James Shannon papers, 1804-1833
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- James Shannon papers, 1804-1833
- Creator
- Shannon, James, d. 1832.
- Extent
- 73 pieces
- Subjects
- Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845.
- Shannon, James, d. 1832.
- Shannon, Susan Shelby, 1791-1868.
- Shannon, Wilson, 1802-1877.
- Shelby, Isaac, 1750-1826.
- Shelby, Susan Hart, 1816-1832.
- Todd, Charles Stewart, 1791-1871.
- Diplomats.
- Guatemala.
- South America--Description and travel
- Arrangement
- Arrangement is chronological.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Diplomat, lawyer. James Shannon served as a lieutenant in the 27th Regiment of the U.S. Infantry during the War of 1812. He lived and practiced law in Lexington, Kentucky after the war. In 1832 he received a diplomatic appointment from President Andrew Jackson as Charg'e d'Affaires to Guatemala. Soon after the arrival of his entourage, which included his wife, Susan Shelby Shannon, and his niece, Susan Hart Shelby, both James Shannon and his niece contracted yellow fever and died.
- Scope and Content
- See also the Susan Shelby papers (1VF55W56) for her account of the journey to Guatemala for further details.
- These are the papers of diplomat James Shannon. Most of the material consists of letters concerning Shannon's appointment as minister to Guatemala. Included is a list from the U.S. State Department of books Shannon would find useful in his post. There are also letters of condolence to Susan Shannon, including two letters from her brother-in-law, Wilson Shannon who later served as minister to Mexico and as governor of both Ohio and Kansas. There is an exchange of letters between Shannon and his brother-in-law, Charles S. Todd, a lawyer, soldier and later minister to Columbia concerning allegations exchanged between the two men in the KENTUCKY GAZETTE and the KENTUCKY ADVOCATE relating to the treaty with the Chickasaw Indians, negotiated by their father-in-law, Isaac Shelby and by Andrew Jackson. This treaty resulted in the addition of the area known as Jackson Purchase territory. Notes to Shannon while he was in the Army and various legal documents are present as well.
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Table of Contents
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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.
