Selected Papers of John W. Foster, 1892-1916

Contents and Arrangement

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Collection Overview

Creator:

Foster, John W. (John Watson) (1836-1917)

Title:

Selected Papers of John W. Foster

Repository:

Manuscripts Division

Permanent URL:

http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/9880vr04w

Dates:

1892-1916

Size:

1 box

Storage Note:

Firestone Library (scamss): Box 1

Language:

English

Abstract: Consists of diplomatic and personal papers relating to the Treaty of Shimonoseki and the Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895), documenting John Watson Foster's role as consultant to the Chinese commissioners in the negotiations.

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of diplomatic and personal papers relating to the Treaty of Shimonoseki and the Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895), documenting Foster's role as consultant to the Chinese commissioners in the negotiations. Included are the diary (1/30-6/8/1895), begun at Kobe, which Foster kept during his mission; letters to his wife (12/1894-5/1895) from Japan and China; his copies of the Chinese and Japanese diplomatic papers--drafts of the treaty, counter-drafts, memoranda--of the plenipotentiaries (Li Hung-Chang and Ito Hirobumi) involved in the treaty negotiations; passports and other personal papers; and his souvenirs from Japan.

An additional accession includes correspondence of Foster with Hamilton Hull, Paul R. Hickok, Russell Radford, a "Mr. Butler," and a passport signed by Foster for John H. Bloss (1892-1916).

Collection Creator Biography:

Foster

John Watson Foster was an American military man, journalist, and diplomat. He served as U.S. Secretary of State under President Benjamin Harrison in 1892 and 1893. He also helped the Qing Dynasty in drafting the Treaty of Shimonoseki of 1895 as a legal consultant and commissioner. His grandchildren included John Foster Dulles, who also became a U.S. Secretary of State, Allen Welsh Dulles, a director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and Eleanor Lansing Dulles, an economist and diplomat.

Collection History

Acquisition:: Gift of Allen W. Dulles '14.
Appraisal: No appraisal information is available.
Processing Information: This collection was processed by Jill Baron in May 2012. Finding aid written by Jill Baron in May 2012.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

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