Collection Summary
James William Denver
Papers
1847-1884
1847-1884
Denver, James William,
1817-1892
1,500 items
5 volumes
1 linear foot
English
Collection material in
English
Manuscript Division, Library of
Congress
Washington, D.C.
Lawyer, army officer,
United States representative from California, United States commissioner of
Indian affairs, and governor of Kansas. Letterpress books containing
correspondence relating to Denver's law practice in Washington, D.C., which was
concerned with Choctaw Indian claims and land disputes in California and
elsewhere in the West; his campaign for the Democratic presidential
nomination, 1884; and correspondence describing Denver's experience during the Mexican War, 1847.
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
Denver, James William, 1817-1892.
Knut, Sargeant Prentiss, 1855-1939--Correspondence.
Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866.
Organizations
Democratic Party (U.S.)
Subjects
Choctaw Indians--Claims.
Choctaw Indians--Land tenure.
Churubusco, Battle of, Mexico City, Mexico, 1847.
Land tenure--California.
Land tenure--West (U.S.)
Mexican War, 1846-1848--Campaigns.
Mexico City, Battle of, Mexico City, Mexico, 1847.
Practice of law--Washington (D.C.)
Presidential candidates--United States.
Presidents--United States--Election--1884.
Places
United States--Politics and government--1865-1900.
Occupations
Army officers.
Governors--Kansas.
Lawyers.
Public officials.
Representatives, U.S. Congress--California.
Provenance
The papers of James William Denver were acquired by the Library of
Congress in 1954 via an exchange of items with Paul H. North, Jr., book dealer. Additional material was purchased by the Library in 2015.
Processing History
The finding aid to the papers of James William Denver was prepared by Bradley Gernand and Patrick Kerwin in 2000. The addition was processed and the finding aid revised by Andrea J. Briggs in 2019.
Transfers
A photostatic copy of a letter from James Buchanan to Denver, 27 March
1858, was once part of these papers but was later transferred to the Buchanan
Papers.
Related Material
Related collections of James William Denver papers may also be found
in the California State Library, the Colorado Historical Society, and the
Western History Collections of the University of Oklahoma Libraries.
Copyright Status
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of James William
Denver is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17,
U.S.C.).
Access and Restrictions
The papers of James William Denver 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, James William Denver Papers,
Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Biographical Note
Date
Event
1817, Oct. 23
Born, Winchester, Va.
1830
Moved to Ohio
1841
Moved to Missouri in search of surveying work
Taught school
1844
Graduated from Cincinnati Law School, Cincinnati,
Ohio
Practiced law, Xenia, Ohio
Published
The Thomas Jefferson
, Xenia, Ohio
1845
Moved to Platte City, Mo., to practice law
1847
Captain, Twelfth Regiment, United States Infantry, during war
with Mexico
1848
Resumed law practice in Platte City, Mo.
Purchased and edited
Platte Argus
1850
Moved to Sacramento, Calif.
1852
Appointed secretary of state for California
Dueled with and killed Edward Gilbert, editor,
Daily Alta California
1852
1853
Served in California state senate
1855
1857
United States representative from California
1857
United States Commissioner of Indian Affairs
Appointed secretary of the Territory of Kansas
1858
Appointed governor of the Territory of Kansas
1858
Reappointed United States Commissioner of Indian
Affairs
1859
Returned to California
Unsuccessful candidate for United States Senate
1861
1863
General, United States Army
1876
Delegate and presidential nominee, Democratic National
Convention
1880
Delegate, Democratic National Convention
1884
Delegate and presidential nominee, Democratic National
Convention
1892, Aug. 9
Died, Washington, D.C.
Scope and Content Note
The papers of James William Denver (1817-1892) span the years
1868-1884 and consist of letterpress books containing correspondence relating
to Denver's law practice in Washington, D.C. Denver and his law firm were
concerned with Choctaw Indian claims and land disputes in California and
elsewhere in the West. His papers also document his unsuccessful campaign for the Democratic
presidential nomination in 1884. Four volumes contain Denver's correspondence;
the fifth contains the correspondence of Sargeant Prentiss Nutt of Denver's law
firm.
The Addition contains one letter written by Denver to an unnamed sister, dated Sept. 1, 1847, detailing several weeks during the Mexican War fighting in the army of General Winfield Scott on the march from Veracruz to Mexico City, with descriptions of the battles of Contreras and Churubusco.
Arrangement of the Papers
This collection is arranged alphabetically by type of material and
therein chronologically.
Catalog Record: [https://lccn.loc.gov/mm79018309]
Container List
Container
Contents
1
Letterpress books
1
Denver, James William
1
1868, Mar. 2 - 1871, Mar. 8
1868, Mar. 2 - 1871, Mar. 8
2
1871, Mar. 12 - 1873, Dec. 4
1871, Mar. 12 - 1873, Dec. 4
3
1873, Feb. 25 - 1875, Feb. 14
1873, Feb. 25 - 1875, Feb. 14
4
1875, Jan. 14 - 1883, Apr. 22
1875, Jan. 14 - 1883, Apr. 22
5
Nutt, Sargeant Prentiss
5
1884, Mar. 24-June 28
1884, Mar. 24-June 28
5
Addition
5
Letter, James William Denver to his sister, 1847, Sept. 1
1847, Sept. 1