.W. Kinsman, Virgil Maxcy, and newspaper publishers Gales & Seaton. Notable content includes an 1850 bill of sale to Webster for William Alexander Johnson, and Webster's 1851 letter to David A. Hall regarding Johnson’s manumission. The collection also contains autograph clippings, as well as facsimiles, transcripts, and other reference material, 1864-1941. less

John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1882) was an American poet, journalist and abolitionist. The collection consists of autograph letters written to various parties regarding literary, political and personal matters; autograph verses signed; and autograph signatures. Letter recipients include his editor James T. Fields, Paul Hamilton Hayne, Thomas Wentworth Higginson, and Henry Wilson, newspaper editor and U.S. senator from Massachusetts. Whittier’s letter of 1853 September 23 to a political committee in New York City expresses his support of Free Soil politics and his disgust over the Fugitive Slave Law. The collection includes two separate autograph poems, The Christmas Carmen, enclosed in a letter to the editor of The Independent, 1872, and The Vanishers, undated. A letter to James T. Fields contains the emended opening lines of The Tent on the Beach, dated 1867. less

Ten letters to Thomas Tillotson (d.1832), physician and politician, who twice served as New York State Secretary of State between 1801-1808. Nine are from kinsmen Robert R. Livingston, Edward Livingston, Brockholst Livingston, and John Armstrong, Jr. Letters are addressed to him at Albany and Rhinebeck, New York and largely pertain to state and national politics and government. Robert R. Livingston’s December 13, 1787 letter at New York touches broadly on Constitutional developments, international affairs, and family matters. The majority of the items concern the contested presidential election of 1800, tied between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, and its aftermath. An 1812 letter from E. Jenkins describes Aaron Burr’s recent appearance as a lawyer in court at Albany. Two small letter fragments are also present. less