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John Wells Letters

An inventory of his papers at Syracuse University


Finding aid created by: [Summit record]
Date: 2001-01-01

Biographical History

John Wells (1770-1823) was a lawyer in New York State responsible for founding the oldest law firm in the United States: Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft.

Wells was born in Cherry Balley, Otsego County in 1770. In addition to being the founder of what is known today as Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, he is also renowned for his partnership with George Washington Strong: one of the earliest legal partnerships in the new nation. Their practice centered on maritime law, real estate and wills, commercial claims, and more. Their clientele included many notable New York companies and private citizens.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The John Wells Letters consists of correspondence regarding cases and legal matters in New York State. Correspondents include John V. Henry and James Andrews.

Arrangement of the Collection

The collection is arranged chronologically.

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

Wells, John, 1770-1823.

Subjects

Lawyers -- New York (State)
Lawyers -- United States.

Genres and Forms

Correspondence.

Occupations

Lawyers.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

John Wells Letters,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Table of Contents

Correspondence

Inventory