Our Collection

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.

Williams, Jonathan, 1750-1815 to Henry Knox

Order a pdf of this item here.

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02437.07418 Author/Creator: Williams, Jonathan, 1750-1815 Place Written: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 29 May 1800 Pagination: 3 p. : address ; Height: 25 cm, Width: 20.2 cm Order a Copy

Williams writes Knox about his son Henry Jackson Knox and hopes that his son intends to return to his ship. Williams comments on the changes in the administration "which I think forebodes a settlement of some sort or other with France." Williams says it is assumed that Adams will lose the next election. Talks about a meeting of Federalists who want to run Pinckney and Adams "equally", which Adams will see as abandonment. "He wishes rather to take the chance of being second to Jeff than to P." Relates a letter James McHenry sent to him saying that he wished Williams to have a post in the Secretary of State's department. Williams accepted and began the work, only to be told by President [John] Adams that he was appointing someone else.

Knox, Henry, 1750-1806
Williams, Jonathan, 1750-1815
Adams, John, 1735-1826
Pinckney, Charles Cotesworth, 1746-1825
Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826
McHenry, James, 1753-1816
Knox, Henry Jackson, 1780-1832

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources