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.

Porter, David Dixon (1813-1891) to Ambrose Thompson

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC03619.02.15 Author/Creator: Porter, David Dixon (1813-1891) Place Written: Washington, D.C. Type: Letter signed Date: 20 May 1870 Pagination: 1 p. : docket ; 25 x 19.8 cm. Order a Copy

Admiral Porter sends Thompson some letters (introductions) and indicates he will send fifty more the next day. Written on Navy Department stationery. Thompson, a wealthy shipping magnate, was noted for his Civil War backing of a plan to colonize Panama with freed African-Americans.

Porter, David Dixon, 1813-1891
Thompson, Ambrose, fl. 1870

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