Scope and Content Note
The papers of James Fowler Simmons (1795-1864) span the years 1771-1939 and consist primarily of correspondence and business papers, supplemented by legal papers, notes, drafts of reports, speeches, and printed matter. The collection is organized in Family Correspondence , General Correspondence , Financial Papers , Miscellany , and Printed Matter series.
The bulk of the material falls between the years 1840 and 1862 when Simmons’s political career reached the national level. His cotton manufacturing business in Rhode Island was still of major concern to him although it was managed by his eldest son, Walter C. Simmons, when the senator was in Washington. The correspondence and papers concerning both his public and business affairs during this period, together with some pertinent family letters, reflect the major aspects of his career. Specifically, they depict Simmons’s activities as a Whig in state and national politics, significant political and economic issues of the time, and the operations of a typical business concern in the mid-nineteenth century.
James Fowler Simmons’s time was much in demand. In pursuing two major careers he did not allow himself the luxury of extensive correspondence. One exception to this is a group of about 250 “husband-wife” letters which were removed from the collection by the donor and never returned. Another exception is Simmons’s letters to his son Walter Cook. These letters, usually brief, constitute the largest number of letters in this collection written by James Fowler Simmons to any one person. They span the years 1838-1861 and primarily concern business matters, although from time to time political events in Washington are discussed. The papers also contain the letters of Walter C. Simmons to his father. They include family and political subjects, especially political affairs in Rhode Island, as well as detailed accounts of the family business.
The bulk of the General Correspondence relates to political matters, state and national, and appears to be the most significant group of papers in the collection. When Simmons was a member of the Rhode Island General Assembly, 1828-1841, he received many letters from his constituents concerning contemporary political and economic issues, especially on the state and local level. Other significant correspondence of the late 1820s and 1830s are the letters of Nehemiah Rice Knight to Simmons. Knight was in the United States Senate from 1821 to 1841 and wrote regularly to Simmons about the political situation on the national front. His letters discuss such topics as the nomination of William Henry Harrison to the presidency, tariff matters, Texas annexation, James K. Polk, the Bank of the United States, slavery, and bounty laws.
When Simmons, himself, served in the Senate, 1841-1847 and 1857-1862, his correspondence becomes not only more extensive, but comprehensive as well. He became chairman of the Committee on Manufacturing in the Senate in 1842 and much correspondence deals with the tariff, exporting and importing, and manufacturing throughout the country. Other significant subjects discussed are Abraham Lincoln, the Bank of the United States, Henry Clay and Daniel Webster, the Dorr Rebellion in Rebellion in Rhode Island, and the changing party structure preceding the Civil War. Specific items include an invitation to the White House from President John Tyler, 1841; two letters from Charles Francis Adams against the annexation of Texas, 1845; a letter from Edward Everett concerning the merits of a sculptor, 1846; a note from William H. Seward, 1861; photocopies of an invitation, note, and letter from Webster, 1848; and a photocopy of a letter from Abraham Lincoln about Douglas enlisting support of some men from Rhode Island, August 17, 1860. Other notable correspondents include Lawrence F. Abbott, Henry B. Anthony, H. G. Cranston, R. B. Cranston, Edward J. Eno, William Ferguson, Elbridge Gerry (1791-1883), W. Hunter, Samuel F. B. Morse, Nathan Sargent, Nathan P. Tallmadge, and Amasa Walker.
Financial Papers make up the largest series in the papers. This series consists of business correspondence and business papers sent to and received from both Simmons and his son Walker Cook. It is quite technical in content, dealing specifically with types of material, receipts for merchandise, bills, invoices, and similar material.
The Miscellany series includes calling cards, legal papers, a memo book belonging to Simmons’s father, Davis Simmons, photographs, notes and drafts of reports, and Simmons’s speeches in the Senate.
The last series in this collection contains printed matter . There are scattered issues of newspapers such as the Providence Journal and other New England papers, and a few issues of New York newspapers covering primarily the years 1840-1863 as well as a collection of circulars, handbills, reports, and other material.
Other correspondents include Hervey Armington, Zenas R. Bliss, Leslie Combs, Asbury Dinkins, William C. Gibbs, Charles Jackson, George W. Jackson, Thomas A. Jenckes, Charles Potter, Richard K. Randolph, Nathan S. Ruggles, Joseph L. Tillinghast, and William A. Watson; and the firms Abbott & Bliss; Fearing & Hall; Liverman & Cushing; and Tiffany, Ward, & Company.