Table of Contents
Scope and Contents of the Collection
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Overview of the Collection |
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| Creator: | Morton, Levi P. (Levi Parsons), 1824-1920. |
| Title: | Levi P. Morton Correspondence |
| Inclusive Dates: | 1860-1912 |
| Quantity: | 0.5 linear ft. |
| Abstract: | Papers of the Congressman from New York, United States minister to France, Vice-President of the United States, and Republican governor of New York State. Collection contains mostly incoming correspondence from clergymen, educators, financiers, journalists, and politicians. Some letters are addressed to Morton's executive secretary, Ashley W. Cole. |
| Language: | English |
| Repository: | Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries 222 Waverly Avenue Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center |
Biographical History
Levi P. Morton (1824-1920) was a Congressman from New York (1879-1881), United States minister to France (1881-1885), Republican governor of New York State (1895-1896), and Vice President of the United States (1889-1893) under President Benjamin Harrison.
Scope and Contents of the Collection
The Levi P. Morton Correspondence is a collection of mostly incoming letters dated between 1860 and 1912, the bulk of which were written during Morton's tenure as Governor of New York (1895-1896). Morton's correspondents include authors and journalists (Henry Abbey, Lyman Abbott, W.J. Arkell, George W. Childs, Edwin L. Godkin, Frances M. Harris (pseud. Hope Ledyard), St. Clair McKelway, Oswald Ottendorfer, Franz Sigel, William Allen White); as well as clergymen (Thomas K. Beecher, Arthur C. Coxe, Theodore L. Cuyler, William C. Doane, John Hall, F.D. Huntington, John Ireland, Abram N. Littlejohn, Charles H. Parkhurst, H.C. Potter); educators (Nicholas M. Butler, Henry M. MacCracken, Jacob Schurman, Booker T. Washington, Alexander S. Webb); and financiers (Collis P. Huntington, Russell Sage, William C. Whitney). The bulk of the correspondence is from fellow politicians (William B. Allison, Cornelius N. Bliss, George S. Boutwell, Simon Cameron, Chauncey M. Depew, Roswell P. Flower, Frank W. Higgins, Elihu Root), including a number of state governors: R.A. Alger (Michigan), James A. Beaver (Pennsylvania), Charles A. Culberson (Texas), Charles W. Lippitt (Rhode Island), W.J. Stone (Missouri), and H.M. Wells (Utah).
Many of the letters (W.S. Bissell, William A. Butler, Joseph Choate, John Hall, MacCracken, Sage, Sigel, Benjamin F. Tracy) relate to particular pieces of legislation before the then-Governor, the largest number in reference to the Greater New York bill, an effort to consolidate Brooklyn and New York into one large metropolitan area (Abbott, Cuyler, C.P. Huntington, Littlejohn, Parkhurst, Potter, William C. Redfield). Also among the letters are several lengthy opinions (James C. Carter, Choate, Joseph Larocque, Root) which Morton solicited regarding the selection of appellate judges for the State Supreme Court. Among other issues discussed in the correspondence are public school reform (N.M. Butler, Doane, Root); separation of church and state (John Ireland); protection of the State forests (Gifford Pinchot, Nathan Straus); establishment of the State Veterinary College at Cornell University (Schurman); and prison reform (Beecher, F.D. Huntington). One of the most interesting of the incoming letters is an item from the Navy Department secretary M.A. Herbert, who upon learning of the State's plans to widen the Erie Canal, Suggests (3 Jan. 1896):
The moderate depth of water in the Erie Canal would prevent the passage of most naval vessels now in service, but with the width of locks increased to 23 feet it would be possible that a class of ships built especially for the defense of the lakes could be kept in New York, ready for service on the lakes in case of hostilities with Great Britain. Our treaty with that country limits its naval force on the lakes to one gunboat, but should the Erie Canal be available, the present advantage of Great Britain, the possession of a waterway through its own territory, would be counterbalanced and the defense of our Northern frontier simplified.
In addition there are a few letters of introduction (0.E. Babcock, Lucius Fairchild, Ottendorfer, Edward Thornton, M.R. Waite) and numerous recommendations for various appointments (J.W. De Peyster, S.B. Elkins, John G. Evans, F.M. Finch, Hamilton Fish, Flower, William P. Frye, Higgins, Frank Hiscock, Horatio C. King, Warner Miller, Sage, James W. Wadsworth, George L. Wellington, Stewart L. Woodford).
Restrictions
Access Restrictions
The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.
Use Restrictions
Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.
Related Material
Special Collections Research Center has many manuscript collections relating to New York State politics and history. Please refer to the SCRC Subject Index for a complete listing.
Subject Headings
Persons
Corporate Bodies
Subjects
Places
Genres and Forms
Occupations
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Preferred citation for this material is as follows:
Levi P. Morton Correspondence
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries
Finding Aid Information
Created by: KM
Date: Feb 1989
Revision history: 27 Jul 2009 - converted to EAD (MRC)
Inventory
| Correspondence | |||||||||||
| Box 1 | Abbey, Henry 1895 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Abbott, Lyman 1896 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Alger, Russell Alexander 1895, 1896 - 2 incoming letters | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Allison, William Boyd 1895 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Arkell, William J. undated - 1 outgoing letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Babcock, Orville Elias 1873 - 1 outgoing letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Baird, Absalom 1894 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Beach, L. H. 1886? - 1 outgoing letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Beaver, James A. 1894 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Beecher, Thomas Kinnicut 1895 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Bissell, Wilson Shannon 1896 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Bliss, Cornelius Newton 1896 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Boutwell, George Sewall 1894 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Burney, Hiram 1860 - 1 outgoing letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Butler, Matthew Galbraith 1894 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Butler, Nicholas Murray 1894, 1896 - 2 incoming letters | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Butler, William Allen 1895, 1896 - 2 incoming letters | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Cameron, Simon 1883 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Carter, James Coolidge 1895 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Carter, Thomas Henry 1894 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Chandler, William Eaton 1895 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Childs, George William 1892 - 1 outgoing letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Choate, Joseph Hodges 1895, 1896 - 3 incoming letters | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Clay, Cassius Marcellus 1862 - 1 outgoing letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Cornwell, George 1887, 1896 - 2 outgoing letters | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Coxe, Arthur Cleveland undated - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Croes, John James Robertson 1895 - 1 outgoing letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Culberson, Charles Allen 1896 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Cuyler, Theodore Ledyard 1895, 1896 - 2 incoming letters | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Davis, Cushman Kellogg 1895 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Depew, Chauncey Mitchell 1894, 1895 - 2 incoming letters | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | De Peyster, John Watts 1895 - 2 incoming letters | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Doane, William Croswell 1894, 1896, 1898, undated - 5 incoming letters | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Doremus, Robert Ogden 1896 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Egan, Patrick 1894 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Elkins, Stephen Benton 1895, 1896 - 2 incoming letters | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Evans, John Gary 1896 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Fairchild, Lucius 1881 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Finch, Francis Miles 1895 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Fish, Hamilton 1896 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Flint, Austin 1894 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Flower, Roswell Pettibone 1894, 1896 - 2 incoming letters | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Frye, William Pierce undated - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Godkin, Edwin Lawrence 1896 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Hale, Eugene undated - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Hall, John 1896 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Harris, Frances McCready 1895 - 3 incoming letters, 4 related letters and a clipping | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Herbert, Hilary Abner 1896 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Higgins, Frank Wayland 1896 - 2 incoming letters | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Hiscock, Frank 1895 - 2 incoming letters | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Hunt, Richard Morris 1895 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Huntington, Collis Potter 1895 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Huntington, Frederic Dan 1895, 1896 - 2 incoming letters and 1 enclosure | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Ireland, John 1895, 1896 - 2 incoming letters | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Jackson, W. E. 1888 - 1 outgoing letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | King, E. S. 1890 - 1 outgoing letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | King, Horatio Collins 1896 - 2 incoming letters | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Knapp, J. N. 1888 - 2 outgoing letters | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Lamont, Daniel Scott 1896 - 2 incoming letters | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Larocque, Joseph 1895 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Ledyard, Hope | |||||||||||
| See Harris, Frances McCready. | |||||||||||
| Box 1 | Lippitt, Charles Warren 1896 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Littlejohn, Abram Newkirk 1895 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | MacCracken, Henry Mitchell 1896 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | McKelway, St. Clair 1895, 1896 - 2 incoming letters | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Metcalf, Lorettus Sutton 1887 - 1 outgoing letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Miller, Warner 1895, 1896 - 3 incoming letters | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Nordhoff, Mr. 1873? - 1 outgoing letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Olney, Richard 1895, 1896 - 8 incoming letters | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Ottendorfer, Oswald 1895 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Parkhurst, Charles Henry 1896 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Patten, Mary undated - 1 outgoing letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Pinchot, Gifford 1894 - 2 incoming letters | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Ponsonby, Arthur C. 1894 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Porter, Horace 1895 - 2 incoming letters | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Potter, Henry Codman 1896 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Redfield, William C. 1896 - 1 incoming letter and 2 related documents | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Reed, Thomas Brackett 1896 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Rhodes, James Ford undated - 1 outgoing letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Root, Elihu 1895, 1896 - 3 incoming letters | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Ruger, Thomas Howard 1896 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Sage, Russell 1894 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Sargent, Mr. undated - 1 outgoing letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Schurman, Jacob Gould 1894, 1895, 1896 - 4 incoming letters | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Scribner, Gilbert Hilton undated - 1 outgoing letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Seward, Clarence Armstrong 1887 - 1 outgoing letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Seward, Frederick William 1896 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Sigel, Franz 1896 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Stewart, John R. 1911, 1912 - 2 outgoing letters | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Stone, William Joel 1895 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Straus, Nathan 1895 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Thornton, Edward 1894 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Townsend, [ ] 1895 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Tracy, Benjamin Franklin 1894, 1896 - 2 incoming letters | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Wadsworth, James W. 1896 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Waite, Morrison Remick 1882 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Walcott, Charles Doolittle 1895 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Wanamaker, John 1892 - 1 outgoing letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Waring, George Edwin 1895 - 1 incoming letter and 1 related document | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Washington, Booker T. 1896 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Webb, Alexander Stewart 1895 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Wellington, George L. 1896 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Wells, Heber Manning 1896 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Weston, Edward Payson 1894, 1896 - 2 incoming letters and 1 clipping | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Whitney, William Collins 1894 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Williams, Henry Shaler 1895 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Woodford, Stewart Lyndon 1895 - 1 incoming letter | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Unidentified 1901, 1896, undated - 2 outgoing letters and 1 fragment addressed to Griswold | ||||||||||