Justin S. Morrill Papers
LG.1

Summary Information

Repository
Michigan State University Archives and Historical Collections
Creator -
Morrill, Justin S., (Justin Smith), 1810-1898
Title
Justin S. Morrill papers
ID
LG.1
Date [bulk]
Bulk, 1854-1898
Date [inclusive]
1825-1923
Extent
1.0 Cubic feet , 52 reels (about 10,600 items)
Language
English

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Biographical/Historical note

Justin Smith Morrill (1810-1898) was a statesman, financier, merchant, U.S. representative and U.S. senator from Vermont, author of the Morrill Tariff Act (1861) and the Land Grant College Act (1862). A Republican, Morrill served in the House as chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means, and as senator, he was prominent as chairman of the Committee on Public Buildings and Committee on Finance.

1810, April 14 Born at Strafford, Vermont

1825-1828 Merchant clerk, Strafford, Vermont

1828-1831 Portland, Maine

1831-1848 Merchant clerk, Strafford, Vermont

1841 Married Ruth Barrell Swan

1848 Retired from successful career as merchant in Vermont and engaged in local political activities

1848-1855 Farmer and horticulturist

1855-1867 Member, U.S. House of Representatives; author of Morrill Tariff Act (1861) and Land Grant College Act (1862)

1865-1898 Trustee, University of Vermont

1867-1898 Member, U.S. Senate; chairman of Finance Committee (1877-1879, 1881-1893, 1895-1898). Furthered legislation to complete construction of Washington Monument and to insure the future of the Library of Congress

1883-1898 Regent, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.

1898, December 28 Died, Washington, D.C.

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Scope and Contents note

The 10,600 items in the papers of Justin Smith Morrill (1810-1898) cover a period of almost a century, 1825-1923. The bulk (1854-1898) of the collection was generated during Morrill’s long legislative career as U.S. representative and senator during which tenures he served on many important congressional committees.

This collection on microfilm includes the 50 bound volumes of correspondence and 28 containers of miscellaneous papers such as correspondence, Senate and House reports and documents, remarks, speeches, invitations, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, and scrapbooks.

Much of the correspondence relates to Morrill’s efforts as a congressional representative in behalf of the tariff act, which bears his name and of his sponsorship of the Morrill Land Grant College Act. Other papers and documents reflect his positions on many post-Civil War economic issues and Reconstruction.

Prominent correspondents include James Gillespie Blaine, Salmon P. Chase, L. E. Chittenden, Schuyler Colfax, Charles Dewey, Hamilton Fish, Horace Greeley, Jedediah H. Harris, Charles Marsh, George Ward Nichols, Carroll Smalley Page, Henry Stephens Randall, A. N. Swain, Stephen Thomas, Adin B. Underwood, and Joseph Wharton.

The finding aid at the Library of Congress was revised in April 2010 and can be found at http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/eadmss.ms009307

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Arrangement

Organized into three series: 1. General Correspondence and Related Papers. 2. Speeches and Writing. 3. Miscellany. Arranged chronologically and alphabetically.

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Administrative Information

Publication Information

Michigan State University Archives and Historical Collections 1963

Conrad Hall
888 Wilson Road, Room 101
East Lansing , MI, 48824
517-355-2330
archives@msu.edu

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

Reproduction and publication restricted, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress.

Ownership and Custodial History

Purchased from the Manuscript Division, Library of Congress.

Location of Originals

Justin Smith Morrill Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, 2nd St. and Independence Avenue, S.E., Washington D.C., 20540, USA.

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Controlled Access Headings

Corporate Name(s)

  • United States. Congress. House.
  • United States. Congress. Senate.

Genre(s)

  • Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
  • Letters (correspondence)
  • Manuscripts
  • Microfilms
  • Scrapbooks
  • Speeches

Geographic Name(s)

  • United States -- Politics and government -- 19th century
  • Vermont -- Politics and government -- 19th century

Personal Name(s)

  • Blaine, James Gillespie, 1830-1893
  • Chase, Salmon P., (Salmon Portland), 1808-1873
  • Chittenden, L. E., (Lucius Eugene), 1824-1900
  • Colfax, Schuyler, 1823-1885
  • Dewey, Charles, 1798-1880
  • Fish, Hamilton, 1808-1893
  • Greeley, Horace, 1811-1872
  • Harris, Jedediah H.
  • Marsh, Charles, 1765-1849
  • Nichols, George Ward, 1831-1885
  • Page, Carroll Smalley, 1843-1925
  • Randall, Henry Stephens, 1811-1876
  • Swain, A. N.
  • Thomas, Stephen, 1809-1903
  • Underwood, Adin B., (Adin Ballou)
  • Wharton, Joseph, 1826-1909

Subject(s)

  • Educational law and legislation -- United States
  • Reconstruction (U.S. history, 1865-1877)
  • School lands -- United States
  • State universities and colleges -- United States
  • Tariff -- United States

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Reproduction Note

Microfilm. Washington, D.C. : Library of Congress, 1966. 52 reels ; 35 mm.

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Collection Inventory

GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE AND RELATED PAPERS 1825-1923 

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Reel

 1825, Aug. 12-1856, Feb. 7 

 1

 1856, Feb. 8-1857, Dec. 28 

 2

 1857, Dec. 31-1858, Oct. 21 

 3

 1858, Oct. 23-1860, May 7 

 4

 1860, May 8-1862, Mar. 18 

 4

 1862, Mar. 20-1864, June 4 

 4

 1864, June 14-1865, Oct. 19 

 6

 1865, Oct. 21-1866, Jan. 29 

 6

 1866, Feb. 1-Apr. 15 

 7

 1866, Apr. 16-June 20 

 7

 1866, June 21-Sept. 14 

 8

 1866, Sept. 15-1867, May 6 

 8

 1867, May 7-1868, Jan. 17 

 9

 1868, Jan. 18-June 3 

 9

 1868, June 5-1869, Feb. 27 

 10

 1869, Mar. 1-Dec. 18 

 10

 1869, Dec. 19-1870, May 16 

 11

 1870, May 17-1871, Feb. 6 

 11

 1871, Feb. 7-1872, Mar. 27 

 12

 1872, Mar. 28-1873, Mar. 5 

 12

 1873, Mar. 6-1874, Mar. 18 

 13

 1874, Mar. 25-1875, Jan. 18 

 13

23 14 1875, Jan. 20-Nov. 11 

24 1875, Nov. 12-1876, Aug. 29 

25 15 1876, Aug. 31-1877, Aug. 3 

26 1877, Aug. 10-1878, Apr. 3 

27 16 1878, Apr. 24-Oct. 17 

28 1878, Oct. 18-1879, Apr. 16 

29 17 1879, Apr. 19-1880, Oct. 20 

30 1880, Nov. 12-1882, Jan. 24 

31 18 1882, Jan. 26-1883, Feb. 20 

32 1883, Feb. 26-1884, Feb. 16 

33 19 1884, Feb. 18-Aug. 30 

34 1884, Sept. 1-1885, Jan. 6 

35 20 1885, Jan. 8-Sept. 22 

36 1885, Sept.-1886, July 22 

37 21 1886, July 24-1887, Aug. 27 

38 1887, Sept. 1-1889, Jan. 23 

39 22 1889, Jan. 26-1890, June 27 

40 1890, July 10-1891, May 20 

41 23 1891, May 21-1892, Oct. 11 

42 23 1892, Oct-12-1894, Jan. 17 

43 24 1894, Jan. 18-Aug. 30 

44 1894, Sept. 2-1895-June 21 

45 25 1895, July 5-1896, June 30 

46 1896, July 1-Oct. 27 

47 26 1896, Oct. 28-1897, June 25 

48 1897, June 26-1898, June 28 

49 27 1898, June 29-1899, Apr. 29 

50 1899, Apr. 30-1923, Jan. 6 

51 28 Ab-Be 

Barrett, James 

Benedict, G. G. 

52 29 Bi-By 

Blaine, James G. 

Bowne, Henry C. 

Brewer, Gardner 

Buckham, M. H. 

Bullard, G. B. 

53 30 Ca-Co 

Casey, Henry B. 

Chapman, C. H. 

Chase, Salmon P. 

Chittenden, L. E. 

Clark, Albert 

54 31 Co-Do 

Colfax, Schuyler 

Colton, E. P. 

Corcoran, W. W. 

Dana, Charles 

Dana, Edward 

Denison, D. C. 

Dewey, Charles 

55 32 Dr-Fi 

Dudley, Daniel B. 

Enright, J. 

Fairbanks, Erastus 

Fairbanks, Horace 

Farnham, Roswell 

Field, Rodney B. 

Fish, Hamilton 

56 33 Fi-Gr 

Foot, Solomon 

Gibbs, M. 

57 34 Gr-He 

Greelye, Horace 

Greene, Luther O. 

Grout, William W. 

Hayes, John L. 

Hebard, William 

Henry, Hugh 

58 35 Hi-Ke 

Houlbrook, Frederick 

Houghton, H. O. 

Hunton, A. P. 

Hutchinson, James 

59 36 Ki-Me 

Kimball, John 

King, Horatio 

Lillie, Justin P. 

Marsh, Charles 

McLain, R. F. 

60 37 Mi-Pa 

Miller, Crosby 

Morrill, J. N. 

Morrill, Justin S. 

Nichols, George 

Page, Carroll S. 

Parish, J.K. 

61 38 Pe-Ra 

Poland, L. P. 

Powers, Preston 

Proctor, Redfield 

Randall, Henry S. 

62 39 Re-Sh 

Redington, E. C. 

Sheldon, Charles 

63 Si-Te 

Smith, J. Gregory 

Steele, Jason 

Swain, A. N. 

Swank, James M. 

64 40 Te-Wa 

Tenny, B. F. 

Thomas, Stephen 

Tracy, A. 

Underwood, A. 

Veasie, J. A. 

65 41 Wa-Yu 

Unidentified 

Walton, E. P. 

Wharton, Joseph 

White, Andrew D. 

Willard, C. W. 

Special Correspondence 

Letters to J. H. Harris, 1825-1847 

SPEECHES AND WRITINGS 1856-1898, undated 
Reel

Speeches 

 42

 1856-1893 
Reel

 1894-98, undated 

 43

Remarks 1879-1898 

Writings 

 1830-96, undated 
Reel

 undated 

 44

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MISCELLANY 1848-1917 
Reel

Biographical Material 

 45

"General Miscellany" 
Reel

General Miscellany 

 46

Financial Papers 

Photographs 1861, undated 

Printed Matter 

 1848-1887 
Reel

 1867-1917, undated 

 47
Reel

Newspaper Clippings 

 48-50

Scrapbook 

 51

Record Books 

 52

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