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Monroe, James, 1758-1831 Mr. Monroe's claims

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC00496.062 Author/Creator: Monroe, James, 1758-1831 Place Written: s.l. Type: Autograph note Date: 1825-1829 Pagination: 1 p. : docket Height: 24.5 cm, Width: 20 cm Order a Copy

Written by Monroe in retirement after his presidency. Starting in 1825, in order to pull himself out of $75,000 of debt and save his Oak Hill estate, he requested reimbursement of back salary and expenses from his diplomatic missions and governmental work in the 1790s and the first two decades of the 19th century. He also attempted to sell other property he owned, but when that failed he put his full force behind getting reimbursed from the government. In order to prove his claims he had to submit many documents from his time abroad and this undated draft is part of the paperwork he would eventually send to the federal government for review. This document describes the appointment of various secretaries that Monroe had with him during his mission to France in 1794-1796. In various places he crosses out the pronouns "I," "my," and "me" and writes "him" or "Mr. M." over them. Monroe received his first reimbursement for over $29,000 in 1826, and received other payments until 1829.

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Monroe, James, 1758-1831

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