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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.

Hay, John (1838-1905) to John G. Walker

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC03804.36 Author/Creator: Hay, John (1838-1905) Place Written: Washington, D.C. Type: Typed letter signed Date: 30 December 1899 Pagination: 1 p. ; 20.3 x 12.6 cm. Order a Copy

Typed letter on Department of State letterhead signed by Hay as Secretary of State. Written to retired Rear Admiral Walker as President of the Isthmian Canal Commission. Says that President McKinley wants Senator George Peabody Wetmore's son to accompany the commission on its trip to the Isthmus "in some capacity in which his services may be made available." Leaves the decision of salary and expenses to Walker's discretion. Says Wetmore will call upon Walker to receive his orders. When the letter was folded the wet ink left a mirror impression of the signature at the top of the letter. Wetmore was a Rhode Island Republican who served in the U.S. Senate 1895-1913.

Hay was named U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom in 1897 when his friend William McKinley became President. In August 1898, Hay was named Secretary of State and helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris (1898). His contributions also included the adoption of an Open Door Policy in China (announced on January 2, 1900) and the preparations for the Panama Canal. He negotiated the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty (1901), the Hay-Herran Treaty (1903), and the Hay-Bunau Varilla Treaty (1903), all of which were instrumental clearing the way for the construction and usage of the Canal.

Walker, John

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