Bennet Riley Papers, 1849

Summary

Creators:

Riley, Bennet, 1787-1853

Extent:

Number of containers: 2 volumes

Language:

English

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Bennet Riley papers, BANC MSS C-A 118, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Background

Biographical / historical:

Bennet Riley, born in Virginia in 1787, early became a soldier, rising to the rank of Colonel by 1840 and General by 1849. He fought in Florida, distinguished himself in the Mexican war, particularly in the battle of Cerro Gordo. At the end of the war, in the spring of 1849, he was sent to command the Pacific department, with headquarters at Monterey. Appointed military governor of California, he proposed a convention for the purpose of forming a state constitution. He resigned when this was accomplished, staying on at Monterey until July 1850. He then resumed regular army life until his death in Buffalo, New York, in 1853.

Physical location:

For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.

Related resources

Other descriptive data:

The papers in this collection come from various sources. Those in v.1 are originals, five of them purchased from Gelber-Lilienthal by subscription in June 1935. Though the source of the sixth document is unknown, it perhaps came from the Cowan Collection. Some items in v.2 were purchased from John Howell, December 12, 1947; some came from the T. W. Norris collection. Sources, when known, have been noted on the folders. Most of the papers are documents issued while Riley was governor of California. Some were signed for him or countersigned by Henry Wager Halleck, Secretary of State.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

Copyright has not been assigned to The Bancroft Library. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services. Permission for publication is given on behalf of The Bancroft Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Bennet Riley papers, BANC MSS C-A 118, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Location of this collection:

UC Berkeley, Bancroft Library

University of California, Berkeley, The Bancroft Library

Berkeley, CA 94720-6000, US

Contact:

510-642-6481

bancref-library@berkeley.edu

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