Letters/Correspondence

    Entries drawn from collection & document descriptions

Letter from Harriet Lane to Lily Macalester
July 14, 1853

Harriet Lane writes Lily Macalester with gossip about mutual acquaintances and discusses Wheatland. Lane lives with her uncle, James Buchanan, in Pennsylvania. Transcript included.

Location: I-Friends-2001-5

Subject: Personal and Family Life

Format: Letters/Correspondence

Time Period: 1840-1859

Letters from Charles Collins to Harriet Collins (Jul. - Aug. 1853)
July - August 1853

Dickinson College President Charles Collins writes five letters to his wife, Harriet Collins, while on a trip. Collins describes his travel experience as well as the various meetings he attended. Collins explains that "contrary to expectation when I first came, I have enjoyed myself very much"...

Letters from James Buchanan to Mr. Lane and James L. Reynolds
1853-1854

James Buchanan writes to Mr. Lane and James L. Reynolds regarding paying bills, political appointments, and Buchanan's political future. "I shall not be a candidate for the Presidency, & would not wish to become President" because, as Buchanan explains, "it has lost its charm." Transcript...

Letter from James Buchanan to Gerard Hallock
August 11, 1853

President James Buchanan writes to Gerard Hallock regarding the Presidential Election of 1860 and whether to remove the editor of a "leading Democratic" newspaper for not supporting his administration's policies. "This organ... maintains political doctrines in violation of the Constitution of...

Location: MC 1998.10, B4, F3

Subject: Politics and Government

Format: Letters/Correspondence

Time Period: 1840-1859

Letters from James Buchanan to James L. Reynolds
1853-1856

James Buchanan writes eight letters from London to James L. Reynolds on a number of different subjects, including life as the United States Minister to the United Kingdom, the Vienna Conference, the Crimean War, the Nebraska Bill, and the 1856 Presidential election. Transcripts included.

Letter from Roger B. Taney to Franklin Pierce
August 29, 1853

Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger B. Taney writes President Franklin Pierce and recommends Lieutenant Colonel Taylor’s son, Francis H. Taylor, for an appointment “to the office of military storekeeper in Oregon.” Justice Taney argues that Francis is “well qualified for the appointment… and would...

Location: I-SpahrB-1948-1

Subject: Military Affairs and Conflict, Politics and Government

Format: Letters/Correspondence

Time Period: 1840-1859

Letter from James Buchanan to Christopher L. Ward
September 20, 1853

James Buchanan writes to Christopher L. Ward and describes life in London as the new United States Minister to the United Kingdom and discusses the possibility of a conflict between Russia and Turkey in the Crimean. Buchanan also mentions his introduction to Queen Victoria. "The manners of the...

Letter from James Buchanan to George Plitt
November 1, 1853

James Buchanan describes his experience working and living in London as United States Minister to the United Kingdom and comments on the latest political news from the United States. George Plitt is a Pennsylvania attorney. Transcript included.

Letter from Harriet Lane to Mrs. Christopher L. Ward
December 30, 1853

Harriet Lane writes to her friend Mrs. Christopher L. Ward in December 1853. Transcript included.

Location: MC 1998.10, B4, F16

Subject: Personal and Family Life

Format: Letters/Correspondence

Time Period: 1840-1859

Letter from James Buchanan to Lily Macalester
January 20, 1854

James Buchanan writes to Lily Macalester and describes his life in London as the United States Minister to the United Kingdom. "I should be far happier in retirement at Wheatland than amidst the gaiety of London," as Buchanan notes. Transcript included.

Letter from Harriet Lane to Lily Macalester
May 4, 1854

Harriet Lane writes to Lily Macalester and discusses her voyage to London.  She will be presented to Queen Victoria later that week.  In addition, Lane notes that she attended the opera with a Mr. Peabody and sat in a box opposite of the Queen. Lane is living with her uncle, James Buchanan, who...

Letters from Alexander McClure to Eli Slifer, 1854-59
1854-1859

Alexander McClure writes seventeen letters to Eli Slifer in which he discusses the political campaigns of various Pennsylvania politicians, denies his opposition towards Whigs, expresses joy at the success of Pennsylvania Governor James Pollock and James M. Sellers in elections, and discusses...

Location: MC 2003.4, B7, F11

Subject: Personal and Family Life, Politics and Government

Format: Letters/Correspondence

Time Period: 1840-1859

Letter from James Buchanan to Sir William Molesworth
July 27, 1854

US Minister to the United Kingdom James Buchanan thanks Sir William Molesworth for his speech on "Naval Prizes." While "the agreement is unanswerable," Buchanan tells Molesworth that he "presented more historical information on the subject, in a clear and distinct manner, than I have ever seen...

Location: I-Friends-2002-1

Subject: International Affairs, Military Affairs and Conflict

Format: Letters/Correspondence

Time Period: 1840-1859

Letter from Richard Rush to the Corbin Family
August 2, 1854

Diplomat and politician Richard Rush writes to "the Messrs. Corbin of Virginia, Maryland, and their collaterals" to meet and investigate their claims to the Jennings Estate. Rush also recommends his son, Benjamin, as someone qualified to serve as a source of legal advice.

Location: I-Friends-1976-12

Subject: Land and Real Estate, Legal Affairs

Format: Letters/Correspondence

Time Period: 1840-1859

Letter from Franklin Pierce to Robert McClelland
August 29, 1854

President Franklin Pierce writes to Secretary of the Interior Robert McClelland regarding how to handle Kentucky Representative John Cabell Breckinridge. "I wish to oblige Breckinridge if it can be done with any propriety," as President Pierce explains. McClelland is a member of the Class of...

Location: I-SpahrB-1953-21

Subject: Politics and Government

Format: Letters/Correspondence

Time Period: 1840-1859

Letter from Roger B. Taney to J. Mason Campbell
October 19, 1854

Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney writes to J. Mason Campbell and describes his time at Old Point. While his daughter "Alice had a letter from [her niece Phoebe] yesterday," Taney notes that Campbell has not sent any letters recently. Justice Taney regrets that he will have to leave...

Location: I-SpahrB-1965-19

Subject: Personal and Family Life, Politics and Government

Format: Letters/Correspondence

Time Period: 1840-1859

Letter from Roger B. Taney to Samuel Phillips
c.1855

Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney writes Deputy Marshall Samuel G. Phillips and asks for information about an individual who asked for an autograph. "Can you tell me any thing about the writer" because, as Taney explains, "I am not willing to send my autograph to a woman, of whom I...

Location: I-SpahrB-1969-9

Subject: Personal and Family Life, Politics and Government

Format: Letters/Correspondence

Time Period: 1840-1859

Letters from John W. Killinger to Eli Slifer
1855-1860

John W. Killinger writes four letters to Eli Slifer discussing candidates for local elections as well as other political matters. "I have secured a place for [Snyder], after such a struggle as exceeded all my past political experiences," as Killinger notes. Transcripts included.

Location: MC 2003.4, B6, F15

Subject: Politics and Government

Format: Letters/Correspondence

Time Period: 1840-1859, 1860-1879

Letters from Israel Gutelius to Eli Slifer, 1855-59
1855-1859

Israel Gutelius writes sixteen letters to Eli Slifer in which he primarily discusses his political activity and its relation to his paper, a German language newspaper published in New Berlin, Pennsylvania (The Der Demokrat, which is also known as the Union Demokrat). "You know...

Location: MC 2003.4, B5, F8

Subject: Business and Industry, Politics and Government

Format: Letters/Correspondence

Time Period: 1840-1859

Letter from James M. McKim to Mr. Worrell
January 20, 1855

James M. McKim, a member of the Class of 1828 and an editor at the Philadelphia based The Anti-Slavery Standard, writes to a subscriber, Mr. Worrell. McKim mentions the major slavery related event of the day as well as the Anglo-French siege of Sevastopol (Sebastopol) in the Crimean War...

Letter from Roger B. Taney to J. Mason Campbell
February 27, 1855

Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney writes to attorney J. Mason Campbell and discusses the potential government purchase of the Exchange in Baltimore for public offices. Justice Taney explains why this purchase would be a poor decision.

Location: I-SpahrB-1964-9

Subject: Economics and Finance, Politics and Government

Format: Letters/Correspondence

Time Period: 1840-1859

Letter from William Seward to John McClintock
March 17, 1855

Senator William H. Seward writes to Dr. John McClintock and notes that he cannot send a copy of the speech that McClintock had requested. Seward promises to send this speech to McClintock at a later date.

Location: I-BeachW-1974-5

Subject: Politics and Government

Format: Letters/Correspondence

Time Period: 1840-1859

Letters from James Buchanan to James Webb
March 30 - December 7, 1855

James Buchanan, the United States Minister to the United Kingdom, writes four letters to General James Watson Webb regarding Buchanan's experiences living in London and international affairs, including the Ostend Manifesto, the Vienna Conference, and the prospects for peace. Buchanan also notes...

Letter from James Buchanan to Sir Edward Curt
June 1, 1855

James Buchanan writes to Sir Edward Curt and conveys his regrets that he cannot attend Her Majesty's Ball because he has "been unwell for the last two or three days." Buchanan is the Minister to Great Britain during President Franklin Pierce's administration.

Location: I-Friends-2005-3

Subject: Personal and Family Life, Politics and Government

Format: Letters/Correspondence

Time Period: 1840-1859

Letter from John Gilmore to His Sister
June 2, 1855

John Gilmore, class of 1856, writes to his sister and discusses his life as a student at Dickinson College. Gilmore discusses the recent weather, his fellow students especially the women who he says "are very fine looking rather handsome, intelligent and interesting, rather aristocratic." In...

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