Early United States Legal Letter Collection
Scope and Contents
John Jay's letter refers to a copy of an Act of Congress "making further provision for the defence of the Southern States." The Act was enclosed with the letter originally but is not present in this collection.
John Blair's letter asks the Treasurer of the United States to pay John Barnes his salary.
Dates
- Creation: 1779 - 1792
Conditions Governing Access
The physical materials in this collection may be viewed only in the reading room of the Vanderbilt Special Collections and University Archives. Materials should be requested two to three days in advance to facilitate easier access. Contact specialcollections@vanderbilt.edu to schedule an appointment.
Biographical / Historical
John Jay (1745-1829) was born in New York City on December 12, 1745. He drafted the New York Constitution (1776), served as the Chief Justice of New York (1776-1778), served as the President of the Continental Congress (1778-1779), served as Minister to Spain (1779), drafted a peace treaty with Great Britain with Benjamin Franklin (1782), served as U.S. Secretary for foreign affairs (1784-1789), and served as the first Chief Justice of the United States (1785-1795). He also wrote The Federalist Papers with James Madison and Alexander Hamilton. Jay died on May 17, 1829.
John Blair (1732-1800) was born in Williamsburg, VA, in 1732. He was admitted to Middle Temple, London, England (1755), was a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses (1766-1770), served as clerk of the Virginia Council (1770-1775), served as a member of the Virginia Constitutional Convention (1776), served on the Virginia Privy Council (1776), served as a judge in the Virginia General Court (1778-1780), served as a judge in the 1st Court of Appeals of Virginia (1780-1789), was a signer of the Constitution, and was appointed by President George Washington to be an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (1789-1796). He died in Williamsburg on August 31, 1800.
Full Extent
0.1 Linear Feet (1 legal folder)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The Early United States Legal Letter Collection, 1779-1792, consists of a letter written by United States Chief Justice John Jay, 1745-1829, and a letter written by U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice John Blair, 1732-1800.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
These letters were transferred to SCUA from the Vanderbilt Law Library in July 2018.
Topical
- Title
- Finding Aid for the Early United States Legal Letter Collection
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Mary McSparran
- Date
- 2026 April
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Vanderbilt University Special Collections and University Archives Repository
Special Collections Library
1101 19th Ave. S.
Nashville TN 37212 United States
specialcollections@vanderbilt.edu
About this Site
This site contains collection guides, or finding aids, to the archival collections held by Vanderbilt University Special Collections and University Archives, the History of Medicine Collection, and the Scarritt Bennett Center. Finding aids describe the context, arrangement, and structure of archival materials, allowing users to identify and request materials relevant to their research.
Requesting Materials
Each finding aid contains a link to request materials from the collections. Collections can also be requested by emailing the repository directly through the library website. Each repository has its own location, hours, and contact information. Please consult the repository with questions about using the materials. Collections are non-circulating and must be used in the repository’s reading room. In many cases, the collections are stored off-site and require advance notice for retrieval.