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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.

Smith, Gerrit (1797-1874) To John Curtis, Preston Armour, Asahel C. Stone, and Geo. W. Ellinwood, Esquires, commissioners of excise of the town of Smithfield, County of Madison, and State of New York.

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC04717.57 Author/Creator: Smith, Gerrit (1797-1874) Place Written: Smithfield, New York Type: Printed document Date: 13 April 1841 Pagination: 1 p. ; 31.7 x 20.5 cm. Order a Copy

"Your petitioners implore your honorable body, in the name of the drunkard, his wife, and his children- in the name, too, of the sober, who, whilst tavern licences are granted, are exposed to become drunkards- to refuse to grant such licences. They implore you to do so, even though it should be at the probable loss of your popularity and your offices."

Smith, a politician from New York, served as a U.S. Representative from 1853-1854. He was a noted philanthropist and social reformer active in anti-slavery campaigns and women's rights.

Smith, Gerrit, 1797-1874

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