Collection Summary
J. C. Bancroft Davis
Papers
1849-1902
1849-1902
MSS17905
Davis, J. C. Bancroft,
1822-1907
11,000 items
88 containers plus 1 oversize
16.8 linear feet
English
Collection material in
English
Manuscript Division, Library of
Congress
Washington, D.C.
Jurist, diplomat,
journalist, and court reporter. Bound volumes of correspondence, diaries,
journals, reports, printed material, and other papers chiefly relating to
Davis's diplomatic career, especially his role in the Alabama claims dispute with Great Britain following the
Civil War. Also documents his work as an American correspondent for the London
Times, United States Supreme Court reporter; and his
part in negotations with Great Britain relating to Central American
affairs.
Selected Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
People
Davis, J. C. Bancroft (John Chandler Bancroft), 1822-1907.
Organizations
United States. Supreme Court.
Subjects
Alabama claims.
Foreign correspondents--United States.
Law reporters--United States.
Places
Central America--History--1821-1951.
Great Britain--Foreign relations--United States.
United States--Foreign relations--Great Britain.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Claims.
Titles
Times (London, England)
Occupations
Diplomats.
Journalists.
Judges.
Law reporters.
Lawyers.
Provenance
The papers of J. C. Bancroft Davis, jurist, diplomat, journalist, and
court reporter, were given to the Library of Congress by the estate of his
widow, Frederica Gore Davis via his son, Andrew McFarland Davis, in 1917.
Processing History
The papers of J. C. Bancroft Davis were arranged and described in
1975. The collection was expanded and revised in 1998. The finding aid was
revised in 2009.
Copyright Status
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of J. C. Bancroft
Davis is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17,
U.S.C.).
Access and Restrictions
The papers of J. C. Bancroft Davis are open to research. Researchers
are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many
collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these
items for research use.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the
following information: Container number, J. C. Bancroft Davis Papers,
Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Biographical Note
Date
Event
1822, Dec. 29
Born, Worcester, Mass.
1844
Admitted to Massachusetts bar
1847
A.B., Harvard College, Cambridge, Mass.
Published
Massachusetts Justice
. Worcester: W.
Lazell
circa 1845
Began law practice, New York, N.Y.
1849
1852
Secretary, United States legation, London, England
1854
1861
Practiced law, New York, N.Y.
American correspondent, London
Times
1857
Married Frederica Gore King
1868
Elected to New York state legislature
1869
1871
Assistant secretary of state
1871
American agent for Alabama
claims, Geneva Arbitration Tribunal, Geneva, Switzerland
Published
The Case of the United States
. Washington, D.C.:
Government Printing Office
1873
1874
Assistant secretary of state
1874
1877
Minister to Germany
1878
1883
Judge, United States Court of Claims
1883
1902
Reporter, United States Supreme Court
1893
Published
Mr. Fish and the Alabama Claims
. Boston and New
York: Houghton, Mifflin and Co.
1907, Dec. 27
Died, Washington, D.C.
Scope and Content Note
The papers of John Chandler Bancroft Davis (1822-1907) span the years
1849-1902 and consist of bound volumes of correspondence, diaries, journals,
reports, printed matter, and related material. The collection focuses mainly on
Davis's diplomatic career, especially his part in the Alabama claims dispute with Great Britain, but it also
features his stint from 1854 to 1861 as American correspondent for the London
Times
and the nearly two decades after 1883 that he spent
as reporter of the United States Supreme Court, where he edited volumes 108-186
of the
United States Reports
. The collection is organized in five
series:
[
Correspondence
](corr),
[
Diaries
](diar),
[
Alabama Claims](alab),
[
Subject File
](subj),
and
[
Oversize
](over).
Included in the
[
Alabama Claims](alab) series are official and personal
correspondence, reports, arguments, and other documentation relating to Davis's
role as commissioner and agent representing American interests in Geneva,
Switzerland, during the negotiations over compensation from Great Britain for
damages inflicted by the British-built, Southern-operated cruiser
Alabama on Northern merchant ships during the
Civil War. Featured in the
[
Subject
File
](subj) are scrapbooks of Davis's writings as American correspondent in
London prior to the Civil War and documentation concerning various negotiations
involving the United States and Great Britain between 1849 and 1853. One volume
related to the
[
Alabama
](alab) negotiations focuses on issues pertaining
to Central America. Also in the
[
Subject
File
](subj) is a certificate of President Ulysses S. Grant's appointment of
Davis in 1870 as arbitrator between Great Britain and Portugal in a matter
involving colonial possessions in West Africa.
Arrangement of the Papers
This collection is arranged in five series:
-
[
Correspondence,
1850-1902
](corr)
-
[
Diaries,
1870-1874
](diar)
-
[
Alabama Claims, 1871-1872](alab)
-
[
Subject File,
1849-1891
](subj)
-
[
Oversize,
1870
](over)
Catalog Record: [https://lccn.loc.gov/mm82017905]
Container List
Container
Contents
1-64
Correspondence,
1850-1902
1850-1902
Bound correspondence and related matter.
Organized by letters received and letters sent and therein
chronologically.
1
Letters received
1
5 Jan. 1856-22 Feb.
1861
2
25 Feb. 1861-3 Feb. 1869
25 Feb. 1861-3 Feb. 1869
3
4 Feb.-14 June 1869
4 Feb.-14 June 1869
4
15 June-19 Nov. 1869
15 June-19 Nov. 1869
5
20 Nov. 1869-15 Mar. 1870
20 Nov. 1869-15 Mar. 1870
6
16 Mar.-14 June 1870
16 Mar.-14 June 1870
7
16 June-20 Sept. 1870
16 June-20 Sept. 1870
8
21 Sept. 1870-11 Feb. 1871
21 Sept. 1870-11 Feb. 1871
9
14 Feb.-5 Aug. 1871
14 Feb.-5 Aug. 1871
10
6 Aug.-15 Oct. 1871
6 Aug.-15 Oct. 1871
11
17 Oct. 1871-22 Dec. 1872
17 Oct. 1871-22 Dec. 1872
12
26 Dec. 1872-23 Apr. 1873
26 Dec. 1872-23 Apr. 1873
13
26 Apr.-25 July 1873
26 Apr.-25 July 1873
14
26 July-6 Nov. 1873
26 July-6 Nov. 1873
15
7 Nov. 1873-11 Mar. 1874
7 Nov. 1873-11 Mar. 1874
16
12 Mar.-4 Aug. 1874
12 Mar.-4 Aug. 1874
17
6 Aug.-6 Oct. 1874
6 Aug.-6 Oct. 1874
18
7 Oct.-30 Dec. 1874
7 Oct.-30 Dec. 1874
19
31 Dec. 1874-2 Apr. 1875
31 Dec. 1874-2 Apr. 1875
20
3 Apr.-28 July 1875
3 Apr.-28 July 1875
21
29 July-17 Nov. 1875
29 July-17 Nov. 1875
22
20 Nov. 1875-16 Apr. 1876
20 Nov. 1875-16 Apr. 1876
23
17 Apr.-1 Sept. 1876
17 Apr.-1 Sept. 1876
24
2 Sept. 1876-12 Feb. 1877
2 Sept. 1876-12 Feb. 1877
25
14 Feb.-14 Apr. 1877
14 Feb.-14 Apr. 1877
26
15 Apr. 1877-2 Jan. 1879
15 Apr. 1877-2 Jan. 1879
27
3 Jan. 1879-15 Feb. 1880
3 Jan. 1879-15 Feb. 1880
28
16 Feb. 1880-28 Jan. 1881
16 Feb. 1880-28 Jan. 1881
29
29 Jan.-10 Oct. 1881
29 Jan.-10 Oct. 1881
30
12 Oct. 1881-12 Jan. 1882
12 Oct. 1881-12 Jan. 1882
31
13 Jan.-1 Apr. 1882
13 Jan.-1 Apr. 1882
32
3 Apr.-15 Aug. 1882
3 Apr.-15 Aug. 1882
33
19 Aug. 1882-29 June 1883
19 Aug. 1882-29 June 1883
34
30 June 1883-28 Jan. 1884
30 June 1883-28 Jan. 1884
35
29 Jan.-13 June 1884
29 Jan.-13 June 1884
36
14 June 1884-16 Jan. 1885
14 June 1884-16 Jan. 1885
37
17 Jan.-12 Nov. 1885
17 Jan.-12 Nov. 1885
38
13 Nov. 1885-19 Apr. 1886
13 Nov. 1885-19 Apr. 1886
39
20 Apr.-10 Nov. 1886
20 Apr.-10 Nov. 1886
40
11 Nov. 1886-30 May 1887
11 Nov. 1886-30 May 1887
41
31 May 1887-30 Mar. 1888
31 May 1887-30 Mar. 1888
41A
2 Jan. 1888-25 Dec. 1888
2 Jan. 1888-25 Dec. 1888
42
31 Mar. 1888-5 Jan. 1889
31 Mar. 1888-5 Jan. 1889
43
6 Jan.-15 June 1889
6 Jan.-15 June 1889
44
17 June 1889-3 Feb. 1890
17 June 1889-3 Feb. 1890
45
4 Feb.-7 Oct. 1890
4 Feb.-7 Oct. 1890
46
9 Oct. 1890-29 Mar. 1891
9 Oct. 1890-29 Mar. 1891
47
30 Mar.-14 Dec. 1891
30 Mar.-14 Dec. 1891
48
15 Dec. 1891-13 June 1892
15 Dec. 1891-13 June 1892
49
15 June 1892-2 June 1893
15 June 1892-2 June 1893
50
5 June 1893-9 May 1894
5 June 1893-9 May 1894
51
11 May 1894-29 May 1895
11 May 1894-29 May 1895
52
2 June 1895-24 Dec. 1896
2 June 1895-24 Dec. 1896
53
28 Dec. 1896-10 June 1898
28 Dec. 1896-10 June 1898
54
17 June 1898-23 June 1902
17 June 1898-23 June 1902
55
Letters sent
55
6 June 1850-8 Jan. 1851
6 June 1850-8 Jan. 1851
56
8 Jan.-10 May 1851
8 Jan.-10 May 1851
57
13 May-20 Dec. 1851
13 May-20 Dec. 1851
58
29 Dec. 1851-17 Sept. 1852
29 Dec. 1851-17 Sept. 1852
59
18 Sept. 1852-23 Oct. 1854
18 Sept. 1852-23 Oct. 1854
60
7 Nov. 1854-15 Mar. 1855
7 Nov. 1854-15 Mar. 1855
61
3 Feb. 1873-7 Jan. 1874
3 Feb. 1873-7 Jan. 1874
62
13 Jan.-30 June 1874
13 Jan.-30 June 1874
63
21 Jan. 1876-30 Nov. 1878
21 Jan. 1876-30 Nov. 1878
64
1 Dec. 1878-7 July 1882
1 Dec. 1878-7 July 1882
65-66
Diaries,
1870-1874
1870-1874
Two volumes of diaries by Davis, one of which contains copies of
letters sent.
Arranged chronologically.
65
26
July 1870-25 Oct. 1871
26
July 1870-25 Oct. 1871
66
24
Jan. 1873-18 Jan. 1874
24
Jan. 1873-18 Jan. 1874
67-83
Alabama Claims,
1871-1872
1871-1872
Bound correspondence, reports, notes, background information,
printed matter, and other material relating to the cruiser
Alabama.
Organized alphabetically by type of material or name of topic.
67
Arguments by Davis,
1871
1871
67
"The Case of the United
States"
68
"Counter Case of the United
States"
69
Letterbooks
69
Letters from Davis to Hamilton
Fish,
1871-1872
1871-1872
70
Letters received,
1871-1872
1871-1872
70
Vol. 1
71
Vol. 2
72
Vol. 3
73
Vol. 4
74
Letters sent,
1872
1872
74
Vol. A
75
Vol. B
76
Vol. C
77
Record of proceedings kept by
Davis,
1871-1872
1871-1872
77
Vol. I
78
Vol. II
79
Vol. III
80
Vol. IV
81
Treaty of Washington, papers
relating to the American and British Joint High Commission,
1871
1871
81
Part 1
82
Part 2
83
Part 3
84-87
Subject File,
1849-1891
1849-1891
Bound journals, reports, correspondence, scrapbooks, an index of
correspondence, printed matter, and other material.
Organized alphabetically by topic or type of material.
84
Appointment by Ulysses S. Grant
as arbitrator between Great Britain and Portugal,
1870
[
See Oversize
](over)
1870
84
Great Britain
84
"Belligerent Recognition, May
21, 1861," facsimile of message from William H. Seward to Charles Francis
Adams,
1861, undated
1861, undated
84
Central America, negotiations
relating to,
1849-1851
1849-1851
85
London Times
, scrapbook of writings as American
correspondent,
1854-1861
1854-1861
(2
vols.)
86
Negotiations in London,
1849-1853
1849-1853
87
Index to letters received,
1872-1874, 1891
1872-1874, 1891
87
Trip to Paris, France; Italy; and
Switzerland,
1852
1852
87
Vienna Exposition, Vienna,
Austria, report of evidence and special commission in the case of Thomas B. Van
Buren,
1873
1873
OV 1
Oversize,
1870
1870
Certificate of appointment.
Arranged and described according to the series, container, and
folder from which the item was removed.
OV 1
Appointment by Ulysses S. Grant
as arbitrator between Great Britain and Portugal,
1870 (Container 84)
1870