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Preferred Citation:

Henry A. Washington letter, 1847, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.

Acquisition Information:

Crown Collectibles P.O. Box 426 Prince George, VA 23875-0426 804-814-0402  sommerwi@aol.com

Biographical Information:

Henry Augustine Washington was born at Haywood, Virginia on 24 August 1820, the son of Lawrence Washington and Sarah Tayloe Washington. He attended Georgetown College and the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University). Studied law under John Tayloe Lomax. He moved to Richmond to practice law in 1842, but in 1847 returned to the Northern Neck of Virginia.

He was appointed professor of history and political economy at the College of William and Mary. He married Cynthia Beverley Tucker, daughter of Williamsburg mayor and judge, Nathaniel Beverley Tucker. Washington edited the Writings of Thomas Jefferson (Washington, 1853-54) and completed Thomas R. Dew's A Digest of the Laws, Customs, Manners and Institutions of the Ancient and Modern Nations (1853). He suffered ill-health for years and died 28 February 1858.

Scope and Contents

Four page letter dated February 17, 1847 from Henry Augustine Washington to his mother, Sarah Tayloe Washington.  She was the wife of Lawrence Augustine Washington.  Letter is written from Richmond, Virginia to Mattox Bridge in Westmoreland County, Virginia.  In the letter Washington writes about the sale of corn and grains in the United States as related specifically to the famine in Ireland and England.  He also writes about politics and the issues with Calhoun, the Mexican War, and the status of political parties in Washington, D.C.

Related Material

Henry A. Washington Papers, Special Collections Research Center

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Agriculture--United States--History--19th century
• Political parties--United States--History--19th century
• United States--History--Mexican War, 1845-1848
• United States--Politics and Government
• Westmoreland County (Va.)--History--19th century