Franklin Van Voorhis Papers

Collection — Box: 1

Identifier: MC.1964.207

Staff Only

Collection Overview

The Franklin Van Voorhis Papers are a collection of eleven (11) letters written between 1885 and 1889 toward the end of the Victorian Era (1837-1901).

All eleven (11) letters are presumed to be written by Franklin Van Voorhis to his mother, Mrs. E.T. Van Voorhis. There are brief references to matters of family, money, shipping and receiving, etc. However, the majority of the letters’ content focuses on the years Van Voorhis lived and traveled within Argentina and the surrounding South American countries.

Five (5) of the letters seem unfinished and two (2) are fragments that appear to have been cut or torn from a larger letter, leaving the content mostly unintelligible.

Dates

1885-1889

Language & Script

The Franklin Van Voorhis papers are primarily written in Modern English. Place-names, dates, titles, and forms of address are often written in Modern Spanish. Abbreviations in both English and Spanish are used throughout the letters.

Access Restrictions

Available by appointment only at the Helmerich Center for American Research (HCAR) with the exception of materials with donor restrictions. Contact Library staff in advance to inquire if materials exist pertaining to your research interests.

Use Restrictions

Please contact the Rights and Reproduction Department for information on publishing or reproducing materials included in these records. Permission will be granted by the Gilcrease Museum as the owner of the physical materials, and does not imply permission from the copyright holder. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain all necessary permissions from the copyright holder.

Collection Context

The 19th century was a period of nation-building (1810-1880) and the start of Argentina's modern era (1880-present). The Revolution of May 1810, the Argentine Declaration of Independence (July 9, 1816), and the defeat of the Spanish Empire (1824) preceded the formation of the Argentine Republic as a federal state (1853-1862). Between the defeat of the Spanish in 1824 and the writing of the Argentine Constitution of 1853 (still in effect with amendments), a civil war endured between unitarians and federalists.

In 1862, Bartolomé Mitre became the first president of the unified country. Mitre’s presidency saw an economic improvement in Argentina from agricultural modernization, foreign investment, railroads and ports, and European immigration. Due to a severe decline in popularity following the War of the Triple Alliance, Mitre was succeeded by Domingo Faustino Sarmiento in 1868. Sarmiento promoted public education, culture, telegraphs, and the modernization of the military. Nicolás Avellaneda became president in 1874. The main hallmark of Avellaneda’s presidency was handling the economic depression left by the Panic of 1873. Unfortunately, the economic issues were solved through the Conquest of the Desert, which was the expansion of national territory by seizing Indigenous lands and reducing Indigenous populations.

Turmoil from trade conflict led Buenos Aires to declare secession from the republic in 1880. This right was denied, which broke the Law of Compromise, and succession efforts were defeated. Buenos Aires definitively joined the republic, which federalized the city and handed it over to the government as the nation’s capital city. That same year, Julio Roca was elected president. Political alliances and measures helped Roca retain nearly complete control of the Argentine political scene during the 1880s. Roca’s presidency saw economic benefits via a change from extensive farming to industrial agriculture, an influx in European immigration, and some of the highest levels of foreign investment in Latin America. In 1884, the Law 1420 of Common Education guaranteed universal, free, non-religious education.

Miguel Juárez Celman became president in 1886 and attempted to reduce Roca’s political control. This led to an opposition movement and the Revolution of the Park, which concluded in Celman’s resignation. Vice-president Carlos Pellegrini took over for Celman and proceeded to resolve the economic crisis. Pellegrini also took measures to side with Roca to avoid political chastisement. In 1898, Julio Roca once again became president. His second presidency was marked by political instability and social conflicts, including massive strikes and anarchist subversion attempts. These conflicts were resolved through crackdowns on protestors and (suspected) rebels by the police or army. Roca was the last president of Argentina in the 19th century.

Extent

11 item(s)

Additional Description

Provenance

The Gilcrease Foundation acquired these materials before 1964 and is housed in the Helmerich Center for American Research (HCAR). The library currently receives most materials through community donation, board members, artists and the acquisition of manuscript collections.

Condition

Overall, the Franklin Van Voorhis Papers are in poor condition. Many of the letters appear to be incomplete and two items are fragments that seem to have been cut or torn from the original letter. Careful and minimal handing is strongly recommended.

Processing Information

Staff, interns, and volunteers of the Thomas Gilcrease Library and Archive have contributed to the organization and maintenance of the files since the collection passed to the City of Tulsa in the 1950s.