John W. Stevenson papers
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- John W. Stevenson papers
- Date
- 1868-1885 (inclusive)
- Extent
- 2.25 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Legislators -- Kentucky.
- Lieutenant governors -- Kentucky
- Governors -- Kentucky.
- Legislators -- United States.
- Presidents -- United States -- Election -- 1876.
- Reconstruction (U.S. history, 1865-1877) -- Kentucky
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged by format.
- Preferred Citation
- 58m3: [identification of item], John W. Stevenson papers, 1868-1885, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Governor of Kentucky and United States Senator, John White Stevenson was born in Richmond, Virginia. He read law in Virginia and, on the advice of James Madison, moved west to open his practice. After living in Vicksburg, Mississippi, Stevenson moved to Covington, Kentucky in 1841. Four years later he was elected to the Kentucky state legislature as a representative from Kenton County. He was a member of the 1849 state constitutional convention and further familiarized himself with the state's laws by coauthoring with James Harlan, Code of Practice in Civil and Criminal Cases. After serving as a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions of 1848, 1852, 1861, he served in the House of Representatives (1857-1861). A strong Confederate sympathizer, Stevenson returned to politics after the Civil War, with his election to the lieutenant governorship of Kentucky in 1867. Upon the death of Governor John LaRue Helm, Stevenson was elevated to the governorship. He failed to serve the full term, however, for he defeated Senator Thomas McCreery and won a seat in the United States Senate in 1871. At the end of his term in 1877 he returned to his law practice in Covington and to teaching criminal law and contracts in the Cincinnati law school. He served as chairman of the Democratic National Convention in 1880, and in 1884 was elected president of the American Bar Association.
- Scope and Content
- The John W. Stevenson papers (dated 1868-1885; 2.25 cubic feet; 5 boxes) consist of diaries, letter books, receipts, and a will, documenting the life and career of Kentucky lawyer and politician John W. Stevenson. Stevenson's diaries (9 volumes) document daily life and contemporary political issues. The letter books (6 volumes) cover 1877-1884 and document Kentucky politics and the affairs of the Episcopal church. Many of the letters relate to the 1876 Presidential election between Rutherford B. Hayes and Samuel Tilden; Stevenson's visit to Louisiana as one of the "visiting statesmen" who went to examine the election returns; discussions of Hayes term as President; and the nomination of the Democratic candidate.
Restrictions on Access and Use
- Conditions Governing Access
- Collection is open to researchers by appointment.
- Use Restrictions
- The physical rights to the materials in this collection are held by the University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
Contents of the Collection
Diaries, 1868-1885
Bound notebook, 1868
- Box 1, folder 1
Scope and Contents
Notebook is blank except for a handwritten title page, "Presented to J.W. Stevenson by James J. Berry, Esq. March 1868 in Newport, Ky.".
Diary, 1877
Diary, 1878
Diary, 1879
Diary, 1880
Diary, 1881
Diary, 1882 January-June
Diary, 1882 May-June
Diary, 1883
Diary, 1884
Diary, 1885
Letter books, 1877-1884
Letter book, 1877 April 18-1878 July 28
Letter book, 1878 September 9-1880 January 6
Letter book, 1880 January 10-1880 August 4
Letter book, 1880 August 12-1881 May 14
Letter book, 1881 April 2-1882 November 28
Letter book, 1882 November 29-1884 December 10
Receipts and will, 1885
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Questions? Contact SCRC via our Contact Form.
Table of Contents
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. Appointments are encouraged but not required. Schedule an appointment here.
Researchers must have an SCRC Researcher Account to request materials. View account set-up and use instructions here.
Questions? Contact SCRC via our Contact Form.
Requests
No items have been requested.
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
