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Alexander James and George Mifflin Dallas Papers
Notifications
Held at: Temple University Libraries: Special Collections Research Center [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Temple University Libraries: Special Collections Research Center. 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
Alexander James Dallas was born in Jamaica and arrived in Philadelphia in 1783. During the next thirty years Dallas served in a variety of public offices including as counselor to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania and Secretary of the Commonwealth. In 1792 Alexander and his wife Arbella Smith had a son, George Mifflin, who like his father became a prominent Pennsylvania politician. After graduating from Princeton George travelled to Russia, Belgium, and England on a peace mission as secretary to Albert Gallatin. George Mifflin practiced law and went on to become Mayor of Philadelphia and a U.S. Senator. After serving in the diplomatic corps George Mifflin became Polk's vice president.
The papers of a prominent late eighteenth and early nineteenth century Philadelphia family that participated in local, state, and national politics; including correspondence and manuscripts.
The correspondence of Alexander James Dallas, 1788-1816, documents his interest in the National Bank; his participation in Republican politics; and his duties as aide-de-camp to the Paymaster General of the Pennsylvania Militia, the Secretary of the Treasury, and as Acting Secretary of War (1815). There are a number of letters from Philadelphia merchant Stephen Girard regarding the National Bank.
The correspondence of George Mifflin Dallas, 1821-1863, documents his political affairs; including his position as U.S. Attorney for Eastern Pennsylvania and Foreign Minister to Russia (1837-1839) and England (1856-1861), as well as issues surrounding the Mexican War. The papers include correspondence with his wife, Sophia Chew Dallas, and his daughter Sophia Philips Dallas. The collection also includes twenty-eight poems and prose pieces written by George Dallas between 1815 and 1839.
The collection also contains assorted official documents marking milestones in the Dallas family political careers and assorted autographed correspondence of prominent American political figures. The prominent correspondents include William Alexander, Clemont Biddle, Abraham Bishop, John Brown, Grover Cleveland, James Buchanan, Lewis Cass, Benjamin Franklin, James A. Garfield, Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, Andrew Jackson, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas McKean, James Monroe, Benjamin Moran, James K. Polk, Theodore Roosevelt, William H. Seward, Joel B. Sutherland, Martin Van Buren, and Daniel Webster.
The collection is arranged into 8 series as follows:
- Series 1: Correspondence of A.J. Dallas, 1794-1809, undated
- Series 2: Correspondence to A.J. Dallas and Letter of John Mifflin to Caesar Rodney, 1775-1864
- Series 3: A.J. Dallas and G.M. Dallas, Original Papers, 1788-1915
- Subseries 3.1: Autograph Letters and State Papers, A.J. Dallas, 1788-1816
- Subseries 3.2: Original Office Appointment of George M. Dallas, April 7, 1829
- Subseries 3.3: Autograph Letters from George M. Dallas, 1816- 1861, undated
- Subseries 3.4: Civil War and Presidential Letters to A.J. Dallas, George M. Dallas and Others, 1815-1915
- Series 4: Original Letters of Stephen Girard to A.J. Dallas, 1814-1816, undated
- Series 5: Mss. and Original Poems and Prose Pieces. G.M. Dallas, 1815-1843, undated
- Series 6: Correspondence to G.M. Dallas, 1821-1892
- Series 7: Correspondence of G.M. Dallas, 1825-1865, undated
- Series 8: Additional, 1813-1926, undated
Gift of Mr. Fitz Eugene Dixon, Jr., December 1969.
Finding aid revised according to contemporary archival standards in June 2017 by Sarah Lerner, Student Worker.
People
- Alexander, William, 1768-1841
- Biddle, Clemont, 1740-1814
- Bishop, Abraham, 1763-1844
- Brown, John, 1783-1841
- Buchanan, James, 1791-1868
- Cass, Lewis, 1782-1866
- Cleveland, Grover, 1837-1908
- Dallas, Alexander James, 1759-1817
- Dallas, George Mifflin, 1792-1864
- Dallas, Sophia Philips
- Dallas, Sophia Chew
- Girard, Stephen, 1750-1831
- Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790
- Garfield, James A. (James Abram), 1831-1881
- Grant, Ulysses S. (Ulysses Simpson), 1822-1885
- Hayes, Rutherford B., 1822-1893
- Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845
- Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826
- Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865
- McKean, Thomas, 1734-1817
- Monroe, James, 1758-1831
- Moran, Benjamin, 1820-1888
- Nicklin, Susan
- Polk, James K. (James Knox), 1795-1849
- Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919
- Seward, William H. (William Henry), 1801-1872
- Sutherland, Joel B. (Joel Barlow), 1792-1861
- Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862
- Webster, Daniel, 1782-1852
Organization
- Bank of the United States (1791-1811)
- Pennsylvania. Militia. Paymaster General
- United States. Department of the Treasury
Subject
- Roads -- Pennsylvania
- Mexican War, 1846-1848 -- Public opinion
- Pennsylvania -- Public works
- United States -- History -- War of 1812
- United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
- United States -- Foreign relations -- To 1865 -- Russia
Place
- Publisher
- Temple University Libraries: Special Collections Research Center
- Finding Aid Author
- Machine-readable finding aid created by: Rajkumar Natarajan, Sky Global Services India (P) Ltd.
- Finding Aid Date
- August 2024
- Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open for research.
- Use Restrictions
-
The Alexander James and George Mifflin Dallas Papers are the physical property of the Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries. Intellectual property rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns. Researchers are responsible for determining the identity of rights holders and obtaining their permission for publication and for other purposes where stated.
Collection Inventory
All in hand of Dallas unless otherwise stated.
3 p.
2 p.
2. P.
1 p.
1 p.
1 p.
Author of letter as entry, all to A.J. Dallas unless otherwise stated.
2 fol. p.
1 p.
1 p.
1 ½ p.
1 p.
1 p.
1 p.
1 p.
2 p.
2 p.
1 p.
2 p.
1 p.
1 p.
1 p.
1 p.
1 p.
1 p.
1 p.
1 p.
1 p.
1 p.
1 p.
1 p.
All in the letter-books at Girard College; all in secretary's hand unless otherwise stated.
2 p.
1 p.
3 p.
1 p.
1 p.
2 p.
1 p.
1 p.
1 p.
2 p.
4 p.
1 p.
1 p.
2 p.
1 p.
1 p.
1 p.
From Henkels sale, Catalogue #1401, lots 73 and 77, April 21, 1927.
23 lines extant on sheet.
16 lines.
16 lines.
11 lines.
54 lines, 2 p.
2 p.
2 p.
Note: "Papers rec'd from Lord Clavendon by Mr. Dallas."
Physical Description2 p.
1 p.
All in hand of Dallas unless otherwise stated. Primarily from the auction sale of Henkels, Cat. #1401, lots 72, 75, 76; April 21, 1927.
3 p.
1 p.
1 p. with envelope.
1 p.
1 p.
1 p.
2 p.
1 p.
1 p.
1/2 p.
1 p.
1 p.
1 p.
1 p.
1 p.
1 p.
1 p.
1 p.
1 p.
2 p. with envelope.
1 p.
3 p.
3 p.
4 p.
1 p.
3 p. Re: L. Napoléon.
4 p.
3 p.
3 p.
3 p.
3 p.
1 p.
1 p.
3 p.
1 p.
1 p.
2 p.
1 p.
1 p.
1 p.
1 p.
2 p.
1 p.
1 p.
1 p.
1 p.
1 p.
4 p.
4 p.
1 p.