Strangers – Today

Mr. Calvin Bailey

Calvin Bailey was a visitor from Boston.

Harrison Gray Otis, October 8, 1765 — October 28, 1848

Harrison Gray Otis was an American lawyer and politician. He established a law practice in Boston before being named U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts by President George Washington in 1796. Otis went on to become an important early leader in the Federalist Party, and held numerous political offices, including state and U.S. Senator. Additionally, Otis was a founding member of the American Antiquarian Society. At the the time of this visit, Otis was at the beginning of his term as a U.S. Senator from Massachusetts. He also visited later in his career, when he was mayor of Boston.

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

James Le Ray de Chaumont, November 13, 1760 – December 31, 1840

James Le Ray de Chaumont was a farmer and land investor. He was the son of  Jacques-Donatien Le Ray de Chaumont, who was a friend of Benjamin Franklin and supporter and supplier of aid to the cause during the American Revolution.  Le Ray de Chaumont was French, but became an American citizen through marriage. He acquired extensive landholdings in upstate New York, where the modern day towns of Le Ray and Chaumont are named after him. The Le Ray family supported commerce and infrastructure in the region, and built multiple homes and manors there. Le Raysville, in Pennsylvania, also bears the family's name. This was an early visit to the Athenaeum by Le Ray de Chaumont, who visited many times over the years. The Record of Strangers indicates that he was accompanied by his son-in-law, the Marquis de Gouvello.

Source — Source — Source

Pierre Armand Jean Vincent Hippolyte de Gouvello de Kériaval, June 19, 1782 — December 28, 1870

Pierre Armand Jean Vincent Hippolyte de Gouvello de Kériaval, or the Marquis de Gouvello, was a French nobleman. He was married to the daughter of James Le Ray De Chaumont, a Frenchman who emigrated to upstate New York where he became a successful farmer and landowner. Chaumont was a frequent visitor to the Athenaeum, and the Record of Strangers shows Chaumont accompanying the Marquis on this visit. The Marquis and his wife spent a year in America with Chaumont before returning to France.

Source — Source

John Hubbard, March 22, 1794 — February 6, 1869

John Hubbard was an American medical doctor and politician. He studied at Dartmouth and later earned his medical degree at the University of Pennsylvania. Following graduation, Hubbard practiced medicine in both Virginia and his home state of Maine before entering politics in the latter. He was elected to the Maine state senate in 1842, serving until the next year. In 1849, Hubbard was elected governor of Maine, a position he held until 1853. As governor, he signed the controversial Maine Law, which prohibited the sale of alcoholic beverages, the first law of its kind at the beginning of the developing temperance movement. The Record of Strangers indicates that Hubbard visited the Athenaeum multiple times in the period between his state senate term and his election as governor.

Portrait courtesy of Maine Memory Network — Source — Source — Source