John Hay papers (Ms.Hay)

The John Hay papers consists of items covering the period 1829 to 1916 that include correspondence with his family and with literary, diplomatic, and political contemporaries; diaries kept by Hay as Secretary of the Legations in Paris, Vienna, and Madrid, 1866-1870; manuscript poems; corrected galley proofs for Abraham Lincoln, a history (1860) by John G. Nicolay and John Hay; and the compositor's copy of the autograph manuscript believed to be in Hay's writing disguised of chapters 1-17 (chapters 18-20 lacking) of The breadwinners. There are Hay's personal letterpress copy books reflecting his diplomatic service in Paris and Vienna (1865-1867), Madrid (1869-1870), and London (1897-1898). The latter were not available to the editor of Letters of John Hay and extracts from diary (Washington, 1908, 3 vols.). There is an album of 120 letters received by Hay after his eulogy of McKinley before the House of Representatives, 27 February 1902; and three albums containing 830 mounted letters and telegrams to the Hay family following the accidental death of Hay's elder son, Adelbert S. Hay, in 1901. There is a collection of photographs of Hay, his family, and various political figures, as well as a collection of political cartoons depicting Hay during his time in government. There are also small collections of artifacts, financial papers, and sound recordings.

Subjects include the Civil War, Lincoln and his administration, Reconstruction, court life in Paris, Hay's choice of careers, the bi-metal monetary standard, the Canadian boundary settlement, the fur seal question, Japanese naval activity, British politics, Cuba, the Spanish-American War, European attitudes toward the United States, the Queen's 1897 Jubilee, the copyright bill, literacy and family matters, and political affairs under Presidents Hayes, McKinley, and Theodore Roosevelt.

Many items are available on microfilm, the location of which is noted in the finding aid. There is a separate finding aid for the microfilm version of the collection. Some items are only available via microfilm copy. For more information on microfilm, see the catalog record: BIB #b27346857, F5702 reels 1-23