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August Belmont Letter

An inventory of his papers at Syracuse University


Finding aid created by: AM
Date: 28 Apr 2009

Biographical History

August Belmont (1813-1890) was a financier, sportsman, politician, and former chairman of the Democratic National Committee. He emigrated to the United States in 1837 and founded the banking house August Belmont & Co. His political career began with his campaign work for James Buchanan, and later he worked with such prominent figures as Stephen A. Douglas and Thurlow Weed; he also corresponded with President Lincoln regarding economics and foreign interests during the Civil War. His other pursuits included social entertaining, his patronage of the arts and horse racing, in particular the latter which is evidenced by the eponymous Belmont Stakes.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The collection consists of a single four-page holograph letter dated December 29, 1860. The letter is addressed to Senator J. J. Crittenden in Washington, and discusses the current political climate, the state of the Union, Buchanan's recent "committee of thirteen," Republican congressional leaders, and a pamphlet by John P. Kennedy entitled "The Border States." A printed transcription of the letter can be found in Belmont's book A Few Letters and Speeches from the Late Civil War, published in 1870.

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.

Subject Headings

Persons

Belmont, August, 1813-1890.
Kennedy, John Pendleton, 1795-1870.
Crittenden, John J. (John Jordan), 1787-1863.

Subjects

Politicians -- New York (State)

Places

United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Political aspects.

Genres and Forms

Letters (correspondence)

Occupations

Politicians.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

August Belmont Letter,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Table of Contents

Correspondence

Inventory