Manuscript Group 718, William Paterson (1817-1899),Student and author Papers, 1833-1897
Archives Documents, Manuscripts, Maps, & Photographs
Manuscript Group 718, William Paterson (1817-1899), Student and author
Papers, 1833-1897, 1 linear foot
Call Number: MG 718
Verse; essays; orations and compositions written by Paterson as an undergraduate at the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University); incomplete manuscript biography of his grandfather, William Paterson (1745-1806); transcriptions of letters written by this famous grandfather, including letters to Aaron Burr (1756-1836). Included are early dated drafts of some poems published by the younger William Paterson and his brother, Stephen Van Rensselaer Paterson, under the title Poems of Twin Graduates of the College of New Jersey (Newark, 1882). Both were members of the class of 1835. William Paterson graduated from the College of New Jersey in 1835 and was admitted to the bar in 1838. He served as a member of the Assembly, 1842-1843, and as secretary of the state constitutional convention of 1844. In March, 1882 he was appointed a lay judge of the Court of Errors and Appeals. He was mayor of Perth Am boy for a total of ten years between 1846 and 1878. The essays, orations, and compositions in the collection reflect his interests in politics and history.
