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