Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney writes to J. Mason Campbell about the summer at Old Point with regard to the nearby outbreak of yellow fever and the construction of a new wharf. While his family is safe from the outbreak, Taney finds sadness in the illness and death as well as the...

Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney writes to J. Mason Campbell and discusses Mrs. Taney's ill health. "Maria -- who was sleeping the bed with her -- discovered that she was making an effort to raise herself in bed -- and was unable to do so," as Taney explains. Taney also asks...

James Buchanan, the United States Minister to the United Kingdom, writes to W. Hunter and encloses a communication of "an important religious subject" from Edward Ellice, a member of the House of Commons, to C. A. Davis of New York. Transcript included. 

Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney writes to Joel Barlow Sutherland and discusses the legal distinction between letters being "in the mail" and "in the post office." Taney notes that he cannot conduct further research on the question due to his ill health. Transcript included.

James Buchanan, the United States Minister to the United Kingdom, writes to Mr. Tyler regarding his plans to leave London as soon as George Dallas, his successor, arrives. Buchanan is not looking forward to the trip back home. " I am a very very...

Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney thanks his daughter, Alice Taney Campbell, for sending a letter that arrives on his 79th birthday. Campbell's "affectionate remembrance," as Taney explains, reminds him of her "affectionate & constant attention to [her] dear grandmother."...

Representative Alexander Hamilton Stephens writes to Thomas W. Thomas and discusses the 1856 presidential election. Stephens, a Democrat, supports James Buchanan and describes the reasons why the convention made the decisions they did with regard to President Franklin Pierce, Senator Stephen...

Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney writes to his grandson, [Roger Brooke] Taney Campbell, with family news and provides some advice on horsemanship. Taney provides his grandson with an explanation on why one should learn to ride in the country before riding in a city like Baltimore...

Hiram Walbridge writes President James Buchanan to introduce Robert Gamble and recommend him for a political appointment. Walbridge notes that “Gamble is a sound reliable democrat” who “has held responsible public trusts in the City of New York.”

United States Attorney General Jeremiah Sullivan Black provides legal advice to President James Buchanan on whether the Chief Executive can remit part of the sentence of a convict. "I have examined and found that the universal practice of all your predecessors sanctioned by the courts has been...

Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Robert Cooper Grier (Class of 1812) writes to his brother, Nelson Grier, and discusses a picnic as well as a trip to the mountains.

Treasury Secretary Howell Cobb writes to David Tompkins and accepts his election to the James Buchanan Literary Association of New Haven, Connecticut.