Hamilton Fish letters, 1820-1917
Summary Information
At a Glance
- Call No.:
- MS#0424
- Bib ID:
- 4078758 View CLIO record
- Creator(s):
- Fish, Hamilton, 1808-1893
- Repository:
- Rare Book and Manuscript Library
- Physical Description:
- 5 linear feet (12 document boxes and 1 volume)
- Language(s):
- English .
- Other Finding Aids
- Access:
- You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.
-
The following box is located offsite: Box 13. You will need to request this material from the Rare Book and Manuscript Library at least three business in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.
This collection has no restrictions.
Description
Summary
This group of approximately 1,000 letters from the papers of Hamilton Fish, Sr. relates to the business, functioning, and activities of Columbia College in the 19th century. The letters include those addressed to Fish and those written by him. The earliest material bears on Fish's activities and interests at about the time he graduated from Columbia, but the majority of the letters fall into the latter part of his life, many being written by and to Fish as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Columbia College. The collection includes correspondence with presidents Charles King, F.A.P. Barnard, and Seth Low of Columbia College, also with Edmund Bailey, Charles Davies, Charles W. Harper, William M. Sloan, William C. Schermerhorn, and others. The majority of the letters are original manuscripts and typescripts, but many of the letters from Fish are photostatic and typed copies. Most of the letters are tipped onto manila sheets. Included are two diaries of Mr. Fish's European travels, 1856-1857. There is also a box of printed materials relating primarily to the settlement of the Alabama Claims.
-
Series I: Hamilton Fish letters, 1827-1893
This series contains Hamilton Fish's correspondence. Most are in-coming letters but the collection includes Fish's own out-going mail, either as originals or duplicates, which were collected and inserted in the collection. The duplicates are mostly photostats, but there are also handwritten and typescript copies. These are identified as [COPY] in the inventory. Item descriptions are, for the most part, according to the brief abstracts in "A Calendar to the Hamilton Fish Papers" prepared under the direction of John Bassett Moore; however, not all letters in the Calendar are part of the collection. Only the letters collected here as physical items, originals or copies, are included in the inventory for this series. There are also letters in the collection that were missing from the Calendar and have been added. For some letters, there is additional description, which came from "A Digest of the Hamilton Fish Papers." The Digest also includes letters that are not part of this collection and those descriptions have been omitted. Both of the earlier inventories can be found in the legacy finding aid.
-
Series II: Materials and additions, 1820-1917
This series contains the rest of the items in this collection, that is, those that are not correspondence and those that were added later. This series includes notebooks, travel diaries, publications, etc. Other items in this series were part of the gifts from Hamilton Fish in 1973 and again in 1974.
Arrangement
Letters are arranged: chronologically in six file boxes.
Using the Collection
Other Finding Aids
Restrictions on Access
You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.
The following box is located offsite: Box 13. You will need to request this material from the Rare Book and Manuscript Library at least three business in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.
This collection has no restrictions.
Terms Governing Use and Reproduction
Reproductions may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.
Preferred Citation
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Hamilton Fish letters; Box and Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.
Related Archival Materials
The general papers of Hamilton Fish were presented to the Library of Congress in 1978.
The Jonathan Nathan letters consists of 484 letters written by Jonathan Nathan to his college classmate, Hamilton Fish. There is additional Fish correspondence in the Columbia College papers (UA#0224) and one folder in Central Files (UA#0001). For additional materials related to Columbia College during this period, please consult the Frederick A.P. Barnard Papers (MS#0073), Seth Low papers (MS#2025), and the Minutes of the Board of Trustees (UA#0019).
Reproduction Note
Type of reproduction--Copies in part
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Source of acquisition--Fish, Hamilton. Method of acquisition--Gift; Date of acquisition--1938. Accession number--M-38.
1 letter (HF to D. Ruggles, 12/2/1883): Source of acquisition--Mott, Donald N. Method of acquisition--Gift; Date of acquisition--1991. Accession number--M-1991.
Gift of Donald N. Mott, 1991.
About the Finding Aid / Processing Information
Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Processing Information
Cataloged Christina Hilton Fenn 06/--/89.
1 letter (HF to D. Ruggles, 12/2/1883) Cataloged HR 10/14/91.
Revision Description
2022-02-01 PDF replaced with full finding aid (JR)
Biographical Note
Hamilton Fish, Columbia College Class of 1827, was Trustee from 1840-1849 and 1851-1893; Chairman of the Board 1859-1893.
Subject Headings
The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches for other collections at Columbia University, through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, and through ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.
All links open new windows.