Richard Henry Lee letters

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Collection Data

Description
Richard Henry Lee (1732-1794), American statesman, was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation. He represented Virginia in the Continental Congress and later in the United States Senate. The Richard Henry Lee letters, dated 1773-1793, are written mainly to family members, including his brother William Lee, and chiefly concern mercantile affairs, family matters and political or military news of the day. A letter to kinsman Charles Lee, August 31, 1779, discusses international alliances and mentions his brother Arthur Lee's interest in bringing a libel suit against Silas Deane for his published Address of December 5, 1778. Letters to other correspondents include a 1778 letter to Virginia statesman John Page, discussing British and American military movements and France's entry in the war, and a 1781 letter to an unidentified recipient suggesting means to secure a loan from Holland to help defray Virginia's war costs. Also present are Richard Henry Lee's letter of March 26, 1787 declining the position of delegate at the Constitutional Convention, and his resignation from the United States Senate, October 8, 1792, both letters citing poor health.
Names
Lee, Charles, 1758-1815 (Addressee)
Lee, William, 1739-1795 (Addressee)
Page, John, 1744-1808 (Addressee)
Lee, Richard Henry, 1732-1794 (Creator)
Lee, Richard Henry, 1732-1794 (Correspondent)
Dates / Origin
Date Created: 1771 - 1793
Library locations
Manuscripts and Archives Division
Shelf locator: MssCol 4522
Topics
Deane, Silas, 1737-1789
Lee, Richard Henry, 1732-1794
Lee family
Merchants
Statesmen
Merchants -- Virginia -- 18th century
United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783
United States -- Politics and government -- 1775-1783
Virginia -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783
Virginia -- Politics and government -- 1775-1783
Genres
Correspondence
Notes
Funding: Digitization was made possible by a lead gift from the Polonsky Foundation.
Physical Description
Extent: .1 linear feet 1 folder
Type of Resource
Text
Identifiers
MSS Unit ID: 4522
Barcode: 33433108792130
NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b19984005
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): 4345b0f0-cb2b-0132-27cb-58d385a7b928
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