George Harrington Papers mssHarrington
Gayle Richardson
The Huntington Library
December 2020
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Business Number: (626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
Note
Finding aid last updated on October 10, 2022 by Melissa Haley.
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: George Harrington papers
Creator:
Harrington, George, 1815-1892
Identifier/Call Number: mssHarrington
Physical Description:
1.2 Linear Feet
(1 box)
Date (inclusive): 1849-1891
Date (bulk): 1862-1873
Abstract: A collection of material related to the personal and professional life of George Harrington, American treasury official and
diplomat.
Language of Material: Materials are in English.
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more
information.
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.
[Identification of item]. George Harrington papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from William K. Bixby, 1918.
George Harrington (1815-1892), was an American Treasury official and diplomat. Harrington served as a clerk in the Treasury
Department before being appointed chief clerk under his personal friend Salmon P. Chase, Chief Justice of the United States.
During the Civil War, Harrington served as assistant secretary of the treasury. After the death of President Abraham Lincoln
on April 14, 1865, Harrington was given the task of organizing the funeral; he also served as the Grand Marshal for the funeral
procession. In 1865-1869 he served as minister-resident to Switzerland, and from 1870 until 1876 he was president of Automatic
Telegraph Co., New York. Harrington died while traveling at sea in December 1892.
A collection of 64 items which includes the personal and professional correspondence and documents of George Harrington, chiefly
letters addressed to him. Correspondents include Salmon P. Chase, William Pitt Fessenden, Edward Bates, John J. Cisco, and
others. The letters discuss the U. S. financial administration during the Civil War, New York and Maryland politics, and Harrington's
personal and family affairs. Also included is Harrington's draft of the program of the funeral procession of Abraham Lincoln.
Collection includes James A. Garfield letter signed to George Harrington, 1874 January 6 (HM 20350).
Processed by Huntington Library Staff, circa 1925. In 2020, Gayle Richardson created the finding aid derived from legacy in-house
summary report. In 2022, Melissa Haley enhanced description of the presidential material present in the collection as part
of the American Presidential Papers Project.
Former call number: mssHarrington file.
Arranged chronologically.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Diplomats -- United States
Politicians -- United States
Maryland -- Politics and Government -- 19th century
New York (State) -- Politics and Government -- 19th century
United States -- Politics and Government -- 1849-1877
United States -- History -- 1849-1877
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
Letters (correspondence) -- United States -- 19th century
Personal papers -- United States -- 19th century
Bates, Edward, 1793-1869
Chase, Salmon P. (Salmon Portland), 1808-1873
Cisco, John J.
Fessenden, William Pitt, 1806-1869
Garfield, James A. (James Abram), 1831-1881
Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 -- Death and burial
United States. Department of the Treasury -- Officials and employees
Box 1, Folder 1-62
George Harrington papers 1849-1891