Crittenden, Thomas Theodore (1832-1909), Papers, 1880-1950 (C0087)

.4 linear feet

INTRODUCTION

Correspondence, newspaper clippings, and papers of Thomas T. Crittenden, governor of Missouri, 1881-1885, and U.S. consul general in Mexico City, 1893-1897. Letter book kept while he was consul general in Mexico.

DONOR INFORMATION

The papers were placed on deposit with the University of Missouri by Mrs. R.P. Stout on 1 December 1943 (Accession No. 65). An addition was donated on 1 May 1952 by Walter V. Scholes (Accession No. 3132).

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Thomas T. Crittenden was born on 1 January 1832, near Shelbyville in Shelby County, Kentucky. His parents were Henry and Ann. M. Allen Crittenden. He attended school at Cloverport, Kentucky, and in 1852 entered Centre College in Danville, Kentucky. He graduated in 1855. In 1856, he studied law in Frankfort, was admitted to the bar, and served as registrar of Franklin County, Kentucky. On 13 November 1856, he married Caroline "Carrie" Wheeler Jackson. They moved to Missouri in 1857 and Crittenden set up a law office at Lexington in Lafayette County.

He served in the Union Army in the Civil War from 1862 to 1864 as a captain and later lieutenant colonel in the Missouri State Militia. He was wounded at the battle of Westport, Missouri, 23 October 1864. Honorably discharged as a colonel on 7 April 1865, he had already been appointed attorney general of Missouri by Governor Willard P. Hall.

Crittenden was elected to Congress from the Seventh District and served two terms, 1873-1875 and 1877-1879. He was elected to governor in 1880. Also that year, he helped found the Missouri Bar Association.

In 1885, Crittenden moved to Kansas City and practiced law. He served as United States consul general in Mexico City from 1893 to 1897. He then returned to Kansas City, serving as a referee in bankruptcy for the U.S. District Court from 1898 to 1909. He died in Kansas City on 29 May 1909, and is buried in Forest Hill Cemetery.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

The Crittenden Papers include correspondence, official reports, and a letter book relating service as U.S. consul general in Mexico, as well as newspaper clippings and genealogical data of Crittenden family. The collection also includes miscellaneous papers and newspaper clippings concerning Kansas City history, Jesse James, the Civil War Battle of Westport, and Joseph W. Folk’s 1916 senatorial campaign.

More detailed descriptions of the folder contents are in the folder list.

FOLDER LIST

f. 1-2Personal and business papers
f. 1Papers concerning Crittenden’s service as U.S. Consul General in Mexico. Include inventory of office, 1897, and report on Mexican mints, 1895. Biographical and autobiographical sketches and copies of two wills of Thomas Crittenden. Crittenden family genealogy.
f. 2Correspondence and telegrams relating to Crittenden’s service as U.S. Consul General in Mexico. Reference to Sandwich Island Mission, salary increase. Correspondence from J. Sterling Morton, W.Q. Gresham, John M. Harlan, correspondence concerning the painting "The Battle of Westport"; Missouri Fifth District Congressional election, 1926; and Missouri gubernatorial election, 1924.
f. 3Campaign cartoons relating to Kansas City politics by Earl Hurd, 1908. Synopsis of Kansas City election laws, 1934. Pamphlet by H.H. Crittenden, "Senator George G. Vest’s Famous ‘Dog Speech’ and the Unpublished Story of his Employment in the Case", 1924. Kansas City precinct map, 1931, Miscellaneous certificates, invitations, and railroad passes.
f. 4Photographs: H.H. Crittenden; two unidentified homes; George C. Bingham’s painting "General Order No. 11"; Confederate Veterans who fought at Westport Landing; Jesse James Café, Northfield Minnesota; Grave of Lt. John J. Crittenden on "Little Big Horn" Battlefield; Franklin D. Roosevelt.
f. 5Folk, Joseph W., Campaign Material, 1916.
f. 6Crittenden, John Dozier, Papers, 1918-1919. Miscellaneous papers, newspaper clippings and correspondence relating to Corporal John D. Crittenden, grandson of Thomas T. Crittenden, and his activities during World War I. Relate to travel pay, combat duty, army discharge, and commissions.
f. 7Essay, Jesse James. Essay by H.H. Crittenden concerning his father’s (Governor Thomas T. Crittenden), actions in ridding Missouri of the James’ band.
f. 8Civil War. Battle of Westport. Pamphlets, speeches, poems, and newspaper clippings concerning the Battle of Westport and the attempts to establish a national park on the site.
f. 9-10Newspaper clippings, 1913-1919. Concerning Thomas T. Crittenden and Crittenden family and Kansas City and Missouri politics. Feature articles concerning historical figures and events (Robert E. Lee, Henry Clay, Lincoln-Shields Duel, and William C. Ralston). Newspapers include: Kansas City Post; Kansas City Star; Sedalia Democrat, Warrensburg Star Journal, Louisville, Kentucky Courier Journal, and Saint Louis Republic.
f. 11Published article on Crittenden: "Mexico in 1896 as Viewed by an American Consul" by Walter V. Scholes. This article was published May 2, 1950 in The Hispanic American Historical Review and is based on the Crittenden letter book.
v. 1Letter book of Thomas T. Crittenden, United States consul-general in Mexico City, 1893- 1895, 500 pages. Letters to people in the United States. Topics include: foreign economic intervention, opportunities for American Commercial enterprises, a sketch of American society in Mexico City, suggestions for improving United States-Mexican relations, and advice to young Americans who wanted to make their fortunes in Mexico.

INDEX TERMS

These index terms are the subjects, people, places, etc. under which this collection is listed in all available indexes at The State Historical Society of Missouri-Columbia. If you are interested in a specific index term, please contact the reference staff.

Allison, William Boyd (1829-1908)f. 11
Cartoons and caricaturesf. 3
Confederate veterans--Battle of Westport Landingf. 4 (pictorial image)
Cowherd, William Strother (1860-1915)f. 5,9,10
Crittenden, Henry Huston (1859-1943)f. 4 (pictorial image)
Crittenden, Henry Huston (1859-1943)f. 2,3,7
Crittenden, John Dozier (1887- )f. 6
Crittenden, Thomas Theodore (1832-1909) 
Diaz, Porfiriof. 11
Diplomatic and Consular Service 
Folk, Joseph Wingate (1869-1923)f. 5
Gardner, Finley D. (1851- )f. 3, 1920
Hispanic American Historical Reviewf. 11
Housesf. 4 (pictorial image)
James, Jesse Woodson (1847-1882)f. 7
Mexicof. 11
Minnesota, Northfield--Jesse James Cafef. 4 (pictorial image)
Missouri, Kansas Cityf. 1
Order Number 11f. 4 (pictorial image)
Politics 
Public utilities 
Roosevelt, Franklin Delano (1882-1945)f. 4 (pictorial image)
Scholes, Walter V.f. 11
Switzler, William F. (1819-1906)f. 11
University of Missourif. 11
Vest, George Graham (1830-1904)f. 9
Wilson, William L.f. 11
World War, 1914-1918f. 6
Younger, James Henry (1848-1902)