Lesser Known U.S. Presidents of the 19th Century

These letters are from men who served as President of the United States. Many of the letters were written while they were in office or prior to taking the oath of office. The letters featured in this case were specifically chosen because these men served in the 19th Century and are some of the lesser known Presidents to have served the country. Within this case are letters exchanged between James Monroe (5th President) and Alexander Hamilton in 1797 regarding accusations against Hamilton for bribery, to cover up financial misconduct as Secretary of the Treasury. There is also a letter from General Zachary Taylor (12th President) to Jefferson Davis, future President of the Confederacy from 1846. At the time of the letter Taylor was commanding forces during the Mexican War which resulted in the acquisition of California and New Mexico for the United States. These are a few of the Presidential letters that are part of a collection of 600 signatures held by Special Collections. The collection features signatures from every President from George Washington through Richard Nixon. To view more letters like these or to use these rich primary sources in your research, please visit Special Collections on the third floor of the Linderman Library.