Henry H. Van Dyck Correspondence, 1840-1869. 2 linear feet (4 boxes).
ArMs 1977.045
The Henry H. Van Dyck Correspondence comprises 1.5 cubic feet of communications received by Henry H.Van Dyck (1808-1888) from 1840-1869 inclusive. The bulk of the materials are letters from Hugh McCulloch, Secretary of the Treasury, 1865-1869. The content of the collection covers a range of topics related to Treasury business in the turbulent years following the Civil War, including imports and exports, inflation, national debt, personnel and politics, bond issues, draft issues, fractional currency, transportation of monies, customs policy, discussion of currency designs, counterfeiting, fraud and embezzlement. There is also a small amount of material dated earlier than 1865 relating to Van Dyck’s role as Agent for the Seneca Nation. Materials were donated by E.M. Van Dyck in 1897 and are in good condition.
Henry H. Van Dyck (1808-1888) was an editor, financier and politician who held a variety of public and private offices throughout his lifetime. He was elected democratic N.Y. state senator for the 2nd District, which at the time included Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, Rockland, Orange, Ulster and Sullivan Counties, from 1837-1840. He was a proprietor and editor at the Albany Argus from 1840-1842. He sold his share in the Argus in 1842 and bought a stake in the Albany Atlas, an organ for the “Soft-Shell” Democratic Party, which he owned until 1856. That year he shifted his political allegiance to the newly formed Republican Party, an affiliation he maintained for the rest of his life, and ran unsuccessfully for Albany’s congressional seat. In 1857 he was elected State Superintendent of Public Instruction, an office he held until 1861 when he was appointed the Superintendent of State Banking Department for New York. In 1859 he also became the representative agent for the Seneca Nation before the New York State Legislature. In 1865 President Lincoln appointed him Assistant U.S. Treasurer in New York. He was commissioned again by President Johnson in 1866 and served through 1869 under two Secretaries of the Treasury, Hugh McCulloch (1865-1869) and George S. Boutwell (1869-1873). After leaving the Treasury Department he became President of New York & Boston Railroad from 1869-1883, and President of Erie Transportation Co. 1869-1883, and finally President, American Safe Deposit Co. 1883-1888. At the time of his death he was living at 5 Spencer Place, Brooklyn. He was also a member of Elm Place Congregational Church in Brooklyn and elected to the Holland Society, New York on March 14, 1885. He is buried in Albany.
Subjects:
- Van Dyck, Henry H. (Henry Herbert), 1809-1888
- McCulloch, Hugh, 1808-1895Spinner, Francis Elias, 1802-1890
- Chandler, William E. (William Eaton), 1835-1917
- Jordan, Edward
- Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865
- Johnson, Andrew, 1808-1875
- United States. Dept. of the Treasury
- Seneca Nation of New York
- Indians of North America-Government relations
- Currency question-United States-History-19th century
- Gold standard-United States-History-19th century
- Inflation (Finance)-United States-History-19th century
- Education-New York (State)-History
- Republican Party (N.Y.)-History-19th century
- Democratic Party (N.Y.)-History