Strangers – Highlighted

John Ross, October 3, 1790 - August 1, 1866

John Ross was the Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation during a tumultuous period in their history, including their forced removal via the Trail of Tears. Ross served as president of the Cherokee National Council from 1819 - 1825, and was later elected Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation in 1828 after helping establish their constitution and sovereignty. Ross was a lifelong opponent of attempts by the United States government to seize the land of and delegitimize the Cherokee Nation. Ultimately, his efforts and appeals to President Andrew Jackson failed, and he was forced under threat of military action in the 1830s to lead his people from their homelands in Georgia to the Oklahoma Territory via what came to be known as the infamous Trail of Tears. Later, in the 1860s, Ross initially advocated for Cherokee neutrality in the American Civil War, though he eventually announced the Nation's alliance with the Confederacy. Ross later rejected this alliance, and emerged as the leader of the pro-Union faction of the Cherokee Nation. Three of his four sons fought for the Union.

Portrait courtesy of Smithsonian Open Access — Source — Source — Source — Source

Alexis de Tocqueville, July 29, 1805 - April 16, 1859

Alexis de Tocqueville was an aristocrat, diplomat, political philosopher, and historian, known for his works Democracy in America (appearing in two volumes, 1835 and 1840) and The Old Regime and the Revolution (1856). Tocqueville's visits to the Athenaeum occurred during his trip to the United States, from May 1831 to February 1832. The trip was undertaken at the behest of the French government, with the purpose of inspecting American prisons and producing a report, an 1833 copy of which is held by the Athenaeum. The report also contributed to his writing in Democracy in America. The Record of Strangers indicates that Tocqueville visited multiple times with "M de Beaumont", or Gustave de Beaumont, his friend and editor.

Portrait courtesy of Wikimedia Commons — Source — Source — Source

Gustave de Beaumont, February 6, 1802 - February 22, 1866

Gustave de Beaumont was a French statesman and prison reformer. Beaumont, with Alexis de Tocqueville, for whom he also acted as editor, was commissioned by the French government to inspect and produce a report on American prisons. The two traveled the United States between May 1831 and February 1832 in service of this goal, during which time they visited the Athenaeum multiple times. The Athenaeum holds an 1833 edition of the report they produced, titled On the Penitentiary System in the United States, and Its Application in France. Beaumont was also an author in his own right, perhaps best known for his work Marie or, Slavery in the United States (1835), an abolitionist novel focusing on racial prejudice against both indigenous and black populations in the United States.

Portrait courtesy of Wikimedia Commons — Source — Source

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet and educator. Longfellow was one of the so-called "fireside poets" from New England, and was celebrated as one of the most popular American poets during his lifetime. His work contributed to a wider readership of Romantic poetry, and he helped to craft an American identity through his verse and prose. Some of his best-known works include "Paul Revere's Ride" and The Song of Hiawatha. Longfellow visited the Athenaeum twice, with both visits coming very early in his literary career, during his time as a professor at Bowdoin College in Maine and Harvard College in Massachusetts. The Athenaeum holds in its collections numerous 19th century editions of Longfellow's works, including an 1850 edition of his collection titled Poems, that was a gift from the author.

Portrait courtesy of Smithsonian Open Access

Edward Coles, December 15, 1786 – July 7, 1868

Edward Coles was an American politician. He was born into a wealthy family of enslavers and plantation owners in Virginia. Coles studied at William and Mary College before serving as a private secretary to James Madison. In 1817, he sold his inherited plantation in Virginia and travelled to Illinois, accompanied by 17 people that his family had enslaved. Coles later freed the enslaved people and helped them settle, and began to fight the pro-slavery movement within the Illinois government. He was elected governor in 1822, and helped ensure that Illinois remained a free state by a vote during the 1824 Constitutional Convention. Coles was also an advocate for establishing a state library in Illinois. His political career faltered after he lost multiple congressional elections, and he moved to Philadelphia in 1832. Based on the Athenaeum's records, it is believed that Coles became an Athenaeum shareholder in 1835. His name appears throughout the Record of Strangers as the introducing member for many strangers, as well as multiple times as a stranger himself.

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