Whitelaw Reid Paper

Collection overview Biographical/historical information Scope and arrangement Administrative information Key terms Container list

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1874

Manuscript Collection #51

Portions of this collection are digitized (1 item)

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Creator(s): Reid, Whitelaw, 1837-1912
Physical description: 0.108 Cubic Feet, 1 item, consisting of a letter.
Preferred Citation: Whitelaw Reid Paper (#51), East Carolina Manuscript Collection, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA.
Repository: ECU Manuscript Collection
Access: No restrictions

Letter (1874) concerning the movement to nominate President Grant for a third term. 1 item.

Biographical/historical information

Whitelaw Reid (born in 1837 near Xenia, Ohio; died London, England, 1912) served as Horace Greeley's editorial assistant on the New York Tribune in 1868. After a term as managing editor, Reid became editor after Greeley stepped down. He maintained the Tribune as the most powerful paper in the United States. An ardent Republican, Reid nevertheless led a fight against the Grant administration and shared in exposing its corruption. Reid was U.S. Minister to France from 1889 to 1892; and in 1892, he was nominated for the Vice Presidency of the U.S. by the Republican Convention. On his appointment as U. S. Ambassador to Great Britain in 1905, he gave up active editorship of the Tribune.

Scope and arrangement

The collection contains a letter (September 11, 1874) by Whitelaw Reid to Thurlow Weed.

Thurlow Weed (born 1797, Green County, New York; died 1882) was a noted printer, journalist, New York politician and legislator. A significant figure in New York Whig and later Republican politics, he helped engineer the victories of William H. Seward to the governorship of New York in 1838 and William Henry Harrison to the U.S. Presidency in 1840. Weed was often consulted by President Lincoln and had significant influence over political appointments in his administration. His political influence declined after the rise of the Radical Republicans.

In this letter, Reid expresses his feelings concerning the third term movement conducted by supporters of President U. S. Grant. He notes that he personally wishes the third term movement stopped and hopes that Weed can be of assistance.