Timothy Pitkin Papers mssPI
Gayle Richardson
The Huntington Library
July 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: Timothy Pitkin papers
Creator:
Pitkin, Timothy, 1766-1847
Identifier/Call Number: mssPI
Physical Description:
8.19 Linear Feet
(6 boxes, 10 folders)
Date (inclusive): 1681-1847
Date (bulk): 1800-1830
Abstract: A collection of professional and personal material related to the American statesman, Timothy Pitkin.
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]. Timothy Pitkin papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from William Channing Wyman, October 1922.
Timothy Pitkin (1766-1847) was an American statesman, economist, and historian. Pitkin was born in Connecticut, and throughout
his life was closely identified with the affairs of his native state. He was a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives
in 1790, 1792, and from 1794 to 1805, serving as Clerk of the House from 1800 to 1802, and as Speaker from 1803 to 1805. In
1805, he was elected as a Federalist, to the Ninth United States Congress; he retained the seat in the next six congresses.
While in Congress, Pitkin did extensive research on the economic impact of Republican foreign policy. The results of his research
were published in A Statistical View of the Commerce of the United States of America (1816). A staunch Federalist and defender
of the Congregational Church establishment, Pitkin was not a candidate for re-nomination in 1818. Having taken part in the
convention that framed the new constitution of Connecticut, he resumed the practice of law and engaged in literary work. In
1819, he was again elected to the State House of Representatives; he served until 1830. He continued to study history, economics,
and theology, and in 1828 published A Political and Civil History of the United States of America.
A collection of 336 items from 1681 to 1847, it consists of the political and personal correspondence of Timothy Pitkin: letters
addressed to him and drafts of his letters. The correspondence discusses various political, diplomatic, and economic topics,
including the Thomas Jefferson-Aaron Burr election; impeachment of Samuel Chase; foreign policy; the War of 1812; the Hartford
convention; presidential elections; Louisiana affairs; commerce; banking; internal revenue; and patent legislation. Also included
are letters related to Pitkin's historical studies. Correspondents include John Quincy Adams, Simon Baldwin, Theodore Dwight,
Chauncey Goodrich, Bela Hubbard, William Stedman, John Treadwell, Eli Whitney, and others. Also included are a few earlier
items, apparently from the files of William Pitkin (1694-1769) who was the colonial governor of Connecticut and grandfather
of Timothy Pitkin.
John Quincy Adams letters to Timothy Pitkin are dated 1817 September 1, 1819 April 28, 1827 February 13, 1831 August 18, 1837
April 22 (PI 1-5).
Processed by Huntington Library Staff, circa 1930. In 2020, Gayle Richardson created the finding aid derived from a legacy
summary report. In 2022, Melissa Haley enhanced description of the presidential material present in the collection as part
of the American Presidential Papers Project.
This collection should not be confused with the papers of Timothy Pitkin published by the Connecticut Historical Society in
its Collections, volume 19 (1921).
Individual call numbers included in the collection: mssPI 1-336.
Arranged chronologically.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Economists -- United States
Historians -- United States
Legislators -- Connecticut -- Archives
Legislators -- United States
Patent laws and legislation -- United States -- History
Presidents -- United States -- Election -- 19th century
Presidents -- United States -- Election -- 1800
Connecticut -- History -- 1775-1865
Connecticut -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775
Louisiana -- History -- 1803-1865
United States -- Commerce -- History -- 19th century
United States -- Foreign relations -- 19th century
United States -- History -- 1783-1865 -- Sources
United States -- History -- War of 1812
United States -- Politics and Government -- 1783-1865
Letters (correspondence) -- United States -- 19th century
Personal papers -- Connecticut
Professional papers -- Connecticut
Adams, John Quincy, 1767-1848
Baldwin, Simeon, 1761-1851
Chase, Samuel, 1741-1811
Dwight, Theodore, 1764-1846
Goodrich, Chauncey, 1759-1815
Hubbard, Bela, 1739-1812
Pitkin, William, 1635-1694
Steadman, William, 1764-1837
Treadwell, John, 1745-1823
Whitney, Eli, 1765-1825
Federal Party (U.S.) -- History
Republican Party (U.S. : 1792-1828) -- History
Hartford Convention (1814-1815 : Hartford, Conn.)
Box 1, Folder 1-62
1686-1808
Box 2, Folder 1-57
1809-1812
Box 3, Folder 1-59
1813-1816
Box 4, Folder 1-57
1817-1822
Box 5, Folder 1-54
1823-1833
Box 6, Folder 1-44
1834-1847
Folder 1-10
Articles of Agreement, deeds, printed items and forms 1681-1847