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.

Van Rensselaer, Stephen (1764-1839) to George W. Featherstonhaugh

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02505.40 Author/Creator: Van Rensselaer, Stephen (1764-1839) Place Written: Washington, D.C. Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 30 December 1824 Pagination: 1 p. : address : docket : free frank ; 25 x 19.5 cm. Order a Copy

Asks about acquiring "a quantity of tares" and mentions that "poor [Henry] Clay is quite low-spirited." Van Rensselaer cast the deciding ballot for John Quincy Adams in the 1825 House vote for President (1824 election) held shortly after this letter was written.

George W. Featherstonhaugh was a geologist and traveler.

Van Rensselaer, Stephen, 1764-1839
Featherstonhaugh, George William, 1780-1866

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