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Walter Quintin Gresham

Walter Q. Gresham Letters
S541
1869-1898
1 folder
Manuscript Section, Indiana Division
Indiana State Library

Processed by: Christina Baich, February 2006


 

Biographical Note:

Walter Quintin Gresham was born on March 17, 1832, near Lanesville, Harrison County, Indiana. He attended Indiana University and was admitted to the bar in 1854. He practiced law in New Albany, Indiana, with John H. Butler. In 1858, he married Matilda McGrain with whom he had two children.

In 1861, Gresham was a Representative in the Indiana General Assembly for Harrison County, but resigned to become Lieutenant Colonel of the 38th regiment of the Indiana Volunteers. During the Civil War, he also served in the 53rd regiment of the Indiana Volunteers and reached the rank of brevet major general in 1865. Following the war, he returned to his practice in New Albany. He also served as U.S. district judge for Indiana (1869-1883); U.S. postmaster general (1883-1884); and judge for the U.S. 7th circuit (1884-1893). In 1884, President Chester Arthur appointed him Secretary of the Treasury. He also served as a cabinet member under President Grover Cleveland as Secretary of State (1893-1895). He died on May 28, 1895, in Washington, D.C.

Source:


Dunn, Jacob Piatt. Indiana and Indianans: A History of Aboriginal and Territorial Indiana and the Century of Statehood. Volume IV. Chicago: The American Historical Society, 1919.

Shepherd, Rebecca A., Charles W. Calhoun, Elizabeth Shanahan-Shoemaker, and Alan F. January, comp. A Biographical Directory of the Indiana General Assembly, Volume 1, 1816-1899. Indianapolis: The Select Committee on the Centennial History of the Indiana General Assembly, 1980.

Scope and Content Note:

The collection largely contains letter written by Walter Q. Gresham to various lawyers and to his friend, Tom Slaughter. There are also copies of letters written to Gresham while a General in the U.S. Army. A handwritten note from Grover Cleveland praising Gresham is also included.

Item Listing:

1 Folder.
1869 Jan. 27 Rawlins, John A. to Walter Gresham, copy of ALS, 3 p.
1869 Feb. 11 Amant, N. to Walter Gresham, copy of ALS
1869 Feb. 22 Rawlins, John A. to Walter Gresham, copy of ALS
1869 Feb. 26 Gresham, Walter to Thomas E. Slaughter, copy of ALS, 2 p.
1876 Oct. 19 Gresham, Walter to Thomas E. Slaughter, copy of ALS, 2 p.
1877 July 1 Gresham, Walter to Thomas E. Slaughter, copy of ALS, 4 p.
1877 Apr. 13 Gresham, Walter to Thomas E. Slaughter, copy of ALS, 2 p.
1877 May 20 Gresham, Walter to Thomas E. Slaughter, copy of ALS, 2 p.
1883 Dec. 4 Gresham, Walter to Samuel Lasch, LS, 2 p.
[1888] May 24 Gresham, Walter to Hon. Z. Wolf, ALS
1888 Dec. 10 Gresham, Walter to Erastus Brainard, TLS
1893 May 16 Gresham, Walter to R. W. Johnson, LS
1897 Apr. 27 Bell, Horace to Otto Gresham, copy of TLS
1989 Mar. Cleveland, Grover to unidentified recipient, ALS

Collection Information:

Size of Collection:
1 folder
 
Collection Dates:
1869-1898
 
Provenance:
Otto Gresham, 28 March 1931; Walter Benjamin, May 1952
 
Access: This collection is open for research.
Restrictions:
None
 
Reproduction Rights:
Permission to reproduce, exhibit, or publish material in this collection must be obtained from the Manuscript Section, Indiana State Library.  Possession of a reproduction from an Indiana State Library collection does not constitute permission for use.
 
Language Materials are entirely in English
Alternate Formats:
None
 
Related Holdings:   

Notes:

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