Samuel Swasey Papers, 1819-1846

Collection number: MC 6
Size: 1 box (0.33 cu.ft.)

About Samuel Swasey

Samuel Swasey (1804-1887) was a New Hampshire politician of the 1840’s, associated with the radical or “locofoco” wing of the Democratic party. The son of Obadiah Swasey, a prominent Haverhill, New Hampshire lumber dealer, Samuel studied law at Dartmouth College. After graduating in 1828, he moved to Illinois and worked as a teacher. Swasey returned to Haverhill, New Hampshire in 1835 and began his political career. He served as Haverhill’s town selectman and moderator and worked ten years as register of probate for Grafton County. Swasey represented Haverhill in the New Hampshire House of Representatives seven times from 1839 to 1850, acting as the Speaker of the House in 1842-43. During Franklin Pierce’s administration, Swasey was Inspector of Customs at Portsmouth. In 1857 he moved to Illinois, where he lived until his death in 1887.

About the Samuel Swasey Papers

The collection consists of letters written to Samuel Swasey between 1834 and 1845, from various places in New Hampshire and from Washington, D.C. The majority of the correspondents are politicians writing about such issues as the candidacies of Van Buren and Calhoun, the annexation of Texas, the difficulties of revising state statutes, the regulation of corporations, and other matters of national or state interest. Much of the correspondence concerns “locofoco” opposition to the Concord Rail Road Corporation. Also included in the collection are three letters to his father Obadiah Swasey. (?-1836, will probate 17 July 1836)

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

This collection is open.

Copyright Notice

Contents of this collection are governed by U.S. copyright law. For questions about publication or reproduction rights, contact Special Collections staff.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], [Folder], [Box], Samuel Swasey Papers, 1819-1846, MC 6, Milne Special Collections and Archives, University of New Hampshire Library, Durham, NH, USA.

Acquisitions Information

Purchased: Manuscript Co. of Springfield (Accession number: 8018)

Collection Contents

Box 1
Box 1, Folder 1Atherton, C. H., 1842
Box 1, Folder 2Carroll, Henry H., 1842-45
Box 1, Folder 3Clement, Zenas, 1845
Box 1, Folder 4Duncan, Horace, 1845
Box 1, Folder 5Fox, Charles J., 1842
Box 1, Folder 6Hibbard, Harry, 1840-1843
Box 1, Folder 7Holkins, F., 1842
Box 1, Folder 8Hunt, Israel, Jr., 1845
Box 1, Folder 9Johnson, J. A., 1840
Box 1, Folder 10Johnson, Simeon B., 1842
Box 1, Folder 11Lane, Charles, 1845
Box 1, Folder 12Mathews, D. W., 1840
Box 1, Folder 13Newell, Z., 1845
Box 1, Folder 14Norris, M., Jr., 1844
Box 1, Folder 15Reading, John R., 1841-1842
Box 1, Folder 16Stevens, Halsey R., 1844
Box 1, Folder 17Straw, Jacob, 1843
Box 1, Folder 18Swasey, John H., 1834-1835
Box 1, Folder 19Treadwell, Thomas P., 1844
Box 1, Folder 20Wheeler, D. E., 1843
Box 1, Folder 21Wilcox, L., 1843
Box 1, Folder 22Miscellaneous Papers, 1838 and 1846
Box 1, Folder 23Letters to Obadiah Swasey (Samuel’s Father), 1819, 1835-1836
Collection

Formats

Letters & Postcards