ABSTRACT: Letter written by John Stephens Durham to Benjamin W. Austin of Dallas, Texas.
SCOPE: This letter was written by John Stephens Durham in response to Benjamin W. Austin’s request for an autograph. The letter, dated 1894, mentions President Florvil Hyppolite of Haiti and President Ulises Heureaux of the Dominican Republic.
EXTENT: One page.
HISTORY: John Stephens Durham was born in Philadelphia in 1861. He studied civil engineering at the University of Pennsylvania and worked as a reporter and associate editor for multiple newspapers. In 1891, Durham succeeded Frederick Douglass as the United States Minister Resident to Haiti and was concurrently appointed as the Chargé d’Affaires to Santo Domingo. He served in these roles until 1893. Durham would later work as an attorney, sugar plantation manager, and author before his death in London in 1919.
ACCESS: This collection can be viewed on-site in the Rare Book and Manuscripts Reading Room. Some of the material may be photocopied, digitally scanned or photographed, subject to condition and other access restrictions. Information on conducting research with the archival collections of the Library, including current building hours and reading room policies, can be found on our Research page. The St. Louis Mercantile Library is located on levels one and two of the Thomas Jefferson Library building on the University of Missouri-St. Louis’ north campus.
Preferred Citation note: The preferred citation for this collection is “From the Special Collections of the St. Louis Mercantile Library at the University of Missouri – St. Louis."
