Thomas L. Kane correspondence with Lajos Kossuth, approximately 1852

Sub-Series — Box: 18

Identifier: Vault MSS 792 Series 4 Sub-Series 7

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Contains a card with messages to and from Kossuth. Materials date approximately 1852.

Dates

approximately 1852

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

Lajos Kossuth (1802-1894) was a Hungarian journalist and political reformer.

Lajos Kossuth was born September 19, 1802 in Monok, Hungary. He first reached the public eye as a political journalist, reporting on the national Diet from 1832 to 1836. His writings generated some controversy, and he was imprisoned for subversion from 1837 to 1840. After his release he edited a bi-weekly journal from 1840 to 1844. During this time, in 1841 he was married to Terézia Meszlényi. Kossuth then became more deeply involved in Hungarian politics, working as a political reformer over the course of the country's struggle for independence from Austria. This work led to being installed as head of the committee of national defense, where he served between 1848 and 1849. Following the revolution Kossuth moved into exile, first in Turkey and later in London. Around 1859 he moved to Turin, Italy, where he died on March 20, 1894.