This collection consists of four volumes of business letter books authored by Thomas P. Cope (1768-1843) and his uncle and business partner Thomas Mendenhall (1759-1843). Thomas P. Cope trained under his uncle who was in the mercantile shipping business at the turn of the nineteenth century. Thomas P. Cope took over his uncle's business in 1821 and the succeeding three volumes of business letters are all authored by him. Cope established Philadelphia's first packet line, a small fleet of first-rate ships that offered regular freight and passenger service between Philadelphia and Liverpool. Cope was very involved in local politics; in 1837 he was a member of the Convention to amend the Constitution of Pennsylvania, he was the President of the Board of Trade and of the Mercantile Library, as well as a member of the first board of Haverford College. Cope also helped create Fairmount Park by securing Lemon Hill. At the time of his death Thomas P. Cope was one of the wealthiest and most...(see more)
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