Litchfield Historical Society Acquires New Letters Relating to the Nation’s First Law School
The Litchfield Historical Society is pleased to highlight three recently acquired letters relating to the Litchfield Law School, the Nation’s first law school. Purchased by the museum over the last few months, each letter provides insight into the lives of law students in Litchfield during the early 19th century.
In the first letter, written in 1815, Putnam Catlin, father of Litchfield Law School student and later painter George Catlin, wrote to his friend Steuben Butler regarding the financial difficulty in providing for his children’s education:
I am obliged to consider myself as a mere farmer, republican farmer, Beechwood farmer, without a hired man in this hurrying season of the year. How then am I to spare George and James? I admit that your reasoning is just in regard to George but I know not how to spare him at this time. I shall not be able to give him a public education. If he shall persist in the choice of law he will have to glean for himself an education in some law office, perhaps. I may indulge him a year at Litchfield, in the meantime, I will do better for him if it be in my power. Should my ‘ship arrive from England’ or should I make sale of some land I can spare he may be more favored.
The Society purchased a similar letter written by James Averell, Jr. to his son, William Holt Averell, who was studying in Litchfield in 1818. “I have neglected writing you until now for I have had my doubts wheather [sic] I could obtain money to the amt you state you shall want to pay your expenses for the year.”
The most recent letter was purchased just last month – an 1805 letter of introduction from Henry W. DeSaussure to Benjamin Tallmadge, introducing a “Mr. Calhoun” who was traveling to Litchfield to study law with Tapping Reeve. This is an interesting companion to another letter in the Society’s collection in which John C. Calhoun introduced another young student to Tapping Reeve. Following his education in Litchfield, Calhoun started a long political career that included being the 7th Vice-President of the United States.
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