Richard Varick letters and documents

1770-1835

Collection consists of signed documents and miscellaneous correspondence, 1770-1831, of Richard Varick (1753-1831), an American attorney, Revolutionary War soldier, politician, and Mayor of the City of New York from 1789-1801. Most items are documents signed by Varick as Recorder of the Mayor’s Court and later as New York City mayor, including land and debtor transactions, orders, and civil appointments. Miscellaneous letters to and from Varick are of a personal, military, legal, or official nature. Revolutionary War documents include letters and vouchers regarding commissary and pay accounts, some handled in his capacity as secretary for General Philip Schuyler and later for General George Washington. Letters to Varick as an attorney at Poughkeepsie, New York in 1783 concern legal matters. Other items pertain to a personal loan to Philip Van Rensselaer, and to land transactions in New Jersey and New York City, signed by Varick or relating to the Varick family. Notable documents include a letter from kinsman A.F. (Alexander Forrester) Cochrane at New York, captain of the British ship Thetis, assuring Varick that there are no impressed American seamen on board, and a letter from E. Bertrand, commander of the French ship Sémillante, seeking the release of a crew member jailed in New York, both dated 1795. An 1830 letter to Philip Hone signed by Varick regrets that he and his aged companions in the Society of the Cincinnati are unable to march in a parade. The collection also includes clipped signatures, an engraved portrait of Varick, a facsimile of a 1797 document, and typed transcriptions of some items. Material is in chronological order.