Materials relating to General John C. Frémont and the conquest of California, 1885.

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Materials relating to General John C. Frémont and the conquest of California, 1885.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/569384408

Negative photocopies of two letters and one book chapter relating to Josiah Royce's work on General John C. Frémont and the conquest of California. The first letter, written from Cambridge, Massachusetts, on April 14, 1885, is addressed to Frémont's wife, Jessie B. Fremont. In the letter, Royce presents himself as an "historical student" who is conducting an "investigation of the problems of the Conquest of California." He writes extensively of a confidential government mission given to American merchant Thomas O. Larkin in 1845, and which was supposed to persuade residents of California to turn against England and Mexico and attach themselves to the United States, either peacefully or by force. Royce quotes an interview he had with Frémont in which the General denied knowledge of Larkin being made a secret agent. Royce urges Mrs. Frémont to make any knowledge General Fremont had about Larkin known publicly, because he felt that "my book would do harm and not good to General Frémont's renown." The letter is labeled "copy of my letter of inquiry to Mrs. Frémont." A second letter, dated August 20, 1885 and also written from Cambridge to Mrs. Frémont, also focuses on the "Larkin dispatch" and Royce's belief that General Frémont already knew of its existence. Royce writes of testimony from Archibald H. Gillespie before a Claims Committee in 1848 in which Gillespie claimed he had told Frémont about the dispatch, and also mentions a letter from Fremont to Senator Thomas Hart Benton (Mrs. Frémont's father) in May 1846 to the same effect. Royce also writes of a paper called "The Secret History of the Acquisition of California" which he planned to give at an American Historical Society conference at Saratoga. The final item is a chapter from an unnamed book, written by Royce and apparently sent to Mrs. Frémont. Royce again remarks on Larkin, the intentions of the United States government regarding California, and of letters supposedly written by Senator Benton, Mrs. Frémont, and General Frémont to the effect that any means necessary would be employed to prevent England from taking California, even if it meant war with Mexico. Includes handwritten corrections by Mrs. Frémont.

3 negative photocopies, 66 pages.

Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens

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SNAC Resource ID: 7758423

Related Entities

There are 5 Entities related to this resource.

Frémont, John Charles, 1813-1890

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6zt3kwm (person)

John Charles Frémont (January 21, 1813 – July 13, 1890) was an American explorer, military officer, and politician. He was a US Senator from California, and in 1856 was the first Republican nominee for President of the United States. A native of Georgia, Frémont acquired male protectors after his father's death, and became proficient in mathematics, science, and surveying. During the 1840s, he led five expeditions into the Western United States and became known as "The Pathfinder". During the...

Frémont, Jessie Benton, 1824-1902

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w65t3phs (person)

She was born near Lexington, Virginia, the second child of Thomas Hart Benton (1782–1858) and Elizabeth McDowell (1794–1854). She was born in the home of her mother's father, James McDowell. Her father, Senator Benton, had been wanting a son, but went ahead and named her in honor of his father, Jesse Benton. Jessie was raised in Washington, D.C., more in the manner of a 19th century son than daughter, with her father, who was renowned as the "Great Expansionist," seeing to her early education...

Royce, Josiah, 1855-1916

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6zg6v1d (person)

Josiah Royce was born in Grass Valley, California, on November 20, 1855. He received a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1885 and a Ph.D. in philosophy from Johns Hopkins University in 1878. Royce taught English and philosophy at both Berkeley and Harvard, and was also active in the study of the American West. He spent a significant amount of time from 1883 to 1891 writing both histories and novels relating to California history. Royce Hall at UCLA and the Grass Valley Library...

Benton, Thomas Hart, 1782-1858

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6dr32qh (person)

Thomas Hart Benton (1782-1858) was a Missouri Democrat who served as a senator from 1821 to 1851. He opposed both abolitionism and the extension of slavery into new territories, but was a staunch advocate of westward expansion of the United States. He died in 1858. From the guide to the Thomas Hart Benton letter, 1846 May 14, (J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah) Lawyer; Tennessee state senator, 1809-1811; aide-de-camp to Andrew Jackson; colonel of a regiment of ...

Larkin, Thomas Oliver, 1802-1858

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w62v2m25 (person)

Thomas O. Larkin (1802-1858) was a merchant who settled in Monterey, California, who later became U.S. consul (1844-48) and served as a delegate to the California Constitutional Convention in 1849. From the description of Letter from Thomas Oliver Larkin to Job Francis Dye and party, 1845 Aug. 10. (Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens). WorldCat record id: 122499643 Thomas O. Larkin, early California pioneer, arrived in California in 1832. Became succe...