John Wilson Croker Papers

Collection

Identifier: MS Group 020

Staff Only

Scope and Content

The bulk of the collection is two discrete groups of letters, the first to William Casey, 1808-1828, and the second to J. Winter Jones, 1951-1857. There are a few additional letters and documents, including a diary fragment by Croker, and approximately a dozen letters by others, mostly to Croker.

William Casey of Dublin was a friend of Croker's for whom Croker sought government positions (cf. letters of 1815). The letters to Casey primarily pertain to government and political affairs as well as to personal exchanges. J. Winter Jones (1805-1881) was assistant keeper of printed books (later keeper and then principal librarian) at the time of most of the letters to him. Primarily they pertain to Croker's editing of the works of Alexander Pope and involve requests for information from the library.

Dates

Creation: 1808-1888
Creation: Majority of material found within 1808-1857

Creator

Croker, John Wilson, 1780-1857 (Person)

Access

The collection is open for research.

Biographical/Historical Note

Author, critic and politician, born in Galway, Ireland. Educated at Trinity College, he chose the profession of law. He was elected to Parliament in 1807 and appointed Secretary of the Admiralty in 1809. He gained literary distinction writing excellent satires. His most critical work is his edition of Boswell's Life of Johnson, 1831.

Extent

1 Linear feet (2 Boxes, 129 items)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Correspondence, dated 1808-1888, by British statesman, author, and critic, John Wilson Croker. The letters pertain to government and political affairs and to Croker's editing of the works of Alexander Pope.

Arrangement

Arranged in three groups: Letters to Thomas Casey, Letters to J. Winter Jones, and Miscellaneous (Letters and documents by Croker others).

Physical Location

University of Florida Smathers Library Building

Acquisition Information

The Croker Papers were purchased in 1964. The correspondence includes a letter from William John Courthope, who completed the editing of Croker's edition of Pope, to R. Garnett, superintendent of the British Museum reading room, asking that he send all of Croker's letters to J. Winter Jones that relate to Pope. No information is available as to how these letters were joined with the others.

Alternate Form of Material

Digital reproductions of items in this collection are available online via the University of Florida Digital Collections (UFDC). Please read the Permissions for Use statement for information on copyright, fair use, and use of UFDC digital objects.