John A. Andrew Papers 1772-1895 Guide to the Collection

Table of Contents Collection Summary Biographical Sketch Collection Description Related Materials Acquisition Information Restrictions on Use Organization Detailed Description of the Collection Select Index Preferred Citation Access Terms

Collection Summary

Biographical Sketch

John Albion Andrew (1818-1867) was a prominent anti-slavery lawyer and Civil War governor of Massachusetts. A native of Windham, Maine, Andrew graduated from Bowdoin College in 1837 and began the practice of law in Boston in 1840. He became active in antebellum reform movements, speaking out strongly in favor of temperance and against slavery, and joined fellow attorneys Richard Henry Dana, Jr. (1815-1882) and Charles Sumner (1811-1874) in fugitive slave litigation. Politically, Andrew was one of the organizers of the anti-slavery Free Soil Party and later helped in the formation of the Republican Party of Massachusetts. Elected overwhelmingly to five one-year terms between 1861 and 1866, the popular Governor Andrew was a leader among the chief executives of northern states in furthering the Union cause during the Civil War. A stalwart supporter of President Abraham Lincoln and his policies, Andrew was in the forefront of vigorous efforts to raise funds and gather troops for the war against the Confederacy. He also advocated the emancipation of slaves at an early date and lobbied successfully for the creation of the first all-black Union regiment, the 54th Massachusetts.

Collection Description

The papers of John A. Andrew, 1772-1895, consist of 25 boxes of loose manuscripts and 16 bound volumes of letterbooks, scrapbooks, and miscellaneous records, microfilmed onto 43 reels. The collection contains a small amount of material on Andrew's antebellum activities on behalf of the anti-slavery and temperance causes; fugitive slave cases; the operations of the New England Emigrant Aid Company, which promoted anti-slavery settlements in Kansas, 1854-1857; and family and personal business matters after 1865. However, the bulk of the collection relates to Andrew's governorship, 1861-1866. Areas especially well documented are: Republican affairs in Massachusetts and the nation, including party nominations, elections, patronage, and Andrew's contributions to the war effort; the recruitment and provisioning of troops; and military appointments and promotions. Correspondence with Francis W. Bird, George S. Boutwell, Charles Sumner, and Henry Wilson relates to Republican Party matters. Letters to and from Albert C. Browne, Jr., George H. Gordon, Henry Lee, Jr., George Gordon Meade, and Horace Binney Sargent discuss the military situation in the field. Among the other important correspondents represented in the collection are: Charles Francis Adams, Nathaniel P. Banks, Maria Weston Chapman, James Freeman Clarke, Richard Henry Dana, Jr., Edward Everett, William Lloyd Garrison, Horace Greeley, Edward Everett Hale, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Julia Ward Howe, Abraham Lincoln, William H. Seward, and Edwin M. Stanton.

For an alphabetical list of select individuals, events, organizations, and subjects of significance which appear in the collection, as well as their box and folder locations, see the Select Index.

Related Materials

The Massachusetts Historical Society (MHS) holds the following collections related to the John A. Andrew papers:

John F. Andrew papers, 1859-1897. Ms. N-1769. Finding aid available at: http://www.masshist.org/findingaids/doc.cfm?fa=fa0236.

Dana family papers, 1654-1950. Ms. N-1088; P-646. Finding aid available at: http://www.masshist.org/findingaids/doc.cfm?fa=fa0233.

George H. Gordon papers, 1842-1885. Ms. N-1304; P-376.

Lee family papers, 1535-1957. Ms. N-2019 (tall); P-345. Finding aid available at: http://www.masshist.org/findingaids/doc.cfm?fa=fa0260.

Acquisition Information

Gift of Edith and Henry Hersey Andrew, 1921-1922. Four letters related to Robert Gould Shaw were given to the MHS by Ellen Shaw Barlow in 1928.

Restrictions on Use

The Massachusetts Historical Society (MHS) has made this microfilm available as an aid to scholarship. The materials reproduced herein are the property of the MHS, and sale of this microfilm conveys no expressed or implied permission to quote any document (meaning diary entries, letters, or other papers) in full without the prior written permission of the MHS. Citations must credit the Massachusetts Historical Society as the repository of the originals.

Organization of the Collection

The collection is organized into the following series:

Detailed Description of the Collection

Select Index

Listed below are the names of select individuals, events, organizations, and subjects of historical significance which appear in the collection. The numbers following each item indicate the box(es) and folder(s) where information about that item is located. For example, information about Charles Francis Adams can be found in Box 1, Folders 2 and 11, etc.

Preferred Citation

John A. Andrew papers, Massachusetts Historical Society.

Access Terms

This collection is indexed under the following headings in ABIGAIL, the online catalog of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related persons, organizations, or subjects should search the catalog using these headings.