Our Collection

At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Dana, Richard Henry (1815-1882) Remarks of Richard H. Dana, Jr. Esq. before the Committee on Federal Relations on the proposed removal of Edward G. Loring, Esq. from the Office of Judge of Probate.

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC00267.150 Author/Creator: Dana, Richard Henry (1815-1882) Place Written: Boston, Massachusetts Type: Pamphlet Date: 5 March 1855 Pagination: 28 p. ; 23.2 x 14.5 cm. Order a Copy

Dana, despite being an antislavery man, opposes the removal of Loring from his position as a Massachusetts probate judge. Printed in Boston by Alfred Mudge & Son.

In 1851 an escaped slave, Thomas Sims, was captured in Boston, and Loring ordered him to return to slavery in the South, sparking outrage from Boston abolitionists. In 1854, Loring ordered another escaped slave, Anthony Burns, to be returned to slavery in Virginia. Following the Burns decision, abolitionists, led by William Lloyd Garrison, agitated for Loring to be removed from his office as probate judge. These attempts were unsuccessful while Governor Henry J. Gardner was in office. In 1858, a new governor was elected, Nathaniel Prentice Banks, and the legislature passed another bill against Loring. Banks complied with the bill and removed him from office.

Dana, Richard Henry, 1815-1882
Burns, Anthony, 1834-1862
Loring, Edward G. (Edward Greely), 1802-1890

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