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The Resource Schuyler Colfax collection

Schuyler Colfax collection

Creator
Summary
The majority of the collection consists of Colfax's correspondence from 1841-1884 regarding Whig and Republican Party politics in Indiana and nationally. Also included are letters from Indiana officers in the Civil War regarding promotions and assignments; Colfax's letters on routine business as Speaker of the House and Vice President; his letters regarding speaking engagements; letters to his wife regarding his role in the "Credit Mobilier" affair in 1875; and letters regarding his inheritance from his grandfather, William Colfax in 1841. Also included are a memorandum of a meeting with Stephen A. Douglas on the Kansas issue in 1857; notes and drafts to a bill in 1857 increasing Congress's power to subpoena witnesses; invitations to dinners and parties in Washington D. C.; and the manuscript of a speech on Colfax written by Lew Wallace in 1898. The collection also includes papers of Colfax's grandfather, William Colfax, including papers relating to his Revolutionary War Service and militia posts in Bergen County, New Jersey, his letter regarding New Jersey troops in the War of 1812, and letters to his son, Schuyler Colfax; letter of Colfax's father, Schuyler Colfax, to his wife from St. Croix, Virgin Islands in 1822; letters to Colfax's son, Schuyler Colfax Jr. regarding correspondence of introduction for a trip to Europe in 1907. Some of the prominent individuals include: P. T. Barnum; Henry Ward Beecher; Albert J. Beveridge; Abraham L. Brick; Anson Burlingame; William Henry Calkins; Robert Carter; John C. Clark; Roscoe Conkling; Charles A. Dana; John D. DeFrees; Charles Dick; Stephen A. Douglas; John C. Fremont; Lucretia Rudolph Garfield; Ulysses S. Grant; Horace Greeley; Benjamin Harrison; Horatio King; Henry Smith Lane; Abraham Lincoln; Benson J. Lossing; Alexander K. McClure; Robert H. Milroy; Daniel D. Pratt; Whitelaw Reid; Elihu Root; Winfield Scott; William H. Seward; John Sherman; Kline Shryock; H. S. Spaulding; Edwin Stanton; Charles Sumner; Lew Wallace; and R. W. Woodbury. Genealogical research was conducted by Barbara Colfax and Fred Tolasco; documents range from circa 1782-1970
Language
eng
Work
Extent
0.3 Cubic feet
Note
Processing Information: Collection processing and original finding aid completed during 2003 by Elizabeth Wilkinson. Collection addition processing and EAD finding aid completed on 2014/11/24 by Bethany Fiechter; revised on 2017/01/06 by Bethany Fiechter
Link
http://www.in.gov/library/finding-aid/L036%20Colfax%20Schuyler%20Collection%20revision.pdf
Instance
Label
Schuyler Colfax collection, 1782-1970
Title
Schuyler Colfax collection
Inclusive dates
1782-1970
Creator
Creator
Subject
Genre
Language
eng
Summary
The majority of the collection consists of Colfax's correspondence from 1841-1884 regarding Whig and Republican Party politics in Indiana and nationally. Also included are letters from Indiana officers in the Civil War regarding promotions and assignments; Colfax's letters on routine business as Speaker of the House and Vice President; his letters regarding speaking engagements; letters to his wife regarding his role in the "Credit Mobilier" affair in 1875; and letters regarding his inheritance from his grandfather, William Colfax in 1841. Also included are a memorandum of a meeting with Stephen A. Douglas on the Kansas issue in 1857; notes and drafts to a bill in 1857 increasing Congress's power to subpoena witnesses; invitations to dinners and parties in Washington D. C.; and the manuscript of a speech on Colfax written by Lew Wallace in 1898. The collection also includes papers of Colfax's grandfather, William Colfax, including papers relating to his Revolutionary War Service and militia posts in Bergen County, New Jersey, his letter regarding New Jersey troops in the War of 1812, and letters to his son, Schuyler Colfax; letter of Colfax's father, Schuyler Colfax, to his wife from St. Croix, Virgin Islands in 1822; letters to Colfax's son, Schuyler Colfax Jr. regarding correspondence of introduction for a trip to Europe in 1907. Some of the prominent individuals include: P. T. Barnum; Henry Ward Beecher; Albert J. Beveridge; Abraham L. Brick; Anson Burlingame; William Henry Calkins; Robert Carter; John C. Clark; Roscoe Conkling; Charles A. Dana; John D. DeFrees; Charles Dick; Stephen A. Douglas; John C. Fremont; Lucretia Rudolph Garfield; Ulysses S. Grant; Horace Greeley; Benjamin Harrison; Horatio King; Henry Smith Lane; Abraham Lincoln; Benson J. Lossing; Alexander K. McClure; Robert H. Milroy; Daniel D. Pratt; Whitelaw Reid; Elihu Root; Winfield Scott; William H. Seward; John Sherman; Kline Shryock; H. S. Spaulding; Edwin Stanton; Charles Sumner; Lew Wallace; and R. W. Woodbury. Genealogical research was conducted by Barbara Colfax and Fred Tolasco; documents range from circa 1782-1970
Biographical or historical data
Schuyler Colfax was born in New York City on March 23, 1823. In 1836, the family moved to New Carlisle, Indiana. After education in local schools, he was appointed deputy auditor of St. Joseph County in 1841. He married Evelyn Chase in 1844. Colfax became a legislative correspondent for the Indiana State Journal; he then became part owner of the South Bend Free Press and changed its name in 1845 to the St. Joseph Valley Register. He also served as a member of the Indiana Constitutional Convention in 1850. Elected to the national House of Representatives in 1854, he served seven terms. From 1859-1861 he was chairman of the Committee on Post Offices and Post Roads, and was responsible for reorganizing the overland mail service to California. In 1863, Colfax was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives, and held this office for three terms. He was not a candidate for reelection in 1868 since he was the Republican nominee for Vice President. He was elected Vice President of the United States on the ticket headed by General Ulysses S. Grant in 1868. Colfax was an unsuccessful candidate for the Vice Presidential nomination in 1872 due to the fact he was implicated in the "Credit Mobilier" scandal. Colfax was among those members of Congress accused by Oakes Ames of receiving stock and dividends in the company in tern for their influence. This incident effectively ended his political career. Colfax continued on as a lecturer, speaking both about his travels and various other subjects. He died in Mankato, Minnesota on January 13, 1885 and was interred in South Bend, Indiana.
Cataloging source
ISL
http://library.link/vocab/creatorDate
1823-1885,
http://library.link/vocab/creatorName
Colfax, Schuyler
http://library.link/vocab/subjectName
  • Barnum, P. T.
  • Beecher, Henry Ward
  • Beveridge, Albert J.
  • Brick, Abraham Lincoln
  • Burlingame, Anson
  • Calkins, William H.
  • Colfax, William
  • Conkling, Roscoe
  • Dana, Charles A.
  • Defrees, John D.
  • Douglas, Stephen A.
  • Garfield, Lucretia Rudolph
  • Grant, Ulysses S.
  • Greeley, Horace
  • Harrison, Benjamin
  • King, Horatio
  • Lane, Henry Smith
  • Lincoln, Abraham
  • Lossing, Benson John
  • McClure, Alexander K.
  • Reid, Whitelaw
  • Root, Elihu
  • Scott, Winfield
  • Sherman, John
  • Shryock, K. G.
  • Stanton, Edwin M.
  • Wallace, Lew
  • Woodbury, Roger Williams
  • United States
  • United States
  • United States
  • Whig Party (U.S.)
  • Correspondence
  • Genealogy
  • Indiana
  • Legislators
  • Republican Party (U.S. : 1854- )
  • Reconstruction (U.S. history, 1865-1877)
  • Vice-Presidents
  • Indianapolis (Ind.)
  • Mankato (Minn.)
  • New Carlisle (Ind.)
  • New York (State)
  • South Bend (Ind.)
  • Washington (D.C.)
Label
Schuyler Colfax collection
Link
http://www.in.gov/library/finding-aid/L036%20Colfax%20Schuyler%20Collection%20revision.pdf
Instantiates
Note
Processing Information: Collection processing and original finding aid completed during 2003 by Elizabeth Wilkinson. Collection addition processing and EAD finding aid completed on 2014/11/24 by Bethany Fiechter; revised on 2017/01/06 by Bethany Fiechter
Arrangement
This collection is arranged in the following series and subseries: Series 1: Correspondence, 1782-1927 -- Subseries 1.1: Correspondence, 1782-1840 -- Subseries 1.2: Correspondence, 1841 -- Subseries 1.3: Correspondence, 1843-1858 -- Subseries 1.4: Correspondence, 1860-1865 -- Subseries 1.5: Correspondence, 1866-1868 -- Subseries 1.6: Correspondence, 1869-1871 -- Subseries 1.7: Correspondence, 1872-1875 -- Subseries 1.8: Correspondence, 1876-1883 -- Subseries 1.9: Correspondence, 1884-1892 -- Subseries 1.10: Correspondence, 1907-1927 -- Series 2: Subject files, 1782-1970 -- Subseries 2.1: Lincoln lecture and notes, 1875-1929 -- Subseries 2.2: Miscellaneous documents, 1866-1926 -- Subseries 2.3: Undated documents, circa 1782-1929 -- Subseries 2.4: Barbara Colfax and Fred Tolasco genealogical documents, circa 1782-1970. This collection has been processed at the item-level.
Carrier category
unspecified
Carrier category code
zu
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
unspecified
Content type code
zzz
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Control code
17552305
Extent
0.3 Cubic feet
Governing access note
This collection is open for research
Media category
unspecified
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
z
Ownership
This collection was received by Rare Books and Manuscripts as a donation from A. G. Mitten on 1928/03/23; Mrs. Harold C. Townsen on 1931/08/22; F. Vernun Smith 1932/05/04; J. K. Smith on 1935/11/25; Arthur Pforzheimer on 1943/02/10; Andrew Reed on 1944/05/03; Walter Benjamin on 1947; 1942/05/25; and circa 1940s; Forest H. Sweet on 1951/02/13; P. Kingston Galleries on 1967/01/20; Kenneth Rendell on 1971/08/09; 1970/09/05; 1971; and from auction purchases on 2003/10/15 and 2013/09/24.
System control number
  • (OCoLC)ocn900086472
  • (OCoLC)900086472
Terms governing use
Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library, Indianapolis, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Rare Books and Manuscripts.
Type of unit
1 manuscript box
Label
Schuyler Colfax collection
Link
http://www.in.gov/library/finding-aid/L036%20Colfax%20Schuyler%20Collection%20revision.pdf
Note
Processing Information: Collection processing and original finding aid completed during 2003 by Elizabeth Wilkinson. Collection addition processing and EAD finding aid completed on 2014/11/24 by Bethany Fiechter; revised on 2017/01/06 by Bethany Fiechter
Arrangement
This collection is arranged in the following series and subseries: Series 1: Correspondence, 1782-1927 -- Subseries 1.1: Correspondence, 1782-1840 -- Subseries 1.2: Correspondence, 1841 -- Subseries 1.3: Correspondence, 1843-1858 -- Subseries 1.4: Correspondence, 1860-1865 -- Subseries 1.5: Correspondence, 1866-1868 -- Subseries 1.6: Correspondence, 1869-1871 -- Subseries 1.7: Correspondence, 1872-1875 -- Subseries 1.8: Correspondence, 1876-1883 -- Subseries 1.9: Correspondence, 1884-1892 -- Subseries 1.10: Correspondence, 1907-1927 -- Series 2: Subject files, 1782-1970 -- Subseries 2.1: Lincoln lecture and notes, 1875-1929 -- Subseries 2.2: Miscellaneous documents, 1866-1926 -- Subseries 2.3: Undated documents, circa 1782-1929 -- Subseries 2.4: Barbara Colfax and Fred Tolasco genealogical documents, circa 1782-1970. This collection has been processed at the item-level.
Carrier category
unspecified
Carrier category code
zu
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
unspecified
Content type code
zzz
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Control code
17552305
Extent
0.3 Cubic feet
Governing access note
This collection is open for research
Media category
unspecified
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
z
Ownership
This collection was received by Rare Books and Manuscripts as a donation from A. G. Mitten on 1928/03/23; Mrs. Harold C. Townsen on 1931/08/22; F. Vernun Smith 1932/05/04; J. K. Smith on 1935/11/25; Arthur Pforzheimer on 1943/02/10; Andrew Reed on 1944/05/03; Walter Benjamin on 1947; 1942/05/25; and circa 1940s; Forest H. Sweet on 1951/02/13; P. Kingston Galleries on 1967/01/20; Kenneth Rendell on 1971/08/09; 1970/09/05; 1971; and from auction purchases on 2003/10/15 and 2013/09/24.
System control number
  • (OCoLC)ocn900086472
  • (OCoLC)900086472
Terms governing use
Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library, Indianapolis, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Rare Books and Manuscripts.
Type of unit
1 manuscript box

Subject

Genre

Library Locations

    • Indiana State LibraryBorrow it
      315 W. Ohio St., Indianapolis, IN, 46202, US
      39.77004 -86.164015

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