Collection Summary
Whiting Griswold
Correspondence
1843-1874
1843-1874
MSS58131
Griswold, Whiting,
1814-1874
210 items
1 container
.2 linear feet
English
Collection material in
English
Manuscript Division, Library of
Congress
Washington, D.C.
Lawyer and politician.
Letters to Griswold from various prominent figures relating to such topics as
the Whig, Free Soil, and American parties, the Democratic Party, his legal
practice, Massachusetts politics, patronage, the Hoosac Tunnel, the
Kansas-Nebraska Act, the Civil War, and the 1853 Massachusetts Constitutional
Convention.
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
Banks, Nathaniel Prentiss, 1816-1894--Correspondence.
Boutwell, George S. (George Sewall), 1818-1905--Correspondence.
Butler, Benjamin F. (Benjamin Franklin), 1818-1893--Correspondence.
Cushing, Caleb, 1800-1879--Correspondence.
Griswold, Whiting, 1814-1874.
Hallett, Benjamin Franklin, 1797-1862--Correspondence.
Hoar, George Frisbie, 1826-1904--Correspondence.
Loring, George B. (George Bailey), 1817-1891--Correspondence.
Phillips, Wendell, 1811-1884--Correspondence.
Sumner, Charles, 1811-1874--Correspondence.
Whitney, James Lyman, 1835-1910--Correspondence.
Wilson, Henry, 1812-1875--Correspondence.
Organizations
American Party.
Democratic Party (U.S.)
Free Soil Party (U.S.)
Massachusetts. Constitutional Convention (1853)
United States. Kansas-Nebraska Act.
Whig Party (U.S.)
Subjects
Constitutional conventions--Massachusetts.
Patronage, Political.
Political parties--United States.
Practice of law--Massachusetts.
Tunnels--Massachusetts.
Places
Hoosac Tunnel (Mass.)
Massachusetts--Politics and government.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
United States--Politics and government--19th century.
Titles
Whiting Griswold papers
Occupations
Lawyers.
Politicians.
Provenance
The correspondence of Whiting Griswold, lawyer and politician, was
purchased by the Library of Congress in 1978.
Processing History
The correspondence of Whiting Griswold was processed in 1979. The
finding aid was revised in 2012.
Copyright Status
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of Whiting
Griswold is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17,
U.S.C.).
Access and Restrictions
The correspondence of Whiting Griswold is 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, Whiting Griswold, Manuscript Division,
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Biographical Note
Date
Event
1814, Nov. 12
Born, Buckland, Mass.
1838
Graduated, Amherst College, Amherst, Mass.
1842
Became member of the bar, Franklin County, Mass.
1848
1850
Member, Massachusetts state legislature
1851
1852
Senator, Massachusetts state legislature
1853
Member, Massachusetts state constitutional convention
1864
Presidential elector for Abraham Lincoln from
Massachusetts
1874, Oct. 28
Died, Greenfield, Mass.
Scope and Content Note
The correspondence of Whiting Griswold (1814-1874) consists of letters
addressed to him over the period 1843-1874. As a prominent lawyer in western
Massachusetts and an active politician, Griswold’s advice and counsel were
sought by prominent figures from all over the state. This correspondence bulks
largest for the 1850s and 1860s and is concerned chiefly with politics on the
local, state, and national levels. The disruption of parties in the 1850s is
well documented, particularly with regard to the decline of the Whigs and the
rise of the Free Soil and American (or Know Nothing) parties, as viewed from
the vantage point of the Democratic Party. Other subjects include legal
questions, patronage, the Hoosac Tunnel in Massachusetts, the Kansas-Nebraska
Bill, the Civil War, and the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention of 1853.
Among the principal correspondents are Nathaniel Prentiss Banks, George S.
Boutwell, Benjamin F. Butler, Caleb Cushing, Benjamin Franklin Hallett
(1797-1862), George Frisbie Hoar, George B. Loring, Wendell Phillips, Charles
Sumner, James Lyman Whitney, and Henry Wilson.
Arrangement of the Papers
This collection is organized alphabetically by name of
correspondent.
Container List
Container
Contents
1
Adams, Charles Francis,
1869
1869
1
Adams, Isaac,
1860
1860
1
Allen, Charles,
1865-1873
1865-1873
1
Allen, Elisha Hunt,
1865-1873
1865-1873
1
Andrew, John A.,
1862-1863
1862-1863
1
Andrew, John F.,
1886
1886
1
Banks, Nathaniel Prentiss,
1851-1867
1851-1867
1
Boutwell, George S.,
1848-1874
1848-1874
1
Butler, Benjamin F.,
1852-1874
1852-1874
1
Chapin, Chester W.,
1850
1850
1
Choate, Rufus,
1857
1857
1
Coffin, Sirson P.,
1849-1855
1849-1855
1
Crocker, Alvah,
1862-1866
1862-1866
1
Curtis, Benjamin R.,
1873
1873
1
Cushing, Caleb,
1848-1854
1848-1854
1
Cushman, Henry W.,
1845-1853
1845-1853
1
Dawes, Henry L.,
1861-1863
1861-1863
1
Gray, Horace,
1855
1855
1
Hale, Nathan
1
Hallett, Benjamin F.,
1843-1862
1843-1862
1
Harris, Daniel L.,
1862
1862
1
Hillard, George S.,
1852-1873
1852-1873
1
Hoar, Ebenezer R.,
1871-1873
1871-1873
1
Hoar, George Frisbie.,
1863-1869
1863-1869
1
Huntington, Frederick D.,
1857
1857
1
Jewell, Harvey,
1869
1869
1
Lewis, Dioclesian,
1862
1862
1
Lord, Otis P.,
1857-1873
1857-1873
1
Loring, George B.,
1850-1864
1850-1864
1
Maynard, Horace,
1860
1860
1
Phillips, Wendell,
1869
1869
1
Summer, Charles,
1865-1869
1865-1869
1
Tyler, William S.,
1850-1851
1850-1851
1
Walker, Amasa,
1864
1864
1
Washburn, Emory,
1869-1873
1869-1873
1
Whitney, James Lyman,
1841-1857
1841-1857
1
Wilder, Marshall P.,
1873
1873
1
Wilson, Henry,
1853-1867
1853-1867
1
Woodbury, Levi,
1845
1845