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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.

Monroe, James, 1758-1831 to Moses Abbott

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC03908 Author/Creator: Monroe, James, 1758-1831 Place Written: Washington, District of Columbia Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 2 November 1815 Pagination: 1 p. : address : free frank Height: 24.5 cm, Width: 19.5 cm Order a Copy

Written by Monroe as Secretary of State. Monroe apparently owes Abbott a substantial debt, saying he will pay to his order five hundred dollars by Mr. Dabney next week and the balance in 90 days. Says his farms in Albemarle and Loudoun Counties in Virginia have been "miserably deficient," and that the current harvest will hardly pay for the expenses of the plantations. Asks Abbott to communicate with Dabney and to get back to him without delay. Asks to send the letter marked "private" and in another envelope. Monroe had gotten himself into substantial debt, which he was not able to get out of until he retired from the presidency and received reimbursement from the government for back pay during his previous diplomatic stints in Europe.

Monroe, James, 1758-1831

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