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Correspondence and business papers of Henry Gassaway Davis (1823-1916), a successful businessman and politician from West Virginia. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for Vice President of the United States in 1904. The collection largely documents his business and political career, although there are personal papers in the collection as well. His business interests were largely concerned with coal mining, timber, and railroads. Types of documents include letters, reports, account books, and maps, among other material. Much of the correspondence is arranged alphabetically. The scope and content note of each record series provides substantial detail regarding content.

Correspondence and other papers of politician and industrialist Henry Gassaway Davis (November 16, 1823 - March 11, 1916), a Democrat who served in the West Virginia Legislature, 1866-1871, and the U.S. Senate, 1871-1883. Davis was also the Democratic vice-presidential nominee in 1904. A reel of microfilm includes two private account books (1867-1915) and a letter book (1898-1916), which mentions several state and national Democratic leaders including Stephen B. Elkins and John T. McGraw. There is information on the congressional election of 1900 and the candidacy of Colonel T.B. Davis. The microfilm also includes miscellaneous clippings, newspapers, letters, and printed items relating to Davis' business affairs, the Davis Child Shelter, and the West Virginia Semi-Centennial Celebration. An addendum of 1996/09/27 contains an H.G. Davis letter book (January 4 - March 16, 1914) and three of his scrapbooks of clippings. Scrapbook subjects include railroads and coal trade (1883-1893); WV politics (1868-1883); and railroads, national politics, and national economy (1872-1883).