urn:taro:utexas.cah.02429 A Guide to the Waddy Thompson Papers, 1833-1848 Original EAD encoding by Bethany Anderson according to TARO 2 EAD 2002 Editing Instructions. March 2011 Finding aid written in English. Descriptive Summary Thompson, Waddy, Jr., 1798-1868 Thompson, Waddy, Papers 1833-1848 Materials are written in English and Spanish. 1 in. Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin Composed of correspondence and a receipt, the Waddy Thompson Papers, 1833-1848, document Thompson’s political career, especially as minister to Mexico. Biographical Note

Born in Pickensville, South Carolina, Waddy Thompson, Jr. (1798-1868), graduated from South Carolina College in 1814. After admission to the bar in 1819, Thompson established a law practice in Edgefield. Actively involved in state and national politics, from 1826 through 1829, he served as member of the State House of Representatives and was subsequently elected solicitor general of the western circuit in 1830. Following his post as brigadier general of the South Carolina militia in 1832, Thompson filled the vacancy in the twenty-fourth Congress caused by the death of Warren Davis and served in the twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth Congresses from 1835 through 1841. In 1842, he was appointed Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Mexico, a position he occupied for two years.

Source:

Thompson, Waddy, Jr., (1798-1868). Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed on March 9, 2011. http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=T000221.

 Scope and Contents

Composed of correspondence and a receipt, the Waddy Thompson Papers, 1833-1848, document Thompson’s political career, especially as minister to Mexico. Correspondence discusses the United States’ strategies and attempts to free members of the Texas Mier and Santa Fe expeditions being held prisoners in Mexico as well as issues concerning the annexation of Texas and California. The majority of the letters are incoming correspondence from government officials in Mexico, such as Antonio López de Santa Anna, although the collection also contains a copy of a letter written by Thompson to Andrew Jackson. Additionally, the receipt concerns a purchase in Veracruz, Mexico.

 Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research use.

 Index Terms Subjects (Persons) Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845. Santa Anna, Antonio López de, 1794-1876. Thompson, Waddy, Jr., 1798-1868 -- Archives. Subjects (Organizations) United States. Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary (Mexico). Subjects Texan Mier Expedition (1842-1844). Texan Santa Fe Expedition, 1841. Places California -- Annexation to the United States. Mexico -- Politics and government -- 19th century. Texas -- Annexation to the United States. United States -- Politics and government -- 19th century. Veracruz-Llave (Mexico : State) -- History -- 19th century. Preferred Citation

Waddy Thompson Papers, 1833-1848, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.

 Processing Information

Basic processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with funds from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Briscoe Center’s History Revealed: Bringing Collections to Light project, 2009-2011.

 Detailed Description of the Papers Inventory 3J404 Correspondence and receipt, 1833-1848