Scope and Content Note
The papers of John McLean (1785-1861) span the years 1816-1866 with the bulk of the material falling between 1829 and 1860. The collection documents McLean’s tenure as postmaster general, his service on the United States Supreme Court, and his potential candidacy for the U.S. presidency. The collection is in English. It contains the following series: Correspondence, Legal Files, Printed Matter, and Additions.
The McLean Papers contain very little for the early years of McLean’s government service at the state level in Ohio and nationally, but expand after 1822, when he was appointed commissioner of the United States General Land Office. Correspondence and printed matter from his tenure as postmaster general, 1823-1829, reflect problems relating to the early years of the United States postal service, the growth of Washington, D.C., and national political issues. Noteworthy in the collection is a volume containing McLean’s notes on oral arguments made before the Court in 1830, including cases argued by John MacPherson Berrien, Francis Scott Key, David Bayard Ogden, Roger Brooke Taney, Daniel Webster, and William Wirt. McLean was viewed as a prospective presidential candidate during this period, and his papers provide insight into presidential politics in the decades leading to the Civil War. Other topics include state and local politics in Ohio and Cincinnati, Indian affairs, international relations, the possible secession of Southern slave states from the Union, the Whig Party, and the question of slavery.
The Additions series primarily includes incoming and outgoing correspondence of McLean with colleagues and family members, including his first wife Rebecca Edwards McLean and their children, as well as business, legal, and political correspondence and information on court matters. Topics covered include the Mexican War, Whig politics, political appointments, and domestic matters.
The collection’s series are listed and briefly described below. A fuller description of each series and a list of its contents can be accessed in the series descriptions within the container list.
The Correspondence series contains letters received, as well as a few drafts of letters sent. It is supplemented by printed matter, memoranda, financial data, legal briefs, and newspaper clippings.
The Legal Files series contains briefs, opinions, memoranda, and reports.
The Printed Matter series contains legal briefs, pamphlets, reports, political tracts, and miscellaneous items.
The Additions series consists of two separate additions. The first consists of a printed circular and letter of transmittal by McLean pertaining to postal matters. The second addition contains correspondence between McLean and his family members.