Collection Summary
Harry Payne Whitney
Collection of Letters of William C. Whitney
1757-1942
(bulk 1883-1904)
1757-1942
(bulk 1883-1904)
MSS45468
Whitney, William C.
(William Collins), 1841-1904
Whitney, Harry Payne,
1872-1930
20,000
items
148 containers plus 10 oversize
41.8 linear feet
English
Collection material in
English
Manuscript Division, Library of
Congress
Washington, D.C.
Secretary of the navy,
financier, and sportsman. Correspondence, legal and financial records,
scrapbooks, photographs, genealogies, and printed matter relating chiefly to
William C. Whitney's business and political career in New York, and as
secretary of the navy in the first Grover Cleveland presidential
administration.
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
Cleveland, Grover, 1837-1908.
Greely, A. W. (Adolphus Washington), 1844-1935.
Whitney family.
Whitney, Harry Payne, 1872-1930. Harry Payne Whitney collection of letters of William Collins Whitney. 1757-1942.
Whitney, William C. (William Collins), 1841-1904.
Organizations
Lady Franklin Bay Expedition (1881-1884)
New York (N.Y.). Law Department.
Tammany Hall (Political organization)
United States. Navy Department.
United States. Navy.
Subjects
Bimetallism.
Fraud--New York (State)--New York.
Genealogy.
Horse racing.
Political corruption--New York (State)--New York.
Presidents--United States--Election.
Silver question.
Tariff.
Tweed Ring.
Yachting.
Places
Arctic regions--Discovery and exploration.
New York (N.Y.)--Politics and government--To 1898.
New York (N.Y.)--Social life and customs.
New York (State)--Politics and government--1865-1950.
Polar regions--Discovery and exploration.
United States--Foreign relations--1865-1898.
United States--Politics and government--1865-1900.
Washington (D.C.)--Social life and customs.
Titles
William C. Whitney papers
William Collins Whitney papers
Occupations
Cabinet officers.
Financiers.
Sportsmen.
Provenance
The Harry Payne Whitney collection of letters of William Collins
Whitney was given to the Library of Congress by the heirs of William C. Whitney
and others, 1942-1979.
Processing History
The collection was arranged and described in 1983. Additional material
was processed in 2001, and the finding aid was revised in 2011.
Additional Guides
A card index to the correspondents is available in the Manuscript
Reading Room.
Transfers
Photographs of the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition have been transferred
to the Library's Prints and Photographs Division where they are identified as
part of these papers.
Copyright Status
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of William Collins
Whitney is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17,
U.S.C.).
Access and Restrictions
The Harry Payne Whitney Collection of Letters of William Collins
Whitney 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, Harry Payne Whitney Collection of
Letters of William Collins Whitney, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress,
Washington, D.C.
Biographical Note
William Collins Whitney
Date
Event
1841 July 15
Born, Conway, Mass.
1863
Graduated, Yale College, New Haven, Conn.
1863
1864
Harvard Law School, Harvard University, Cambridge,
Mass.
1865
Admitted to the bar; practiced in law in New York,
N.Y.
1869
Married Flora Payne (died 1893)
1871
Active in the movement against the Tweed Ring
1872
Inspector of schools, New York, N.Y.
1875
1882
Corporation counsel
1885
1889
Secretary of the navy
1888
LL. D, Yale University, New Haven, Conn.
1896
Married Edith Sibyl May Randolph (died 1899)
1904, Feb. 2
Died, New York, N.Y.
Scope and Content Note
The Harry Payne Whitney Collection of Letters of William Collins
Whitneyspans the years 1757-1942, with the bulk of the material concentrated in
the period 1883-1904. William Collins Whitney (1841-1904), a financier and
sportsman, was secretary of the navy in the first administration of Grover
Cleveland and corporation counsel in the New York Law Department. The
collection consists of correspondence, business, legal and financial records,
scrapbooks, genealogies, printed matter, photographs, and other papers
organized in six series:
[
Bound
Correspondence
](correspond),
[
Letterbooks
](letter),
[
Legal
File
](legfile),
[
Miscellany
](miscella),
[
Scrapbooks
](scrap), and
[
Oversize
](overs).
Topics include Whitney's work in the modernization of the United
States Navy and his fight against political corruption and fraud in New York
City, primarily in relation to Tammany Hall and the Tweed Ring. Other subjects
relate more broadly to New York city and state politics, the New York
Democratic Party, national politics, and foreign relations. Featured are Grover
Cleveland's nomination and election as governor of New York and president of
the United States, presidential campaigns from 1884 to 1896, bimetallism and
the silver question, tariffs, social life in New York and Washington, D.C.,
horse racing and yachting, and Whitney family affairs.
Arrangement of the Papers
The collection is arranged in six series:
-
[
Bound
Correspondence, 1757-1904
](correspond)
-
[
Letterbooks,
1883-1904
](letter)
-
[
Legal File,
1838-1896
](legfile)
-
[
Miscellany,
1845-1942
](miscella)
-
[
Scrapbooks,
1875-1899
](scrap)
-
[
Oversize
](overs)
Catalog Record: [https://lccn.loc.gov/mm81045468]
Container List
Box
Contents
1-95
Bound
Correspondence,
1757-1904
1757-1904
Incoming correspondence.
Arranged chronologically.
1
1757, Apr. 19-1867, Aug.
22
2
1867, Aug. 23-1868, Apr.
8
3
1868, Apr. 10-1869, July
1
4
1869, July 3-1871, July
8
5
1871, July 11-1873, Jan.
19
6
1873, Jan. 24-1874, Sept.
24
7
1874, Sept. 29-1875, Mar.
2
8
1875, Mar. 3-1877, Feb.
3
9
1877, Feb. 8-Dec. 29
10
1878, Jan. 1-1879, Sept.
13
11
1879, Sept. 14-1881, Feb.
5
12
1881, Feb. 9-Sept. 16
13
1881, Sept. 17-1882, Apr.
12
14
1882, Apr. 13-Nov. 20
15
1882, Nov. 21-1883, Dec.
27
16
1883, Dec. 28-1884, Dec.
3
17
1884, Dec. 4-1885, Mar.
14
18
1885
Mar.15-Apr.5
19
Apr. 6 May 6
20
May 7-June 7
21
June 8-15
22
June 16-30
23
July 1-30
24
July 31-Sept. 21
25
Sept. 22-Oct. 19
26
Oct. 20-Nov. 5
27
Nov. 6-Dec. 6
28
Dec. 9-30
29
1885, Dec. 31-1886, Jan.
10
30
1886
Jan. 11-Feb. 9
31
Feb. 10-Mar. 15
32
Mar. 16-Apr. 24
33
Apr. 26-May 31
34
June 1-22
35
June 23-July 21
36
July 23-Aug. 28
37
Aug. 30-Oct. 9
38
Oct. 12-Dec. 1
39
Dec. 2-31
40
1887
Jan. 1-29
41
Jan. 31-Mar. 2
42
Mar. 3-25
43
Mar. 26-Apr. 22
44
Apr. 23-May 28
45
May 29-July 12
46
July 13-Aug. 8
47
Aug. 9-Sept. 9
48
Sept. 10-Oct. 18
49
Oct. 19-Dec. 9
50
1887, Dec. 10-1888, Jan.
15
51
1888
Jan. 16-Mar. 10
52
Mar. 11-Apr.30
53
May 1-June 27
54
June 28-Aug. 20
55
Aug. 21-Oct. 14
56
Oct. 15-Dec. 1
57
Dec. 3-1889 Jan. 2
58
1889
Jan. 3-Feb. 18
59
Feb. 19-May 28
60
May 31-Nov. 14
61
Nov. 19-1890 Jan.
25
62
1890, Jan. 26-Nov. 7
63
1890, Nov. 8-1891, Feb.
3
64
1891
Feb. 4-May 12
65
May 13-Aug. 31
66
Sept. 1-Dec. 28
67
1891, Dec. 29-1892, Feb.
19
68
1892
Feb. 20-Mar. 30
69
Mar. 31-June 6
70
June 7-21
71
June 22-27
72
June 28-July 6
73
July 7-15
74
July 16-Aug. 11
75
Aug. 12-Sept. 16
76
Sept. 17-Oct. 16
77
Oct. 17-Nov. 8
78
Nov. 9-12
79
Nov. 13-Dec. 10
80
1892, Dec. 11-1893, Jan.
23
81
1893
Jan. 24-Feb. 5
82
Feb. 6
83
Feb. 6-Feb. 8
84
Feb. 9-Apr. 18
85
Apr. 21-Nov. 22
86
1893, Nov. 23-1894, Mar.
5
87
1894
Mar. 6-May 16
88
1894, May 24-1896, Mar.
25
89
1896
Mar. 26-June 19
90
June 20-26
91
June 27-July 5
92
July 6-18
93
1896, July 20-1897, Sept.
23
94
1897, Sept. 24-1904, Feb.
2
95
1904, Feb. 3-July 19 and
undated
96-104
Letterbooks,
1883-1904
1883-1904
Handwritten and typed copies of outgoing correspondence.
Arranged chronologically, with a few items overlapping.
96
1883, May 4-1884, Dec. 27 (Ser.
1, Vol. 1)
1875, Aug. 10-1879, Jan. 15 (Ser.
1, Vol. 2)
1885, Apr. 1-Nov. 18 (Ser. 1,
Vol. 3)
97
1886, Feb. 23-1887, Apr. 11 (Ser.
1, Vol. 4)
1900, Mar. 1-June 12 (Ser. 1,
Vol. 5)
1889, Nov. 7-1900 July 13 (Ser.
1, Vol. 6)
1900, July 16-1903 Jan. 27 (Ser.
1, Vol.7)
98
1892, July 14-1897 Aug. 10 (Ser.
2, Vol. 1)
1903, Jan. 27-Mar. 24 (Ser. 2,
Vol. 2)
1896, Apr. 29-1898, Apr. 16 (Ser.
2, Vol. 3)
1898, Apr. 18-Aug. 5 (Ser. 2,
Vol. 4)
99
1898, Aug. 6-Dec. 14 (Ser. 2,
Vol. 5)
1898, Dec. 14-1899, May 2 (Ser.
2, Vol. 6)
1899, May 3-Sept. 18 (Ser. 2,
Vol. 7)
1899, Sept. 18-1900, Jan. 30
(Ser. 2, Vol. 8)
100
1900, Jan. 29-May 4 (Ser. 2, Vol.
9)
1900, May 4-July 31 (Ser. 2,
Vol.10)
1900, July 31-Oct. 30 (Ser. 2,
Vol. 11)
1900, Oct. 26-1901, Jan. 7 (Ser.
2, Vol. 12)
101
1901, Jan. 7-Mar. 5 (Ser. 2, Vol.
13)
1901, Mar. 4-May 10 (Ser. 2, Vol.
14)
1901, May 7-Aug. 20 (Ser. 2, Vol.
15)
1901, Aug. 21-Nov. 22 (Ser. 2,
Vol. 16)
102
1901, Nov. 25-1902 Jan. 31 (Ser.
2, Vol. 17)
1902, Jan. 31-Apr. 9 (Ser. 2,
Vol. 18)
1902, Apr. 9-July 15 (Ser. 2,
Vol. 19)
103
1902, July 17-Nov. 22 (Ser. 2,
Vol. 20)
1902, Nov. 24-1903, Feb. 28 (Ser.
2, Vol. 21)
1903, Feb. 24-May 21 (Ser. 2,
Vol. 22)
104
1903, May 21-Sept. 22 (Ser. 2,
Vol. 23)
1903, Sept. 10-1904, Jan. 22
(Ser. 2, Vol. 24)
1904, Jan. 4-June 8 (Ser. 2, Vol.
25)
105-110
Legal File,
1838-1896
1838-1896
Various professional legal papers.
Unarranged.
105
1838-1884
1867-1879
106
1866-1887
1864-1894
107
1865-1891
1877-1896
108
1859-1889
1870-1878
109
1865-1885
1867-1878
110
1878-1881
110-129
Miscellany,
1845-1942
1845-1942
Correspondence, financial records, photographs, statements and
reports, printed matter, scrapbooks of clippings and other papers.
Arranged by type of material.
110
College addresses,
1860-1863
111
Invitations
1885-1889
112
1882-1891
Calling cards
113
Press clippings,
1879-1898
114
Copies of letters and newspaper
articles, 1862-1895
115
Paid bills
1868-1884
116
1869-1896
Cancelled checks
Paid bills
1868-1894
117
1894-1898
Bank books
Cancelled checks
Brook Street Kitchen
Paid bills, 1882-1894
Crank letters
118
Recipes and menus
Grocery books,
1870-1892
Daily statements of Manhattan
Railway Co.
Copies of New York court
decisions, 1867-1878
119
Copy of navy investigation file,
1882-1888
Photographs
Copies of letters
Press clippings
College papers
Canadian fisheries,
1845-1896
120
Draft of report of the secretary
of the navy, 1886-1887
“Turf”
“Useless”
121
Ledger, 1893
Address books
Groton School, Groton, Conn.,
papers, 1884-1888
Cleveland, Grover, wedding cake
box
Court records
Animal pedigrees
122
Press clippings,
1877-1896
123
Correspondence of Thomas J.
Regan, 1898-1904
124
Office papers
Miscellaneous legal
material
Genealogical magazines and
documents
125
Printed material
1872-1896
1862-1892
Envelopes
126
Letters and other papers,
1894-1902
127
Illustrated Japanese bird
book
Country Life Magazine
, 1932, Apr.-May
128
Office papers
Printed matter
129
Additional correspondence and
printed matter
Correspondence and other
material, 1877-1942
Correspondence and clippings,
1888-1938
Letter from Flora P. Whitney,
1877, June 15
Telegram to Flora P. Whitney,
1886, Oct. 13
130-148
Scrapbooks,
1875-1899
1875-1899
Scrapbooks of newspaper clippings.
Arranged in the order received.
130-148
1875-1899
[
See also
Oversize
](scrapov)
OV 1-OV 10
Oversize
Scrapbooks of newspaper clippings.
Arranged according to the series from which the volumes were
removed.
OV 1-OV 10
Scrapbooks