David Davis papers, 1815-1964

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  • Creator Names Davis, David, 1815-1886.
  • Title David Davis papers [manuscript], 1815-1964, bulk 1815-1886.
  • Physical description
    • 15 linear ft. (33 boxes, 1 v.)
    • 1 oversize folder.
  • Collection summary
    • Primarily copies of correspondence, legal documents, speeches, pamphlets, and newsclippings relating to Davis family matters or to Davis's career as a lawyer; a judge in the Eighth Judicial Circuit of Illinois, 1848-1862; Abraham Lincoln's campaign manager; Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, 1862-1877; and U.S. Senator, 1877-1883. Most materials were collected by Willard L. King while writing a biography of Davis. Also present are a few original Davis items plus correspondence, prepublication manuscript, and reviews relating to King's book, 1950s-1964. Topics of the Davis materials include social and economic conditions in Illinois; life in Bloomington, Ill., and family affairs; political parties, especially the Whig and Republican parties, nationally and in Illinois; presidential campaigns and elections (1856-1876); Mormons in Illinois; the Mexican War; Davis's circuit-riding relationship with Lincoln, his riding partner; the antislavery movement; the rivalry between Norman B. Judd and John Wentworth; the Lincoln-Douglas debates; newspaper activities in Missouri and Chicago during the 1860s; the Civil War and particularly Missouri during the war; Davis as the administrator of Lincoln's estate; and the selection of a successor to Chief Justice Chase.
    • Correspondents include Davis's wife Sarah Walker Davis and his son George Perrin Davis, Orville Browning, Ambrose E. Burnside, Simon Cameron, Aaron Lucius Chapin, Salmon P. Chase, Henry Clay, Grover Cleveland, Henry Winter Davis, Theophilus Lyle Dickey, Stephen A. Douglas, Ninian Edwards, Jesse W. Fell, John C. Fremont, James A. Garfield, Ulysses S. Grant, John J. Hardin, James Harlan, Ozias M. Hatch, Rutherford B. Hayes, John F. Henry, William H. Herndon, Joseph Holt, Robert G. Ingersoll, Norman B. Judd, Ward Hill Lamon, Abraham Lincoln, Mary Todd Lincoln, Robert Todd Lincoln, Thomas Lincoln, Stephen T. Logan, J.E. McClure, Joseph Medill, Lambdin P. Milligan, Richard J. Oglesby, William W. Orme, Ebenezer Peck, Julius Rockwell, Winfield Scott, William H. Seward, Caleb Smith, Edwin M. Stanton, John T. Stuart, Noah H. Swayne, Leonard Swett, Samuel J. Tilden, Samuel H. Treat, Lyman Trumbull, John P. Usher, Clement L. Vallandigham, Elihu B. Washburne, Thurlow Weed, Gideon Welles, John Wentworth, Horace White, Henry Clay Whitney, and Richard Yates.
    • Correspondence about an autobiography by Davis is filed in box 1, but a copy of the autobiography is not present. This autobiography was owned by J. Grant Burke of Washington, D.C. ca. 1975.
  • Acquisition information Most of this collection was a gift of Willard L. King, primarily in 1956-1958 (M1957.0050, M974.0027).
  • Finding Aids Note Descriptive inventory available online. Also, a typed index of selected authors/recipients of items in the collection is available online.
  • Location of Other Archival Materials Note
    • Related materials at Chicago History Museum, Research Center, include the papers of Willard King, Mr. King's published biography of Davis, and an article by King about collecting the source materials for the biography, all cataloged separately.
    • A published description of the original David Davis papers in the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library (previously known as the Illinois State Historical Library) may be helpful to researchers consulting the photostats from that collection that are found at the Chicago History Museum. That published description is "The David Davis Family Papers, 1816-1943, A Descriptive Inventory," by Robert L. Brubaker (Springfield, Illinois State Historical Library, 1965).
  • Names
    • Davis, David, 1815-1886 Archives.
    • Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865.
    • Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 Biography.
    • Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 Family.
    • Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 Political and social views.
    • Lincoln, Robert Todd, 1843-1926.
    • Davis, George P. (George Perrin), b. ca. 1842.
    • Davis, Sarah, 1844-1879.
    • Davis, Sarah Woodruff Walker, 1814-1879.
    • King, Willard L. (Willard Leroy), b. 1893.
    • Walker, William Perrin, 1778-1858.
    • Illinois. Circuit Court (8th Circuit)
    • United States. Supreme Court Officials and employees.
    • Republican Party (U.S. : 1854- )
    • Browning, Orville Hickman, 1806-1881.
    • Burnside, Ambrose Everett, 1824-1881.
    • Cameron, Simon, 1799-1889.
    • Chapin, Aaron L. (Aaron Lucius), 1817-1892.
    • Chase, Salmon P. (Salmon Portland), 1808-1873.
    • Clay, Henry, 1777-1852.
    • Cleveland, Grover, 1837-1908.
    • Davis, George P. (George Perrin), b. ca. 1842.
    • Davis, Henry Winter, 1817-1865.
    • Davis, Sarah, 1844-1879.
    • Davis, Sarah Woodruff Walker, 1814-1879.
    • Dickey, Theophilus Lyle, 1811 or 12-1885.
    • Douglas, Stephen A. (Stephen Arnold), 1813-1861.
    • Edwards, Ninian, 1775-1833.
    • Fell, Jesse W., 1808-1887.
    • Frémont, John Charles, 1813-1890.
    • Garfield, James A. (James Abram), 1831-1881.
    • Grant, Ulysses S. (Ulysses Simpson), 1822-1885.
    • Hardin, John J., 1810-1847.
    • Harlan, James, 1820-1899.
    • Hatch, O. M. (Ozias Mather), 1814-1893.
    • Hayes, Rutherford Birchard, 1822-1893.
    • Henry, John F., 1847-1879.
    • Herndon, William Henry, 1818-1891.
    • Holt, Joseph, 1807-1894.
    • Ingersoll, Robert Green, 1833-1899.
    • Judd, Norman B. (Norman Buel), 1815-1878.
    • King, Willard L. (Willard Leroy), b. 1893, collector. col
    • King, Willard L. (Willard Leroy), b. 1893. Lincoln's manager, David Davis.
    • Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893.
    • Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865.
    • Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882.
    • Lincoln, Robert Todd, 1843-1926.
    • Lincoln, Thomas, 1778-1851.
    • Logan, Stephen T. (Stephen Trigg), 1800-1880.
    • McClure, J. E.
    • Medill, Joseph, 1823-1899.
    • Milligan, Lambdin P.
    • Oglesby, Richard J. (Richard James), 1824-1899.
    • Orme, William Ward, 1832-1866.
    • Pratt, Harry E., (Harry Edward), 1901-1956, collector.
    • Peck, E. (Ebenezer), 1805-1881.
    • Rockwell, Julius, 1805-1888.
    • Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866.
    • Seward, William Henry, 1801-1872.
    • Smith, Caleb B. (Caleb Blood), 1808-1864.
    • Stanton, Edwin McMasters, 1814-1869.
    • Stuart, John Todd, 1807-1885.
    • Swayne, Noah Haynes, 1804-1884.
    • Swett, Leonard, 1825-1889.
    • Tilden, Samuel J. (Samuel Jones), 1814-1886.
    • Treat, Samuel Hubbel, 1811-1887.
    • Trumbull, Lyman, 1813-1896.
    • Usher, John Palmer, 1816-1889.
    • Vallandigham, Clement L. (Clement Laird), 1820-1871.
    • Walker, William Perrin, 1778-1858.
    • Washburne, E. B. (Elihu Benjamin), 1816-1887.
    • Weed, Thurlow, 1797-1882.
    • Welles, Gideon, 1802-1878.
    • Wentworth, John, 1815-1888.
    • White, Horace, 1834-1916.
    • Whitney, Henry Clay, 1831-1905.
    • Yates, Richard, 1815-1873.
  • Subjects
    • Antislavery movements United States.
    • Families Illinois 19th century.
    • Judges Illinois 19th century.
    • Lawyers Illinois Bloomington 19th century.
    • Lincoln-Douglas debates, 1858.
    • Mormons Illinois 19th century.
    • Newspaper publishing Illinois Chicago 19th century.
    • Presidents United States Election 1860.
    • Presidents United States Election 1876.
    • Mexican War, 1846-1848.
  • Geographic coverage
    • Bloomington (Ill.) Social conditions 19th century.
    • Illinois Politics and government 19th century.
    • Missouri History Civil War, 1861-1865.
    • United States Politics and government 1849-1877.
    • United States History Civil War, 1861-1865.
  • Genre
    • Correspondence. aat
    • Legal documents. aat
    • Manuscripts for publication. aat
    • Newspaper clippings. aat
    • Pamphlets. aat
    • Photostats. aat
    • Speeches. aat
    • Wills. aat
  • Uniform title St. Louis Republican.
  • Geographic name United States Illinois Bloomington.
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