Marvin H. Bovee correspondence, 1850-1887

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Summary

Creators:
Bovee, Marvin H. (Marvin Henry), 1827-1888
Abstract:
Collection primarily consists of letters received by Marvin H. Bovee regarding the abolition of capital punishment and Democratic politics, dating from 1850 to 1887.
Extent:
2.4 Linear Feet (2 boxes)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Marvin H. Bovee correspondence, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection primarily consists of letters received by Marvin H. Bovee regarding the abolition of capital punishment and Democratic politics, dating from 1850 to 1887. Correspondents include James Buchanan, Horace Greeley, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Horatio Seymour, Gerrit Smith, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, William Cullen Bryant, Charles Sumner, Henry Whitney Bellows, John Greenleaf Whittier, Salmon P. Chase, Morgan Dix, Cassius Marcellus Clay, Theodore Tilton, Fernando Wood, and others; in addition, there is some Bovee family correspondence including two letters from Marvin H. Bovee to his wife. Also present are contemporary copies of four poems, Bovee family obituaries, and a carte-de-visite of Horace Greeley.

The three autograph letters signed from James Buchanan to Marvin H. Bovee are dated 1864 October 18 (BV 9), 1867 December 9 (BV 10), and 1868 February 10 (BV 11).

Biographical / historical:

Marvin H. Bovee (1827-1888), a Wisconsin Democratic politician and social reformer, was born in Amsterdam, New York. In 1843, he moved to the Wisconsin territory and in 1852 was elected a state senator. Bovee led a successful campaign to abolish capital punishment in Wisconsin in 1853 and went on to become a national expert in the death penalty and prison reform.

Acquisition information:
Purchased from H.B. Halverson, 1956.
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 chronologically.

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]. Marvin H. Bovee correspondence, 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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