Guide to the William Pierce Frye Papers, 1871-1913 (bulk 1875-1895)
William Pierce Frye Papers, George J. Mitchell Department of Special Collections & Archives, Bowdoin College Library, Brunswick, Maine
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A lawyer and legislator, William P. Frye (Bowdoin 1850) was active and influential in state and national Republican Party politics. Frye served in the Maine House of Representatives (1861-62 and 1867), as mayor of Lewiston (1866-67), as Maine attorney general (1867-69), and in the U.S. Congress, in both the House (1871-81) and the Senate (1881-1911). He served on the House Ways and Means Committee and in the Senate chaired the Committee on Commerce.
Frye married Caroline F. Spear, daughter of Capt. A. G. Spear, in Rockland. The couple had three daughters.
Frye's speeches, political and commemorative from 1875 to 1895, make up the bulk of the collection, which also contains some letters, clippings, notes, etc.
Scattered letters, 1871-1913, mostly personal in nature.
Arranged chronologically.
March 17, 1871 - February 24, 1913 and undated
Notes and essays (manuscript and typescript) on economics, trade, the Nicaraguan Canal, the destruction of the battleship "Maine" and other contemporary political issues. Clippings are biographical and political. The material is dated 1871-1913. Similar material is in the Frye scrapbook.
Arranged alphabetically.
Act of the Congress of Vienna, June 9, 1815
Frye-Hanna Western Tour [October 15-20; statistics]
Memoranda on American relations with Samoa
Memorandum concerning the destruction of the battleship "Maine"
[News release on the annual report of the Chief of the U.S. Treasury, July 29, 1900]
[Notebooks on economics, finance and trade]
[Notebook on economics, finance and trade] Ms. notes
[Notes on economics and foreign commerce]
[Notes on Sunday school and missionary work]
[Notes on trade, tarrifs, Nicaraguan canal and military pensions]
Opinions of text writers on the ... transfer of debts
[Principles of law governing an armistice ..., by W.L. Penfield]
[William Pierce Frye: His Political Career; a thesis presented to the... Department of History, Bates College..., by Cindi Byrkit, 1974]
Biographical and miscellaneous
Obituary, August 9, 1911
On pensions, trade, the Phillipines and the Nicaraguan canal
Ephemera: manuscript and printed
The speeches, dated 1875-1900, include memorials on notable Americans, talks given before various societies and associations, and addresses on commerce, trade and tarrifs. Most are printed or typescripts, a few are manuscripts; notes and clippings sometimes accompany the speeches.
Arranged chronologically.
On the ... death of Samuel Hershey, Feb. 20, 1875
The Burns' Banquet, Washington, 1876
Presentation of [William] King statue [in the U.S. Capitol, Jan. 22, 1878]
Speech ... in the House of Representatives, on the soldiers's roll, April 3, 1878
The old soldier's role in democratic care ... April 3, 1878
1st annual festival, New England Society of Pennsylvania, Dec. 22, 1881
The tariff, encouragement to capitol, protector to labor ... Feb. 10, 1882
Boston Merchants' Association ... Dec. 30, 1885 [re. the tariff]
Fishing rights of the United States, Retaliation ... January 24, 1887
In memory of John A. Logan ... February 9, 1887
Our Protective Tariff, Oct. 19, 1887
Address on the work of missions [before the American Missionary Association, Oct. 28, 1887
Protection Against Free Trade ... Jan. 23, 1888
The fisheries treaty ... May 29, 1888
Eulogy of Grant ... Aug. 9, 1888
[Samuel S. Cox memorial, Dec. 12, 1891]
Launch of the "El Sud" ... Mar. 16, 1892
[The American Ship, July 4, 1892]
The Relation of the Nicaragua Canal to American Commerce ... Feb. 13, 1893
A tribute to John E. Kenna, Feb. 28, 1893
James G. Blaine : a memorial address... May 2, 1893
[On the Wilson Tariff Bill, 1894]
Hawaii ... Feb. 28, 1894
[American Merchant Marine, 1895?]
Currency [1895?]
Acceptance of 4th nomination to the U.S. Senate, Jan. 3, 1895
In memory of Senator [Francis B.] Stockbridge ... February 9, 1895
Our Merchant Marine, Dec. 19, 1895 [detached from "Seaboard"]
Currency, [1895?]
[Beacon Society speech on foreign trade, Nov. 27, 1899]
[McKinley re-election speech, 1900]
[Republican Party convention, 1900?]
[Jean Baptiste Colbert, undated]
The doctor lost faith in Daniel Webster [undated]
[To the New England Society in Brooklyn, undated]
[Outlines on various subjects: trusts, speech, pensions, the Constitution, the Philippines, consent of the governed, dates, farmers, and growth of manufactures]