Main content

Lewis Cass Collection

Notifications

Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

Overview and metadata sections

Cass, Lewis, 1782-1866

Lewis Cass, a senator from Michigan, was born in Exeter, N.H., on October 9, 1782. He served in the U.S. Army, 1813-1814; was appointed secretary of war by President Andrew Jackson, 1831-1836; was elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate and served from March 4, 1845, until May 29, 1848, and again from 1849 to 1857; and was an unsuccessful candidate for president on the Democratic ticket in 1848. Cass also served as President pro tempore of the Senate during the Thirty-third Congress and was appointed secretary of state by President James Buchanan, serving from 1857 until his resignation in 1860.

The collection consists of selected correspondence, printed material, and ephemera related to Cass. Correspondents include Gustave Beaumont, James Buchanan, James Calhoun, Edward Everett, Millard Fillmore, Giuseppe Garibaldi, William Henry Harrison, William T. Sherman, Martin Van Buren, and Daniel Webster. The correspondence is chiefly in English, with some letters in French, and deals mainly with political matters. Also included is a proclamation (1832) announcing the appointment of William Carroll, Monfort Stokes, and Robert Vaux as commissioners to deal with the Indians, signed by Cass.

Arranged by accession number.

The collection was formed as a result of a Departmental practice of combining into one collection material of various accessions relating to a particular person, family, or subject.

The correspondence and printed material was a gift of Ms. Mary C. Lewis in February 1961.

The 1832 proclamation was purchased in 1973. AM17112, 21228.

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Finding aid written by James Flannery on January 25, 2006. Folder Inventory added by Hilde Creager (2015) in 2012.

No appraisal information is available.

Publisher
Manuscripts Division
Finding Aid Date
2006
Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions

Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. No further photoduplication of copies of material in the collection can be made when Princeton University Library does not own the original. Inquiries regarding publishing material from the collection should be directed to RBSC Public Services staff through the Ask Us! form. The library has no information on the status of literary rights in the collection and researchers are responsible for determining any questions of copyright.

Collection Inventory

Correspondence, 1840-1865. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Materials Viewable Online
  1. View digital content
Proclamation by Lewis Cass announcing the announcement of William Carroll of Tennessee and Robert Vaux commissionesr..., 1832 July 14. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Print, Suggest