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.

Pickering, Timothy (1745-1829) to Mes. Willings & Francis

High-resolution images are available to schools and libraries via subscription to American History, 1493-1943. Check to see if your school or library already has a subscription. Or click here for more information. You may also order a pdf of the image from us here.

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC00640 Author/Creator: Pickering, Timothy (1745-1829) Place Written: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 19 March 1800 Pagination: 1 p. : address : docket ; 24.9 x 20.1 cm. Order a Copy

Refuses to pay any further compensation to Charles Rutledge "while charged with their affairs in Spain." "I find that I shall not be warranted in making any further payments in his behalf; and therefore I cannot accept the bill drawn by him...for 2567.10 [pounds] sterling." Black wax remnant for the seal located on the address leaf above the docket. Noted as being from the Department of State above the date.

Pickering was the third Secretary of State, a former Postmaster General, and Secretary of War for a brief time in 1795. He also served as a Massachusetts Federalist Senator from 1803-1810. The affairs in Spain most likely refers to the drafting of the Treaty of Friendship, Limits, and Navigation when Spain declared war on Britain and Portugal.

Pickering, Timothy, 1745-1829
Rutledge, Charles, fl. 1800

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources