Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Townsend Harris Papers,
- Dates:
- 1855-1892
- Creators:
- Harris, Townsend, 1804-1878
- Abstract:
- Townsend Harris (1804-1878) was born in Sandy Hill, New York. In 1855, he was appointed U.S. Consul General to Japan. He negotiated commercial treaties with Siam in 1857 and Japan in 1858. After the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860, he resigned and returned to New York City. The collection consists of a microfilm copy of the original journal and letters of Townsend Harris, the first U.S. Consul to Japan, from the original manuscript at the College of the City of New York.
- Extent:
- 1 oversize box
- Language:
- English.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Townsend Harris Papers (Collection 839). Department of Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
Collection consists of a microfilm copy of the original journal and letters of Townsend Harris, the first U.S. Consul to Japan, from the original manuscript at the College of the City of New York.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Harris was born October 3, 1804 in Sandy Hill, New York; at age 13 started work at a dry goods store in New York City; joined his father and brother in business importing china; elected as a Democrat to the Board of Education in 1846, where he successfully led the fight for a free college which later became the College of the City of New York; purchased a trading ship, sailed to California, and undertook voyages in the Pacific and Indian Oceans which ended in financial disaster; in 1855 he was appointed U.S. Consul General to Japan; negotiated commercial treaties with Siam in 1857 and Japan in 1858; after the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860, he resigned, returned to New York City, became a War Democrat, and joined the Union League Club; spent his remaining years concerned with temperance, Christian missions, and foreign affairs; he died on February 25, 1878.
- Acquisition information:
- Gift of College of the City of New York.
- Physical location:
- Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
Indexed terms
About this collection guide
- Date Prepared:
- © 1999
- Date Encoded:
- Machine-readable finding aid derived from encoding original wordprocessor file, May 1999 . Frontmatter gathered from MARC record. Supplementary encoding and revision supplied by Caroline Cubé.
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Advance notice required for access.
- Terms of access:
-
Property rights to the physical object belong to the UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Townsend Harris Papers (Collection 839). Department of Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
- Location of this collection:
-
A1713 Charles E. Young Research LibraryBox 951575Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575, US
- Contact:
- (310) 825-4988