Series I. Charles Fairchild Papers, 1870-1928, inclusive
Extent
Scope and Contents
The most substantive portion of the series includes the correspondence of Charles Fairchild, which pertains to such matters as: the proceedings against William Marcy Tweed and his connection with the Erie Railroad; actions taken against members of the Tweed Ring; the New York Attorney General's Office in the 1870s, including Francis E. Barlow's statement to his successor Daniel Pratt on the business of the attorney general's office in 1873; Fairchild's activities and interests as Secretary of the Treasury during 1887-1889; activities as President of New York Security and Trust Co.; his work as a leader in the independent Democratic movement in New York State, which helped to bring about the nomination of Grover Cleveland for president in 1892; his work as a member of the Monetary Commission of the Indianapolis Convention, particularly his interest in sound money policies; the New York municipal reform movement of 1894; tariff reform; banking; etc.
A few of his many correspondents include E. Ellery Anderson, Charles J. Canda, John Griffin Carlisle, Grover Cleveland, M.J. Durham, James H. Eckels, William Gavit, Edward M. Shepard, John De Witt Warner, Benjamin Ide Wheeler, and Everett P. Wheeler.
The series also holds 16 volumes of scrapbooks tracing Charles Fairchild's career as a public official and political activist from the 1870s-1890s, touching on the issues noted above. The scrapbooks are comprised principally of newspaper clippings, but also hold some ephemera, such as delegate tickets, programs, and flyers with political statements. There is also a broad mix of published print matter, including annual reports of the Treasury Secretary for the years relevant to Fairchild, political pamphlets, published versions of Fairchild's speeches and opinion pieces, etc. There are a few documents relevant to the Fairchilds' opposition to woman suffrage. The series holds a few photographs, including those of the house the Fairchilds lived in while in Washington, DC.
Arrangement
The series is arranged by format.
Correspondence (8 folders), 1873-1894, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Includes the content of a former letterbox or other container number 1, with items numbered 1 to 280. This holds, among many other documents, a lengthy 1873 statement from Francis E. Barlow (Attorney General of New York) to his successor, Daniel Pratt, concerning matters then before the A.G., including lawsuits over the fraudulent letting of canal contracts; correspondence from Secretary of the Treasury Daniel Manning; 1870s-1894 correspondence from Josephine Lowell, in part in connection with her position as Commissioner of the State Board of Charities; correspondence and other documents in connection with Attorney General Fairchild's 1877 case against William M. Tweed (Boss Tweed) and Peter B. Sweeny; Reform Club 1892 dinner program autographed by Grover Cleveland; letters from and about Samuel J. Tilden, and one from Roscoe Conkling.
Correspondence (10 folders), 1885-1891, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Includes the content of a former letterbox or other container number 2, and part of number 3, with items numbered 1 to 321 (#2) and 1 to 79 (#3, which continues below). This box primarily holds correspondence from Fairchild's term as Secretary of the Treasury; a folder holds his commission, signed by Grover Cleveland. One folder dates from the early 1890s.
Correspondence (9 folders), 1886-1892 June, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Includes the content of a former letterbox or other container number 4, and the second part of number 3 from above, with items numbered 1 to 286 (#4) and 80 to 134 (#3, continued from above). This box primarily holds files dating from 1892, that is, after Fairchild's tenure as Treasury Secretary. Those folders principally relate to Fairchild's continued involvement in Democratic Party politics, most especially here with regard to support for Grover Cleveland (and opposition to David B. Hill) as the party's presidential nominee at the June 1892 Convention. Two folders from his Treasury years concern investigations into fraudulent appraisals of sugar at New York and whether the termination of at least one appraiser violated civil service regulations.
Correspondence (6 folders), 1892 July-December, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Includes the content of a former letterbox or other container number 5, with items numbered 1 to 247. The correspondence in this box continues from the above, with Democratic Party politics and the 1892 presidential election. Among the many documents here is an assessment of the state of the Columbia County, NY, Democratic Party made by the county chair to Fairchild (who was Chair of the Democratic State Committee); correspondence with other members of the Reform Club; congratulatory and satisfied letters at the election of Cleveland; and post-election plans to advance tariff reform.
Correspondence (12 folders), 1893-1896, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Includes the content of a former letterbox or other container number 6, with items numbered 1 to 391. This correspondence continues to reflect Fairchild's involvement in Democratic Party politics, especially at the New York state level and in policy matters on tariffs and currency (i.e., "sound money" or "sound currency"). Among the many documents here are a typescript of Henry George's speech at Cooper Union on November 30, 1894; suggested planks for the Democratic Party's Reform Organization (1894) from John Brooks Leavitt; letters from Fairchild to President Cleveland and Treasury Secretary John G. Carlisle on financial matters; typescript of Fairchild's 1896 address before the Commercial Travellers Bound Money League; and the 1896 annual report of the Reform Club's Committee on Sound Currency (Fairchild was Chair of the Committee).
Correspondence (10 folders), 1880s, 1894, 1897-1928, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Includes the content of a former letterbox or other container number 7. Among many other documents, this box holds extensive correspondence on "sound money" policy, including documents on the letterhead of the Monetary Commission of the Indianapolis Convention, to which Fairchild was a delegate, and its Executive Committee (1897-98); Fairchild's address "The financiering of trusts" before the American Economic Association (1899) and an address at the Tilden Memorial meeting (1914); some correspondence with Theodore Roosevelt; and American Bankers Association position statement on the currency system (1903). There are a small number of 1880s documents in the first and last folders. A note from Helen Fairchild in the last folder provides some context for the compilation of these documents.
Newspaper clippings, etc., 1885-1924, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Clippings concerning the George D. Lord bribery case (1876), the Indianapolis Monetary Convention (1898), and a few other matters; a cabinet card photograph of Mrs. Ledyard Lincklaen (Helen Fairchild's mother); and 2 letters (1885, 1924).
Clippings concerning Boss Tweed matter, 1877, inclusive
Speeches, etc., 1877-1900, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Clippings, programs, typescripts, etc., primarily of speeches and written remarks by Fairchild.
Charles & Helen Fairchild. Miscellaneous, 1870-1920s, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Folder of letters, notes, ephemera, etc., mostly concerning Helen's family researches, with some items concerning Charles.
Photographs, 1880s, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Includes, among several others, photos of the Fairchild's home in Washington, D.C. during his tenure as Treasury Secretary; Treasury Secretary Manning; and Charles Fairchild (1903).
Anti-Suffrage Argument, 1922?, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Typescript of oral argument of William L. Marbury on behalf of Charles S. Fairchild before the U.S. Supreme Court regarding the Constitutional League of New York's suit against the Woman Suffrage Amendment to the Constitution. Some unrelated clippings and a letter.
Miscellaneous, 1870s-1920s, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Mostly print matter related to Tweed case and other legal matters in which Fairchild was an attorney or attorney-general, and a few notes.
Charles & Helen Fairchild. Scrapbook, 1885-1889, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Invitations and calling cards to the Fairchilds for lunch, dinner, and other social engagements. Appears to be primarily, or entirely from overseas dignitaries. Inside the front cover is the "rule of visits to be observed on the part of the ladies of the President's Cabinet..."
Clippings scrapbooks. Volumes 1-7, 1874-1878, 1885-1886, inclusive
Clippings scrapbooks. Volumes 8-13, 1886-1891, inclusive
Clippings scrapbooks. Volume 14-16, 1892-1897, inclusive
Scope and Contents
These 3 volumes primarily concern the 1892 presidential election and Democratic Party primary, post-election focus on tariff reform and money/currency policy, the 1896 election, and the arbitration treaty between the U.S. and United Kingdom.
Miscellaneous clippings scrapbook, 1884-1913, inclusive
Print matter, 1882-1889, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Holds the "Public papers of Grover Cleveland, March 4, 1885-March 4, 1889," inscribed to Charles Fairchild by Grover Cleveland; congressional directories for 49th Congress and 2nd session of the 50th Congress; "Tariff from the White House" by Henry Talbott; and "National loans of the United States from July 4, 1776-June 30, 1880" by Rafael A. Bayley.
Print matter, 1885-1887, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Holds 9 volumes of reports of the Secretary of the Treasury: for 1885, annual report on Finance and Customs, 4 books; for 1886, annual report on Finance and Collection of Duties, 3 books; for 1887, annual report on Finance, 1 book; and for 1886, report on revision of the tariff, 1 book.
Print matter, 1888-1891, 1897-1898, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Holds 5 volumes of reports of the Secretary of the Treasury: for 1888, 1889, 1890, and 1891, annual reports on Finance, 1 book each year; and for 1897-98, hearings before the Committee on Banking & Currency of the House of Representatives, including testimony by Charles Fairchild, 1 book.
Charles & Helen Fairchild. Print matter, 1880s-1920s, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Holds a broad mix of many small pamphlets and booklets, mostly concerning politics, individual politicians including Grover Cleveland, economic matters, published letters of the Treasury Secretary, Charles Fairchild's statements and articles, at least one pamphlet on the Fairchilds' opposition to woman suffrage, religion, art, etc.