Roger Brooke Taney to John Wesley Hunt Transcribed by Grace Wheeler Transcribed on Primary Source Cooperative 2025

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Available under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-SA Attribution--NonCommercial--ShareAlike. The Papers of Roger Brooke Taney Tyler Luong, Ed Bradley, David Ramsey 16 May 1839 taney-roger-brooke hunt-john3 Roger Brooke Taney to John Wesley Hunt Harvard Law School Library, Historical & Special Collections, Cambridge, Massachusetts Henry N. Ess Autograph Collection, 1593 - 1864; Box 1, Folder 39

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 Health and Illness Patronage Travel and Touring, US Supreme Court Circuit Court
Baltimore May 16. 1839 Dear Sir

We were very glad to see Robert a few days ago on his return to Princeton & to hear that you were all well. – He made however but a short stay in Baltimore – & left it the morning after he arrived.

It will give me sincere pleasure to give any aid I can to obtain a situation for young Mr. Grosh1 at West Point; – I expect to see Mr. Key in a few days & will confer with him as to the steps proper to be taken. –

I am so well satisfied from all I hear that Francis will realize the best wishes of his friends, that it is with much regret that I decline authorizing him to refer to me. But my official situation has occasioned many applications of that kind, & some of them from young gentlemen in whom I had entire confidence. – But I have refused in2 every instance. – For I could not authorize it in one case & refuse it in others without making invidious & unpleasant distinctions – and there would be many applications in which I could not with propriety authorize such a reference. It has therefore seemed to me best to decline in every case.

As to my movements for the summer they are all yet in doubt. – I was quite ill at the Supreme Court & have recovered very slowly – and having been in the Circuit court here since the first monday in April, my health has not improved as much I hoped it would. I hesitate about my western trip & greatly fear I have not strength for it. – Yet I have not yet given it up. –

We all beg to be remembered to you & other friends and with best wishes to you all

I am Dr. Sir Most Respectfully / & truly your friend R. B. Taney

Autograph Letter Signed

Harvard Law School Library, Historical & Special Collections, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Henry N. Ess Autograph Collection, 1593 - 1864; Box 1, Folder 39

Single / John W. Hunt Esquire / Lexington / Kentucky

BALTIMORE MD / MAY 17

1839 / R. B. Taney / Baltimore / 16 June

Taney likely refers here to the son of Hunt’s brother-in-law.

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