Andrew Stevenson and J. W. Stevenson Papers
Scope and Content Note
The papers of Andrew Stevenson (1785-1857) and his son, John White Stevenson (1812-1886), span the years 1756-1882, with the bulk of the material from 1833 to 1876. The period most fully represented is Andrew Stevenson’s service as American minister to Great Britain (1836-1841). Some early papers relate to lawsuits in the Virginia courts, and there is correspondence pertinent to Andrew Stevenson’s service in the U.S. House of Representatives, particularly while speaker. There is no correspondence for 1826-1830. The collection is organized into four series: General Correspondence , Diplomatic Correspondence of Andrew Stevenson , Account Books , and Miscellany .
The diplomatic correspondence in the Andrew Stevenson papers is for the years 1836-1841. Subjects include the slave trade and searches by British officers of vessels displaying the American flag, the Caroline crisis of 1837-1838, and settlement of the northeastern boundary between the United States and Canada. Included in the diplomatic correspondence are copies of letters to and from Viscount Henry John Temple Palmerston, Daniel Webster, and John Forsyth, as well as secretarial copies of a broad range of Stevenson’s outgoing correspondence.
King William IV died during Stevenson’s residency in England and was succeeded by his niece, Victoria, whose coronation as queen and wedding the Stevensons attended. Social affairs occupied much of the minister’s time, and his papers reflect these activities. Correspondents represented in Andrew Stevenson papers include James Buchanan, John C. Calhoun, Churchill Caldum Cambreleng, Lewis Cass, Edward Everett, John Forsyth, Francis Scott Key, William L. Marcy, Philip Norborne Nicholas, Viscount Henry John Temple Palmerston, Joel Roberts Poinsett, James K. Polk, Thomas Ritchie, William C. Rives, Benjamin Rush, Richard Rush, Earl John Russell Russell, John Rutherfoord, Sarah Coles Stevenson, Charles Sumner, Roger Brooke Taney, George Tucker, Martin Van Buren, Alexander Van Rensselaer, and Daniel Webster.
Among noteworthy individual items in the General Correspondence of Andrew Stevenson are a poem of William Wordsworth (1770-1850), autographed for a Stevenson family member and dated December 24, 1838, from Rydal Mount; a poem of 1834 by Thomas Moore; and a letter of Robert Southey to John Kenyon, January 29, 1827, transmitting verses 27-46 as a conclusion to his poem “The Devil’s Visit.”
The papers of J. W. Stevenson account for a smaller portion of the collection. They consist principally of correspondence while governor of Kentucky and United States senator from that state. Correspondents include John C. Breckinridge, John Griffin Carlisle, Leslie Combs, C. M. Ingersoll, and Richard Vaux.
Dates
- Creation: 1756-1882
- Creation: Majority of material found within ( 1833-1876)
Language of Materials
Collection material in English
Access and Restrictions
The papers of Andrew Stevenson and J. W. Stevenson are open to research. Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use.
Copyright Status
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of Andrew Stevenson and J. W. Stevenson is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.).
Biographical Note
Andrew Stevenson
- 1785, Mar. 23
- Born, Culpeper County, Va.
- 1793
- Attended Fredericksburg Academy, Fredericksburg, Va.
- 1798 - 1800
- Attended College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Va.
- 1805
- Admitted to the Virginia bar 1809 Married Page White (died 1812)
- 1809 - 1821
- Representative, Virginia House of Delegates
- 1812 - 1844
- Elected quadrennially to “Richmond Junto”
- 1812 - 1815
- Served in Virginia militia during War of 1812
- 1816
- Married Sarah Coles (died 1848)
- 1821 - 1834
- Served in U.S. House of Representatives
- 1827 - 1834
- Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives
- 1835
- Chairman, National Democratic Convention
- 1836 - 1841
- U.S. minister to Great Britain
- 1841 - 1857
- Active in Virginia politics and in the affairs of the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va.
- 1849
- Married Mary Schaff
- 1857, Jan. 18
- Died at “Blenheim,” Albemarle County Va.
J. W. Stevenson
- 1812, Mar. 4
- Born, Richmond, Va.
- 1828 - 1829
- Attended Hampden-Sydney College, Hampden-Sydney,. Va.
- 1829–1832
- Attended University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va.
- 1833, circa
- Admitted to the bar, Vicksburg, Miss.
- 1841
- Began law practice, Covington, Ky.
- 1842
- Married Sibella Winston
- 1845 - 1850
- Representative from Kenton County, Kentucky state legislature
- 1857 - 1861
- Served in U.S. House of Representatives
- 1867, Aug.
- Elected lieutenant governor of Kentucky
- 1867, Sept. - 1871
- Governor of Kentucky
- 1871 - 1877
- U.S. senator from Kentucky
- 1877
- Resumed law practice and accepted a position to teach criminal law and contracts at Cincinnati Law School, Cincinnati, Ohio
- 1880
- Chairman, National Democratic Convention
- 1884
- Elected president, American Bar Association
- 1886, Aug. 10
- Died, Covington, Ky.
Extent
12,000 items
51 containers
11 linear feet
Abstract
Andrew Stevenson (1785-1857), U.S. representative from Virginia, speaker of the House of Representatives, and minister to Great Britain; and his son, J. W. Stevenson, governor of and U.S. senator from Kentucky. Chiefly general and diplomatic correspondence, legal papers, account book, speeches, printed matter, and other papers of Andrew Stevenson documenting his diplomatic service.
Arrangement of the Papers
This collection is arranged in four series:
Additional Guides
A card index for the bulk of the Stevenson Papers is available in the Reading Room of the Manuscript Division.
Catalog Record
Provenance
The papers of Andrew Stevenson, U.S. representative from Virginia, speaker of the House of Representatives, and minister to Great Britain, and his son, J. W. Stevenson, governor of and U.S. senator from Kentucky, were deposited in the Library of Congress by Mary W. Stevenson Colston in 1910 and converted to a gift in 1952. Other Stevenson papers were given by Judith Braxton Colston in 1931 and 1956. An addition was purchased in 1980.
Processing History
The collection was processed in 1974. The finding aid was revised in 2011.
Source
- Stevenson, Andrew, 1784-1857 (Creator, Person)
- Stevenson, J. W. (John White), 1812-1886 (Creator, Person)
Subject
- Breckinridge, John C. (John Cabell), 1821-1875--Correspondence. (Person)
- Buchanan, James, 1791-1868--Correspondence. (Person)
- Calhoun, John C. (John Caldwell), 1782-1850--Correspondence. (Person)
- Cambreleng, Churchill Caldom, 1786-1862--Correspondence. (Person)
- Carlisle, John Griffin, 1835-1910--Correspondence. (Person)
- Cass, Lewis, 1782-1866--Correspondence. (Person)
- Combs, Leslie, 1793-1881--Correspondence. (Person)
- Everett, Edward, 1794-1865--Correspondence. (Person)
- Forsyth, John, 1780-1841--Correspondence. (Person)
- Ingersoll, C. M. (Colin Macrae), 1819-1904--Correspondence. (Person)
- Kenyon, John, 1784-1856--Correspondence. (Person)
- Key, Francis Scott, 1779-1843--Correspondence. (Person)
- Marcy, William L. (William Learned), 1786-1857--Correspondence. (Person)
- Moore, Thomas, 1779-1852--Poetry. (Person)
- Nicholas, Philip Norborne, 1775?-1849--Correspondence. (Person)
- Palmerston, Henry John Temple, Viscount, 1784-1865--Correspondence. (Person)
- Poinsett, Joel Roberts, 1779-1851--Correspondence. (Person)
- Polk, James K. (James Knox), 1795-1849--Correspondence. (Person)
- Ritchie, Thomas, 1778-1854--Correspondence. (Person)
- Rives, William C. (William Cabell), 1793-1868--Correspondence. (Person)
- Rush, Benjamin, 1746-1813--Correspondence. (Person)
- Rush, Richard, 1780-1859--Correspondence. (Person)
- Russell, John Russell, Earl, 1792-1878--Correspondence. (Person)
- Rutherfoord, John, 1792-1866--Correspondence. (Person)
- Southey, Robert, 1774-1843--Correspondence. (Person)
- Southey, Robert, 1774-1843--Poetry. (Person)
- Stevenson, Andrew, 1784-1857. Andrew Stevenson and J.W. Stevenson papers. 1756-1882. (Person)
- Stevenson, J. W. (John White), 1812-1886. Andrew Stevenson and J.W. Stevenson papers. 1756-1882. (Person)
- Stevenson, Sarah Coles, 1789-1848--Correspondence. (Person)
- Sumner, Charles, 1811-1874--Correspondence. (Person)
- Taney, Roger Brooke, 1777-1864--Correspondence. (Person)
- Tucker, George, 1775-1861--Correspondence. (Person)
- Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862--Correspondence. (Person)
- Van Rensselaer, Alexander--Correspondence. (Person)
- Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895--Correspondence. (Person)
- Victoria, Queen of Great Britain, 1819-1901. (Person)
- Webster, Daniel, 1782-1852--Correspondence. (Person)
- Wordsworth, William, 1770-1850--Poetry. (Person)
Geographic
- Canada--Boundaries--United States.
- Great Britain--Foreign relations--United States.
- Kentucky--Politics and government
- United States--Boundaries--Canada.
- United States--Foreign relations--Great Britain.
- United States--Politics and government--19th century.
Occupation
- Diplomats.
- Governors--Kentucky.
- Representatives, U.S. Congress--Virginia.
- Senators, U.S. Congress--Kentucky.
- Speakers of the House, U.S. Congress.
Topical
- Actions and defenses--Virginia.
- Diplomatic and consular service, American--Great Britain.
- Poetry.
- Slave trade.
Uniform Title
- Title
- Andrew Stevenson and J. W. Stevenson Papers
- Subtitle
- A Finding Aid to the Collection in the Library of Congress
- Author
- Prepared by Marilyn K. Parr
- Date
- 2011
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Part of the Manuscript Division Repository
Manuscript Reading Room
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