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At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

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circa 1853

Towson, Nathan, 1784-1854

Printed document

Title: Hon. John McLean, Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

An excerpt from the book Portaits of Eminent Americans Now Living, Including President Pierce, written by John Livingston and published in 1854, summarizes the life and accomplishments of Judge McLean:"Cheerful in temper, frank in manners, instructive and eloquent in conversation, he possesses, in rare degree, the faculty of inspiring confidence and warm attachment towards him in those who come within his influence..." Nathan Towson fought in both the War of 1812 and the Mexican War. He was brevetted major general in 1848 for meritorious service. He also served as paymaster general of the…

GLC01740.05.04

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