Salmon P. Chase Papers

This collection contains correspondence, notes, speeches, legal opinions, newspaper clippings, and scrapbooks, as well as a group of papers belonging to J. W. Schuckers, Chase’s personal secretary and biographer. Series 1 makes up the majority of the collection, and includes both incoming and outg...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Chase, Salmon P. (Salmon Portland) 1808-1873. (Creator)
Collection:Salmon P. Chase Papers
Collection Number:0121
Format: Manuscript
Language:English
Subjects and Genres:
Online Access:Link to finding aid
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LEADER 11097ntc a2200769 u 4500
001 ead-0121
008 210526i18241884xx eng d
040 |e dacs 
041 0 |a eng 
099 |a 0121 
100 1 |a Chase, Salmon P. (Salmon Portland)  |d 1808-1873.  |e creator 
245 1 |a Salmon P. Chase Papers  |f (1824-1884, undated)  |g 1850 - 1872 
300 |a 12.0 Linear feet  |f ; 43 boxes; 16 volumes; 10 flat files 
351 |b This collection is arranged into five series: 1. Correspondence, 1824-1873, undated, 6.2 linear feet 2. Slavery, 1828-1865, undated, 1.2 linear feet 3. Supreme Court, 1860-1884, undated, .4 linear feet 4. Miscellaneous, 1833-1881, undated, 2.4 linear feet 5. Schuckers, 1830-1882, undated, 1.2 linear feet 
506 |a This collection is open for research. 
520 |a This collection contains correspondence, notes, speeches, legal opinions, newspaper clippings, and scrapbooks, as well as a group of papers belonging to J. W. Schuckers, Chase’s personal secretary and biographer. Series 1 makes up the majority of the collection, and includes both incoming and outgoing correspondence. This correspondence is both personal and professional in nature. Chase’s correspondence covers a fair range of topics, including his law practices, his family, politics, abolition, and economics. Series 2 is concerned with slavery. This small group of papers is primarily newspaper clippings and scrapbooks, as well as a small amount of correspondence and speech notes, all dealing with slavery and abolition. Series 3 concerns Chase’s time as chief justice of the Supreme Court. The majority of the series contains notes on cases and legal opinions, as well as a few logistical papers. Series 4 is miscellaneous papers. It contains some information about Chase's time as secretary of the Treasury, including records of the department and financial and debt reports, as well as a fair number of newspaper clippings. Many of the clippings are collected into smaller scrapbooks. There are also some loose newspaper clippings and whole newspapers on various topics, including politics and economics. Additionally, there are some photographs, maps, pamphlets, and catalogues. Series 5 contains J. W. Schuckers's papers, which include biographical material on Chase, draft chapters of Schuckers’s biography of Chase, and personal and business papers including correspondence, investment information, and newspapers. Series are primarily arranged alphabetically. Series 1, 4, and 5, are grouped by topic and then arranged alphabetically. The volumes are arranged by size. Much of series 1-4 was microfilmed in 1987, and the microfilm reel numbers can be found in the microfilm index avaliable at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.  
520 |a Salmon P. Chase (1808-1873) was a career politician and an influential Union decision-maker during the Civil War. He served as governor of Ohio, U.S. senator, secretary of the Treasury, and Supreme Court chief justice. The Salmon P. Chase Papers, which span the years 1824-1884, provide tremendous insight into the professional life of Chase and provide information on the National Bank and specie debates, as well as the abolition movement from the early 1820s through the Civil War. This collection contains correspondence, speech notes, newspaper clippings, biographical material, court opinions, financial papers, and a myriad of miscellaneous items. In addition to containing Chase's papers, this collection also contains the papers of J. W. Schuckers, Chase's personal secretary and biographer. Schuckers’s papers give further insight into the economic situation immediately following the Civil War and include correspondence, newspapers, investments records, and other financial papers.  
524 8 |a Cite as: [Indicate cited item or series here], Salmon P. Chase Papers (Collection 0121), The Historical Society of Pennsylvania.  
535 1 |a Much of Series 1-4 has been microfilmed. The Historical Society of Pennsylvania owns a negative copy of this material, which is not servicable to researchers.  
544 |a Abraham Lincoln Documents to Salmon P. Chase. 1861-1865. 3 items (3 leaves) (Mss VF 3017) Cincinnati Historical Society. The Salmon Chase Papers, 1825-1871. (MSS 304) Ohio Historical Society. Salmon Chase Petitions, 1862. (MS 1860) Maryland Historical Society. Salmon P. Chase papers, 1755-1898. (Call Number 0318G) The Library of Congress.  
544 |a Cooke, Jay Papers. (Collection 148)  
545 |a Salmon P. Chase (1808-1873) was an influential Union official during the Civil War. He served as secretary of the Treasury from 1861 until 1864 and chief justice of the Supreme Court from 1864 until his death in 1873. He was a staunch abolitionist and proponent of a strong national banking system. Chase was born in Cornish, New Hampshire, and moved to Ohio in 1833. He quickly became a prominent attorney there and a steadfast abolitionist. In many of his cases he defended slaves or former slaves from the Fugitive Slave Law, which he aggressively opposed his entire professional career. A member of the Free Soil Party, Chase was elected to represent Ohio in the U.S. Senate in 1849. While in the Senate, Chase continued his fight against slavery, speaking out against both the Compromise of 1850 and the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Chase was elected governor of Ohio in 1855. There, he continued his fight for abolition, gained knowledge of financial institutions, and made a steady improvement of Ohio's finances. He was also influential in the creation of the Republican Party, and sought its nomination for the presidency in 1860. He lost that nomination to Abraham Lincoln. He was elected to the Senate again in 1861, this time as a Republican. But soon after, President Lincoln recalled Chase from his second term in the Senate to become the secretary of the Treasury. This appointment was an act of political patronage meant to appease the strong support Chase had within the Republican Party, President Lincoln’s support base. At the Treasury, Chase oversaw the construction of the National Bank and worked with Jay Cooke & Co. to build a market for government bonds, a much needed source of revenue for the war effort. Chase several times attempted to resign the post of Treasury secretary, believing that he and Lincoln had too different views to work together effectively, but Lincoln repeatedly refused his resignation. In 1864, in an effort to molify the many Republican suppporters behind Chase who were beginning to doubt their loyalty to Lincoln, the President decided that the post of chief justice of the Supreme Court was a promotion that would be welcomed by the Chase faction and would satisfy Chase. The nomination and confirmation came as a surprise to Chase, however, as they were made by Lincoln while Chase was home in Ohio. Disinclined to accept the nomination, but fearful of the political fallout that would result from his refusal, Chase accepted his new appointment. Chase served as chief justice from 1864 until his death in 1873. His court was consumed with Reconstruction matters, including In Re Turner, which solidified a former slave's right to bargain freely with any employer, and several cases that dealt with Confederate debt repayment. He also oversaw the impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson. Chase was a member of St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral for most of his time in Cincinnati. He was married three times, first to Katherine Garmiss, then to Eliza Smith, and finally to Sarah Bella Dunlop Ludlow. Chase saw only two of his six children grow out of childhood, Katherine Jane and Nettie. Katherine (called Kate) had a tumultous marriage to William Sprague, who became governor of Rhode Island, which ended in divorce. She was active in her father's political life, serving as hostess of his house and participating in abolition causes. Chase died in 1873 in New York City. After a funeral service held in the Senate chamber and attended by President Ulysses S. Grant and the Cabinet, Chase was eventually buried in Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati, Ohio. J. W. Schuckers served as a clerk in the Treasury Department and later as Chase's personal secretary. He wrote a biography of Chase, The Life and Public Services of Salmon Portland Chase, which was published in 1874. Little is known of his life beyond these details.  
555 |a Finding Aid Available Online:  
561 1 |a This collection was purchased by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. 
600 1 7 |a Bryant, William Cullen  |d 1794-1878.  |2 Local Sources 
600 1 7 |a Butler, Benjamin F. (Benjamin Franklin)  |d 1795-1858.  |2 Local Sources 
600 1 7 |a Cisco, John J.  |2 Local Sources 
600 1 7 |a Colby, Abigail C.  |2 Local Sources 
600 1 7 |a Cooke, Jay  |d 1821-1905.   |2 NACO Authority File 
600 1 7 |a Cox, Jacob D. (Jacob Dolson)  |d 1828-1900.  |2 Local Sources 
600 1 7 |a Denison, Joseph A.  |2 Local Sources 
600 1 7 |a Forney, John W. (John Wien)  |d 1817-1881.  |2 NACO Authority File 
600 1 7 |a Gallagher, William D.  |d 1808-1894.  |2 Local Sources 
600 1 7 |a Greeley, Horace  |d 1811-1872.  |2 Local Sources 
600 1 7 |a Heaton, Thomas.  |2 Local Sources 
600 1 7 |a Mellen, William P.   |2 Local Sources 
600 1 7 |a Nelson, William  |d 1825-1862.  |2 Local Sources 
600 1 7 |a Reid, Whitelaw  |d 1837-1912.  |2 Local Sources 
600 1 7 |a Schuckers, J. W.   |2 Local Sources 
600 1 7 |a Seward, William Henry  |d 1801-1872.  |2 NACO Authority File 
600 1 7 |a Sherman, William T. (William Tecumseh)   |d 1820-1891.  |2 Local Sources 
600 1 7 |a Skinner, Josiah K.  |2 Local Sources 
600 1 7 |a Smith, William Prescott.  |2 Local Sources 
600 1 7 |a Sparhawk, Thomas.  |2 Local Sources 
600 1 7 |a Stanton, Edwin McMasters  |d 1814-1869.  |2 NACO Authority File 
600 1 7 |a Stevens, Thaddeus  |d 1792-1868.  |2 Local Sources 
600 1 7 |a Sumner, Charles  |d 1811-1874.  |2 Local Sources 
600 1 7 |a Townshend, Norton S.  |d 1815-1895.  |2 Local Sources 
600 1 7 |a Vaughan, John C.  |2 Local Sources 
600 1 7 |a Wade, B.F. (Benjamin Franklin)  |d 1800-1878.  |2 Local Sources 
600 1 7 |a Webb, J. Watson (James Watson)  |d 1802-1884.  |2 Local Sources 
650 0 |a Slavery--Law and legislation--United States--History.  
650 0 |a Slavery--United States--History.  
650 0 |a Supreme Court justices. 
651 0 |a United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865. 
651 0 |a United States--History--National Bank. 
651 0 |a United States--Politics and Government--19th century. 
651 0 |a United States--Treasury Dept. 
655 0 |a Biography. 
655 7 |a Correspondence.  |2 Genre Terms: A Thesaurus for Use in Rare Book and Special Collections Cataloging 
655 0 |a Diaries. 
655 0 |a Journals. 
655 0 |a Photographs. 
655 0 |a Speeches, addresses, etc. 
655 0 |a Supreme Court records and briefs. 
852 |a The Historical Society of Pennsylvania  |b Salmon P. Chase Papers  |l 0121 
856 4 2 |y Link to finding aid  |u http://www2.hsp.org/collections/manuscripts/c/Chase0121.html