EDWARD OLIVER WOLCOTT PAPERS

Collection

Identifier: WH422

Staff Only

SCOPE AND CONTENT

The bulk of this collection dating from 1863-1902 contains the personal and professional correspondence of Edward Oliver Wolcott, as well as book lists and a ledger from his law library. Also included are letters sent to Wolcott's biographer, Thomas Fulton Dawson from 1909-1910.

Collection also available on microfilm: Mflm182.

SERIES 1 CORRESPONDENCE 1863-1898 BOX 1

This series contains Edward Oliver Wolcott's personal and professional correspondence from 1864-1898 and unidentified correspondence. One letter from his mother mentions the Civil War while he was serving with the 150th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Other letters to his parents mention his education, health, finances, living arrangements, church, legal work and travel. A few of the letters are to his sister Clara Gertrude and brother William Edgar. Also included are letters from constituents while he was Senator, a letter from George F. Evans inviting him to deliver a 4th of July oration in Worcester, Mass. and a piece of his letterhead.

SERIES 2 LAW LIBRARY 1889-1902 BOX 1

Includes two lists of books owned by Wolcott and a ledger that documents books received and lent out from his law library.

SERIES 3 THOMAS FULTON DAWSON CORRESPONDENCE 1909-1910 BOX 1

This series contains the research used by Thomas Fulton Dawson for his book Life and Character of Edward Oliver Wolcott, Late a Senator of the United States from the State of Colorado. Letters from U.S. Senators including H.M. Teller, Eugene Hale, Nelson Wilmarth Aldrich, Henry Cabot Lodge and Boise Penrose constitute the bulk of the material. Also included are letters from Reverend William E. Wolcott, Charles Page Bryan (diplomat), A.M. Stevenson (Denver lawyer) and Supreme Court Justices David Josiah Brewer and John Marshall Harlan.

Dates

1863-1910

ACCESS:

The collection is open for research.

OWNERSHIP:

The Edward Oliver Wolcott Papers are the physical property of the Denver Public Library.

PUBLICATION RIGHTS:

All requests for permission to publish, reproduce, or quote from material in the collection should be discussed with the appropriate librarian or archivist. Permission for publication may be given on behalf of the Denver Public Library as the owner of the physical item. It is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which also must be obtained by the customer. The Library does not assume any responsibility for infringement of copyright or publication rights of the manuscript held by the writer, heirs, donors, or executors. Reproduction restrictions are decided on a case-by-case basis.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

Edward Oliver Wolcott was born on March 26, 1848 in Long Meadow, Hampden County, Massachusetts to Samuel and Harriet Pope Wolcott. The Wolcott's had eleven children born between 1844 and 1863. Edward Oliver had four brothers: Samuel Adams, Henry Roger, William Edgar, Herbert Walter and six sisters: Mary Alice, Charlotte Augusta, Harriet Agnes, Katherine Ellen, Anna Louisa, Clara Gertrude. All of the Wolcott children, except for Mary Alice who died in infancy, reached adulthood.

After attending public schools, Wolcott developed war fever in 1864 and enlisted in the 150th Ohio Volunteer Infantry to serve in the Civil War. His unit served in the defense of Washington D.C. At the end of the war, Wolcott resumed his education by attending preparatory schools including Western Reserve College at Hudson, Ohio and Norwich Free Academy at Norwich, Connecticut. He entered Yale College in 1866, but left in less than a year. For the next two years, he traveled to Chicago, New York and Flint, Michigan to pursue commercial opportunities. In 1869, he decided to return to school and pursue a law degree. He graduated from Harvard Law School in June 1871.

On September 20, 1871, Wolcott moved to Black Hawk, Colorado to join his brother, Henry, who had a successful career in the smelting business. Wolcott struggled to find legal work, so he served as the principal and teacher in a Blackhawk school for a few months. In December, he moved to Georgetown, Colorado where he established the law firm Pope and Wolcott with Frank A. Pope. The firm was dissolved in 1872. In addition to his legal work, Wolcott wrote for the Georgetown Miner and several Cleveland, Ohio papers.

His political career began in 1876 with his election as the District Attorney of his judicial district. He held this office until 1878 when he was elected to represent Clear Creek County as a member of the Senate in the second General Assembly of the Colorado Legislature. This new position allowed him to move to Denver where he served as a member of the State Senate until 1882. On March 4, 1889, he was elected as a Republican to the United States Senate and served until March 3, 1901. During his twelve years in the Senate, he was the Chairman of the Committee on Civil Service and Retrenchment (51st and 52nd Congresses) and served on the Committee on Post Office and Post Roads (54th through 56th Congresses). Differences within the Republican Party over bimetallism and other political issues in the West cast a shadow over the Party and Wolcott was defeated in re-election bids in 1901, 1902 and 1903.

After his political career ended, Wolcott resumed his law practice in Denver. While traveling with his brother Henry in Europe, Wolcott developed bronchitis, which turned into pneumonia. He died in Monte Carlo, Monaco on March 1, 1905. His remains were cremated in Paris, France and his ashes interred in Woodlawn Cemetery, New York City.