Isaac N. Arnold collection, 1834-1888

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Summary

Creators:
Arnold, Isaac N., 1815-1884
Abstract:
Collection consists of loose letters and documents dating from 1834 to 1888 that were removed from Isaac N. Arnold's The Life of Abraham Lincoln (1885), 17875, volumes 1 and 2.
Extent:
0.5 Linear Feet (1 box)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Isaac N. Arnold collection, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

Collection consists of loose letters and documents removed from Isaac N. Arnold's The Life of Abraham Lincoln, 17875, volumes 1 and 2. Materials created by U.S. presidents include Millard Fillmore, Washington, D.C., order to Secretary of State Edward Everett, document signed, 1853 February 25; Franklin Pierce, Washington, D.C., order to Secretary of State William Learned Marcy, document signed, 1855 April 19; James Buchanan, Washington, D.C., order to Secretary of State Lewis Cass, document signed, 1859 December 30; James A. Garfield, Washington, D.C., note to Mr. Conant, autograph letter signed, 1875 March 8; Ulysses S. Grant letter to unknown recipient recommending Dr. Hicks, autograph letter signed, undated; Martin Van Buren order to Secretary of State John Forsyth, document signed, 1839 August 1.

Also present are letters or documents from Benjamin F. Butler, Henry Clay, Schuyler Colfax, Roscoe Conkling, Edward Everett, Hannibal Hamlin, Oliver Otis Howard, Reverdy Johnson, Robert Todd Lincoln, John A. Logan, Irvin McDowell, Montgomery C. Meigs, Lot M. Morrill, John M. Schofield, Winfield Scott, Philip H. Sheridan, William T. Sherman, Daniel Sickles, Alexander H. Stephens, Charles Sumner, Alfred H. Terry, and Daniel Webster.

Biographical / historical:

Isaac N. Arnold (1815-1884) was born in Hartwick, New York, and studied law. In 1836, he moved to Chicago, where he set up a legal practice and met Abraham Lincoln. Arnold served three terms in the Illinois House of Representatives as a Democrat; he later joined the abolition movement and the Free Soil Party, then became a Republican. In 1860, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, serving until 1865, where he sponsored abolition legislation. Arnold served briefly from 1865 to 1866 as the Sixth Auditor of the U.S. Treasury. He returned to Chicago, where he resumed his legal work and wrote biographies of Benedict Arnold and Abraham Lincoln; his book The Life of Abraham Lincoln was published in 1884. Arnold died in Chicago at age 68.

Acquisition information:
Provenance unknown. In library as of 1959.
Custodial history:

Removed from Isaac N. Arnold, The Life of Abraham Lincoln (Chicago: Jansen, McClurg, & company, 1885), Call number: 17875, on May 30, 1974.

Processing information:

This finding aid was created in 2022 by Melissa Haley as part of the American Presidential Papers Project with enhanced description of the presidential material present. The items had been assembled physically and arranged by Huntington Library former staff in the mid-20th century.

Arrangement:

Collection is arranged alphabetically by sender.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Isaac N. Arnold collection, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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