This collection contains correspondence and documents of John Davis during his political career from 1824 to 1853. There is material on the Anti-Masonic movement, Andrew Jackson's war on the U.S. Bank, the struggle between South Carolina and the federal government in 1832, and the rise of the slavery question to a dominant position in American politics. In all of these episodes, Davis played a prominent part with Daniel Webster and other notable Whigs. Letters from these individuals are evidence of the value placed on his judgment and ability as a political leader. Two boxes contain Davis' professional correspondence and speeches arranged chronologically, 1824 to 1851. These papers provide rather intimate details of the policies and methods of men in public life from the mid-1820s to the early 1850s, particularly the activities of the Whig Party. There are originals and drafts of speeches delivered by Davis in Congress on such leading issues as the tariff and slavery, together with many shorter papers on various political subjects. One of his early writings is a journal (in Box #3) kept on a visit to Washington, D.C., in 1830, at which time he sought action by Congress on behalf of the military claims of Massachusetts for the War of 1812. This journal includes drafts and copies of correspondence with federal authorities and many illuminating comments on affairs in Washington and the nation. There are also briefs of several cases argued by Davis in later years before the U.S. Supreme Court. The correspondence with Daniel Webster, Edward Everett, Rufus Choate, and Robert C. Winthrop is significant for the light it sheds on the politics of Massachusetts and the nation, and on the methods used by party leaders to further their aims and interests. The collection also includes one box of family correspondence, 1812-1902, which is mainly between John Davis and his wife, Eliza Bancroft Davis. The letters written by John Davis discuss personal, familial, and social matters as well as political activities and events. While most of these letters originate from Washington, some of the letters were written while taking domestic and European trips. The letters written by Eliza Davis are of the same nature as those of her husband's. Her letters are marked by intelligent political comments on and discussion of state and national issues, particularly as concerned legislation. Eliza appears to have been a confidant and aide to her husband. (It is noteworthy that there are several drafts and copies of his major speeches in her hand.) Eliza Davis' letters also kept John informed of local matters in and around Worcester, although she also spent much time in Washington with her husband and, as a result, her correspondence with her family and friends reveals much about life in the Capitol City during the second quarter of the nineteenth century. Included in Box #1 are letters relating to Eliza Davis' life as a widow. There are also several items belonging to J.C. Bancroft Davis and Andrew McFarland Davis. The final component of the collection is an oversize volume containing eleven miscellaneous warrants, commissions, and other official documents pertaining to the public life of John Davis from 1819 to 1850.
