Collection Summary
Albert J. Beveridge collection of
John Marshall papers 1776-1884
1795-1835
1776-1884
1795-1835
MSS31450
Beveridge, Albert J. (Albert Jeremiah), 1862-1927
Marshall, John, 1755-1835
300 items
7 containers
2.8 linear feet
English
Collection material in English
Manuscript Division, Library of Congress
Washington, D.C.
Lawyer and chief justice of the Supreme
Court. Correspondence, a journal, account books, and other papers primarily gathered by
Albert J. Beveridge for his research on John Marshall.
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
Beveridge, Albert J. (Albert Jeremiah), 1862-1927.
Carrington, Elizabeth Jaquelin Ambler Brent, 1765-1847--Correspondence.
Fairfax, Thomas Fairfax, Lord, 1692-1782
Hite, Jost, -1760
Hopkinson, Joseph, 1770-1842--Correspondence.
Lee, Henry, 1787-1837--Correspondence.
Marshall, James Markham, 1764-1848--Correspondence.
Marshall, John, 1755-1835. Albert J. Beveridge collection of John Marshall papers. 1776-1844.
Pickering, Timothy, 1745-1829--Correspondence.
Story, Joseph, 1779-1845--Correspondence.
Washington, Bushrod, 1762-1829--Correspondence.
Washington, George, 1732-1799--Correspondence.
Washington, George, 1732-1799.
Wayne, Caleb Parry, 1776-1849--Correspondence.
Organizations
United States. Supreme Court.
Subjects
Constitutional law--United States.
Courts.
Law--United States.
Plantations--Virginia.
XYZ Affair, 1797-1798.
Places
France--Foreign relations--United States.
United States--Foreign relations--France.
United States--Politics and government--1783-1865.
Titles
John Marshall papers
Occupations
Biographers.
Historians.
Judges.
Justices, U.S. Supreme Court.
Lawyers.
Senators, U.S. Congress--Indiana.
Statesmen.
Acquisition Information
Most of the items in this collection of the papers of John Marshall, lawyer and Chief
Justice of the Supreme Court, were donated to the Library of Congress by Catherine Eddy
Beveridge in 1932 or copied by the Library in that year from papers that she retained.
Other items have come to the Library by gift, exchange, and purchase, 1908-1982.
Processing History
The Albert J. Beveridge Collection of John Marshall Papers was arranged and
described in 1979. The finding aid was revised in 1996 and by Joseph Burns in 2008. The
finding aid was updated in 2023 by Maria Farmer as part of a division-wide remediation
project by the Inclusive Description Working Group.
Related Materials
Other material relating to John Marshall is in the Manuscript Division's collections of
papers of his contemporaries. Other collections of his papers are available at the Earl
Gregg Swem Library, College of William and Mary, and the American Philosophical Society
Library, Philadelphia, Pa.
Copyright Status
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of John Marshall is governed by the
Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.).
Access and Restrictions
The Albert J. Beveridge Collection of John Marshall Papers 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, Albert J. Beveridge Collection of John Marshall Papers,
Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Biographical Note
Date
Event
1755, Sept. 24
Born near Germantown, Va.
1755
1781
Military service
1780
Attended law and philosophy lectures at the College of William and Mary,
Williamsburg, Va.
Admitted to the bar, Fauquier County, Va.
1782
1784
Member, Virginia Executive Council
1782
1785
Member, Virginia House of Delegates
1783
Married Mary Willis Ambler
1785
1788
Recorder, city of Richmond, Va.
1787
1788
Member, Virginia House of Delegates
1796
Argued case before the Supreme Court
1797
1798
One of three American envoys to France (XYZ Affair)
1798
Elected to the House of Representatives
1800
1801
Secretary of state
1801
1835
Chief justice of the Supreme Court
1804
1807
Published
The Life of George Washington
. London: Printed for R. Phillips
1829
Member, Virginia Constitutional Convention
1835, July 6
Died, Philadelphia, Pa.
Scope and Content Note
The John Marshall collection spans the years 1776-1844, with the bulk of the papers
covering the years 1795-1835. The papers consist primarily of photocopies and
transcripts of material relating to John Marshall that were accumulated by Albert
J. Beveridge during his research for his four-volume biography of Marshall. They
were given to the Library by his wife, Catherine Eddy Beveridge, (chiefly vols. 1-3) or
photocopied by the Library from material retained by her (chiefly vols. 4-6). The
collection also contains some original manuscripts (circa 35 items) dated 1787-1835.
The material in the papers covers most aspects of Marshall's public life except his
military service. A number of documents, both originals and copies, relate to the XYZ
Affair, including a photocopy of Marshall's journal concerning the mission to France.
Correspondence in the collection includes letters of advice from Marshall to his fellow
Supreme Court justices. Letters to his brother James concern the operation and legal
problems of the family plantation. Letters to various notables of the period relate to
political activity, and those to Bushrod Washington concern Marshall's
The Life of George Washington
. Also among the papers are copies of Marshall's account books for the period
September 1783-December 1795 and some law notes from his stay at the College of William
and Mary in 1780. There is also a series of letters from Marshall's sister-in-law,
Elizabeth Jacquelin Ambler Brent Carrington, to various individuals.
Among Marshall's prominent correspondents were Joseph Hopkinson, Henry Lee, James M.
Marshall, Timothy Pickering, Joseph Story, Bushrod Washington, George Washington, and
Caleb P. Wayne.
Arrangement of the Papers
This collection is arranged alphabetically by type of material.
Container List
Container
Contents
1
Bound volumes
1
Correspondence, legal papers, and
notes
1
1776, July 3-1804, Sept. 3
1776, July
3-1804, Sept. 3
2
1804, Sept. 8-1827, Aug. 7
1804, Sept.
8-1827, Aug. 7
3
1827, Oct. 6-1844, Nov. 18, undated
1827, Oct.
6-1844, Nov. 18, undated
4
Accounts, 1783, Sept.-1792, Dec.
1783, Sept.-1792, Dec.
5
Accounts, legal accounts (Fairfax v. Hite), and
law school notes, 1780-1795
1780-1795
6
Letters of Elizabeth Jacquelin Amber Brent
Carrington, 1780-1823
1780-1823
7
Unbound material
7
Originals
7
General correspondence,
1787-1834
1787-1834
7
Legal material, 1835, undated
1835,
undated
7
Notes, undated
undated
7
Copies
7
Journal, XYZ Affair, 1797-1798
1797-1798
7
General correspondence,
1797-1835
1797-1835
7
Legal material, indenture-deed, 1811,
Sept. 23
1811, Sept.
23