Scope and Content Note
The papers of Richard Rush (1780-1859) span the years 1805-1852. Correspondence comprising the bulk of the collection dates from 1809 to 1852. It primarily concerns Rush’s duties as United States attorney general, secretary of state, minister to Great Britain, secretary of the treasury, and as an agent negotiating loans from the Netherlands to finance the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Company in and near the District of Columbia. A letter dated 1816 from Rush to his mother, Julia Rush, concerning his father, Benjamin Rush is the only family item in the collection. Correspondents include John Binns, Richard S. Coxe, Albert Gallatin, Benjamin Franklin Hallett, Joseph Hiester, Charles Fenton Mercer, Jonathan Russell, and Robert J. Walker.
Also included in the collection is a diary, 1829, concerning Rush’s trip to England and the Netherlands. Diary notes include his record of a conversation in 1805 with the Venezuelan general Francisco de Miranda during a visit to Philadelphia, and notes from 1821 concern Rush’s experiences as United States minister to Great Britain. An essay in draft form entitled “Cuba,” 1823, concerns Rush’s opposition to the possible transfer of Cuba to Great Britain. Notes on the Bible complete his writings.
A comprehensive edition of Rush’s papers in numerous repositories is available on twenty-six reels of microfilm prepared by Scholarly Resources.