Scope and Content Note
The papers of John Hay (1838-1905) span the years 1783 to 1999, with the bulk of the material concentrated in the period 1897-1905. The collection focuses on his diplomatic efforts as secretary of state but also contains material on his career before 1898 and on his personal life. It is composed mainly of correspondence, scrapbooks, and newspaper clippings supplemented by diaries, letterbooks, and miscellaneous material . There is also an autograph collection relating chiefly to slavery in the United States.
American diplomacy from 1898 to 1905 is the central theme of the Diaries and Notebooks and various correspondence series. As secretary of state during the period, Hay played a crucial role in the formulation and execution of American foreign policy. The diaries reflect Hay's role in the later years of his tenure in office. The Letterbooks and John Hay Letters series reveal his views and activities in the diplomatic sphere under presidents William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt. Hay's letters to his wife in the Family Correspondence series, although primarily concerned with personal and social activities, also provide an occasional glimpse into his official concerns.
The Special Correspondence and General Correspondence series provide information on all aspects of American foreign affairs while Hay was secretary of state and are useful in portraying his nondiplomatic activities as well. The letters from American diplomatic agents throughout the world reveal the conditions in various countries that influenced official American policy and the manner in which policy decisions were implemented. The largest number of letters in this category are from Joseph Choate and William W. Rockhill in the Special Correspondence. Hay's correspondence with Roosevelt and Alvey A. Adee, among others, provides an intimate glimpse into the formation of policy. The Special Correspondence and General Correspondence series also help to elucidate Hay's personal and political concerns.
The container list includes an index to the Special Correspondence series. Included among the correspondents are Brooks Adams, Samuel L. Clemens, George B. Cortelyou, Charles William Eliot, Henry James, Clarence King, Henry Cabot Lodge (1850-1924), William McKinley, Julian Pauncefote, Elihu Root, and Cecil Spring-Rice.
A Miscellany series contains autographs, drawings, invitations, notes, photographs, printed matter, receipted bills, research material, speeches, and writings. Included is a vellum copy of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution autographed by the signators of the amendment.
The Scrapbooks series contains newspaper clippings dealing with America's participation in the Spanish-American War and Hay's personal and political activities, particularly from 1898 to 1905.
The Additions includes a land grant issued by the state of Kentucky on July 2, 1798, to Abraham Lincoln (1744-1786), grandfather of President Abraham Lincoln, and his heirs, along with a letter of January 5, 1877, to John G. Nicolay from A. C. Matthews concerning the grant and a report documenting its authenticity. Also included is a scrapbook containing photographs and newspaper clippings relating to diplomatic functions and family occasions. The 2008 Addition contains a letter from Elizabeth Marion Bryce to Clara Louise Stone Hay concerning a gift of a drawing of the Andes mountain range. The 2021 Addition includes three letters from Hay to his daughter, Alice Hay Wadsworth, concerning personal and social activities. In one letter, Hay recounts his first visit to Victoria, Queen of Great Britain. Two other letters are addressed to Hay and relate to the recent death of the queen in 1901.