Thomas L. Kane correspondence with Horace Greeley, 1849-1872

Sub-Series

Identifier: Vault MSS 792 Series 4 Sub-Series 6

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Contains letters to Kane from Horace Greeley. The correspondence includes information on politics, exploration, and other topics. Materials date from between 1849 and 1872.

Dates

1849-1872

Creator

Kane (Family : Kane, Thomas L. (Thomas Leiper), 1822-1883) (creator, Family)

Conditions Governing Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances. Permission to publish material from Kane family papers must be obtained from the Supervisor of Reference Services and/or the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Coordinating Committee.

Biographical History

Thomas L. Kane (1822-1883) was a lawyer, abolitionist, Civil War soldier, frontiersman, and Mormon advocate.

Thomas Leiper Kane was born January 27, 1822 in Philadelphia to Judge John Kintzing Kane and Jane Duval Leiper. He attained the bar in 1846, after studying law with his father. He served as clerk in his father's court until 1850, at which point he resigned due to a moral conflict with the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. He went on to become an active member of the Underground Railroad. Kane became interested in the Mormon migration to the West, and was crucial in securing government aid for the movement. His friendship with Brigham Young is credited with the non-violent resolution of the Utah War. At the advent of the Civil War Kane organized a volunteer Union Army regiment known as the "Bucktails" and served as lieutenant-colonel of that outfit. He later was brevetted the rank of major-general for his service at Gettysburg. After his military service he retired to found the town of Kane, Pennsylvania. In 1853 Kane married Elizabeth Dennistoun Wood, and together they had four children: Harriet Amelia Kane (1854-1896); Elisha Kent Kane (1856-1935); Evan O'Neill Kane (1861-1932); and Thomas Leiper Kane, Jr. (1863-1929). Kane died of pneumonia in Philadelphia on December 26, 1883.

Biographical History

Horace Greeley (1811-1872) was an American newspaper editor in New York.

Horace Greeley was born on February 3, 1811 in Amherst, New Hampshire to Zaccheus Greeley and Mary Woodburn. In 1831 he moved to New York City, where he worked as a newspaper editor. Greeley married Mary Cheney in Amherst, Massachusetts on July 5, 1836, and they had eight children. In 1841 he founded the New York Tribune, where he worked as editor for the rest of his career. In 1872 he ran for president of the United States, but died shortly after the election in New York on November 29, 1872.