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Oliver Rogers Barrett (October 14, 1873 – March 5, 1950) was an American lawyer, author, and prolific collector of Abraham Lincoln artifacts.[1]
Oliver R. Barrett | |
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| Born | October 14, 1873 Jacksonville, Illinois, United States |
| Died | March 5, 1950 (aged 76) |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan |
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Early life
editBarrett was born in Jacksonville, Illinois on October 14, 1873, but he grew up in Pittsfield.[2] As a child, he visited Springfield and purchased some of his first Lincoln artefacts, which marked the beginning of his collection. By his teens, Barrett developed a passion for collecting and frequently advertised in weekly newspapers for autographs, artefacts, letters, and other materials, particularly those connected to Abraham Lincoln. He eventually received his law degree from University of Michigan in 1896, and made his career as a lawyer in Peoria. His law work was temporarily interrupted while he in the Spanish–American War as a private in the Fifth Illinois Volunteers in April 1898. He left the army in November 1899 without having fought.[3][4]
Barrett's Lincoln collection
editIn 1905, Barrett moved from Peoria to Chicago and developed an obsession with building his Abraham Lincoln collection. This collection earned him fame among Lincoln scholars and researchers, most notably Carl Sandburg, and they met in 1924, becoming friends[4] and then collaborators in the mid-1930s,[5] with Sandburg also becoming a client of his law practice. With Sandburg's help, Barrett wrote a book entitled Lincoln's Last Speech in Springfield in the Campaign of 1858 in 1924. Sandburg also wrote a book about Barrett's collection, Lincoln Collector: The Story of the Oliver R. Barrett's Great Private Collections, published in 1949.
Death
editOliver R. Barrett died on March 5, 1950. State-wide efforts were made to have his collection purchased by the Illinois State Historical Library, however these efforts failed, and his collection was sold at auction by Parke-Bernet Galleries on February 19-20, 1952. Barrett's collection was valued at over $400,000.[6][7]
References
editCitations
edit- ^ "Members of the Hall of Distinction - The Manuscript Society". The Manuscript Society. Archived from the original on May 10, 2024. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
Oliver Rogers Barrett (1873-1950) was a Chicago attorney and Lincoln collector extraordinaire.
- ^ Lincoln Historical Fund Campaign 1950, p. 2.
- ^ Sandburg 1949, p. 13.
- ^ a b "Oliver Barrett: Lincoln Collector - Illinois History & Lincoln Collections". publish.illinois.edu. April 30, 2019. Archived from the original on May 10, 2024. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
- ^ "Barrett, Oliver R. Papers, 1933-1952 | Illinois History and Lincoln Collections". Illinois Library. Archived from the original on May 10, 2024. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
Barrett's collection of Lincoln materials caught the interest of Sandburg, and the two became friends and collaborators starting in the mid-1930s.
- ^ Emery, Tom (2017). "Lincoln collector Barrett had regional ties". MyJournalCourier. Archived from the original on July 7, 2024.
- ^ Lincoln & Basler 1953, p. viii.
Bibliography
edit- Lincoln Historical Fund Campaign (1950). A few facts citizens of Illinois should know about the famous Abraham Lincoln historical collection of Oliver R. Barrett. University of Illinois.
- Sandburg, Carl (1949). Lincoln collector; the story of Oliver R. Barrett's great private collection. Bonanza Books.
- Lincoln, Abraham; Basler, Roy Prentice (1953). Collected works. The Abraham Lincoln Association, Springfield, Illinois. Rutgers University Press.