Scope and Content Note
The papers of George Peabody Wetmore (1846-1921) span the years 1885-1916, with bulk of the material concentrated in the period 1895-1913. Included is correspondence related to the United States Commission of Fine Arts and bills, reports, printed matter and other material concerning the commission and memorial statues and historical places in the District of Columbia. As a senator from Rhode Island, Wetmore was particularly identified with legislation creating the commission and with the improvement and development of Washington, D.C., including artistic plans for the National Mall and the building of memorials to Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, and other historical figures.
Correspondents in the collection include R. A. Alger, Gutzon Borglum, John Hay, Alexander Mackay-Smith, Elihu Root, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, and William H. Taft.