Scope and Contents of the Collection
Selected Index to Correspondence
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| Creator: | Morgan, Edwin D. (Edwin Dennison), 1811-1883. |
| Title: | Edwin D. Morgan Letters |
| Inclusive Dates: | 1839-1880 |
| Quantity: | 19 letters (SC) |
| Abstract: | Papers of the New York State governor, U.S. Senator. Eighteen outgoing letters and 1 incoming item concerning such topics as the impeachment trial of Andrew Johnson and the commercial prospects for American-Chinese trade. Letters to James T. Brady, John Brainard, Ezra Cornell, Elliot C. Cowdin, William A. Graham, L. Bradford Prince, Edwin A. Studwell, and Gideon Welles. |
| Language: | English |
| Repository: | Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Library 222 Waverly Avenue Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 http://scrc.syr.edu |
Edwin Denison Morgan (1811-1883) was an American politician and merchant who served as a New York State Governor (1859-1862) and U.S. Senator (1863-1869).
| 1811 | Born in Washington, Massachusetts on February 8th | |
| 1832 | Member of the Hartford city council | |
| 1849 | Alderman of New York City | |
| 1850-1855 | Member of the New York State Senate | |
| 1855-1858 | New York State Commissioner of Immigration | |
| 1856-1864 | Chairman of the Republican National Committee | |
| 1859-1862 | New York State Governor | |
| 1861-1863 | Major General of Volunteers in the Union Army | |
| 1863-1869 | United States Senator | |
| 1872-1876 | Chairman of the Republican National Committee | |
| 1881 | Declined nomination for Secretary of the Treasury by President Chester A. Arthur | |
| 1883 | Died in New York City on February 14th |
The Edwin D. Morgan Letters are a collection of 19 chiefly outgoing letters written between 1839 and 1880 by a successful merchant, New York State Governor, and U.S. Senator. The earliest letter in the collection outlines the terms of a business transaction, and Morgan's interest in financial matters is further reflected in letters to Charles H. Russell about the national debt and L. Bradford Prince concerning the politics of fiscal responsibility (17 Jun 1868): "We should be in no haste to appoint Democrats to important revenue offices." With commercial interests never too distant from Morgan's mind, he regretfully declines an invitation from Elliot C. Cowdin, chairman of the committee for arrangements of the New England Society of the City of New York, for a dinner given for Anson Burlingame and his associates from the Chinese Embassy (20 Jun 1868):
We welcome the embassy at a transformation period. Their advent, in itself one of the weightiest evidences of a new order of international relationships, occurs at a juncture most opportune to us. Sectional interests have become merged, internal improvements are reaching greater usefulness, our broadest rivers are being bridged, and our lines of telegraph and railway are soon to connect all parts of the country with ports and places most easily reached from China and eastern Asia.To commerce the visit is auspicious. We shall not overrate its importance however high our estimate. Intercourse with China will also afford broader standards for population and productive industry; and our rapid growth must soon force us to contemplate certain economic features peculiar to that country, as, in compactness and extent of habitable territory, favorableness of climate and capacity to sustain a vast population, no nation so much resembles that great empire as the United States...China produces great staples which we need. We, in turn, supply largely of what they lack. They are not maritime people. We are. They are a trading people. So is the United States. Enlarged intercourse therefore must promote the prosperity of both, and we may lay deep the foundations of this rising commerce. Nature has forced this in many ways. True, an ocean lies between the two countries, but it is an ocean singularly free of perils and will become a medium at once of ready and cheap intercommunication. Toward fostering this intercourse I need not say that you, sir, and these whom you represent on this occasion, have an important duty to perform.
Other topics of discussion in the letters include the impeachment trial of Andrew Johnson and the nominations of James Garfield and Chester Arthur as standard bearers for the Republican Party.
The collection contains one series, Correspondence, which is arranged chronologically. In addition, there is an alphabetical Index to the Correspondence located at the end of the finding aid.
There are no access restrictions on this material
Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.
Preferred citation for this material is as follows:
Edwin D. Morgan Letters
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Library
Created by: KM
Date: Mar 1989
Revision history:
08 Dec 2008 - converted to EAD (LDC)
| Correspondence | |||||||||||
| SC 81 | 1839-1840 (2 outgoing letters) | ||||||||||
| SC 81 | 1857-1860 (4 outgoing letters) | ||||||||||
| SC 81 | 1862-1864 (3 outgoing letters; 1 incoming letter) | ||||||||||
| SC 81 | 1868-1869 (6 outgoing letters) | ||||||||||
| SC 81 | 1872-1873 (2 outgoing letters) | ||||||||||
| SC 81 | 1880 (1 outgoing letter) | ||||||||||
