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Boston College collection of Josiah Quincy

 Collection
Identifier: MS-2006-003

Scope and Contents

Consists of a fragment of a Harvard University leave of absence pass with Quincy's signature, a letter signed by Quincy to Frederic W. Lincoln, Jr., and a black-and-white engraved portrait of Quincy from 1889.

Dates

  • Creation: 1839 - 1889

Creator

Access Note

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

These materials are made available for use in research, teaching and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source. The original authors may retain copyright to the materials.

Biographical / Historical

Josiah Quincy III was born February 4, 1772, in Boston, Massachusetts. From 1805 to 1813, he was a member of the United States House of Representatives. After leaving Congress, Quincy served as a member of the Massachusetts Senate until 1820. In 1821–22, he was a member and speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. Quincy resigned from the legislature to become judge of the municipal court of Boston. In 1823, Quincy was elected as the second mayor of Boston; he served six one-year terms from 1823 to 1828. From 1829 to 1845, he was President of Harvard University. Quincy spent his final years on his farm in Quincy, Massachusetts, where he died on July 1, 1864.

Sources:

"Josiah Quincy". Find a Grave. Accessed April 14, 2026, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/2836/josiah-quincy.

"Josiah Quincy III". Wikipedia. March 19, 2026, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josiah_Quincy_III.

Full Extent

0.5 Linear Feet (1 container)

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

Alphabetical.

Custodial History

Originally assembled and framed by Goodspeed's Book Shop, Inc. (Boston Mass.) on 1975 March 7 (Item No. 2319).

Provenance

Because the current accessioning system was not used until January 1986, it is not possible to know exactly the dates of acquisition of materials received before that time.

Related Materials

Greater Boston Area Materials, MS.2013.020, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.

Maurice J. Tobin collection, MS.2001.042, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.

Title
Boston College Collection of Josiah Quincy
Status
Completed
Subtitle
1839-1889
Author
Unknown in 2015; revised by Molly Aleshire
Date
2026
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the John J. Burns Library Repository

Contact:
John J. Burns Library
Boston College
140 Commonwealth Avenue
Chestnut Hill MA 02467 USA
617-552-4861