The following collection contains letters related to Bushrod's legal education in Philadelphia. Bushrod lived in the city from 1782 to 1784, and when not studying, he enmeshed himself in Philadelphia's high society, including frequent visits to his close friend Eliza Willing Powel and her husband Samuel. Bushrod worked as an apprentice to James Wilson, a seasoned lawyer who would eventually become the first professor of law at the College of Philadelphia as well as a Supreme Court Justice. Bushrod financed this education with the assistance of his uncle, President George Washington.

This collection relates to Bushrod’s experiences when he operated his own private law office. Having recently completed his apprenticeship under James Wilson, Bushrod returned to Virginia in 1784 and opened the office the next year. He relocated to the city of Alexandria in 1789, followed by a move to Richmond in 1792. These cases required him to appear before the Virginia Court of Appeals and the Court of Chancery. He continued in the practice until he became a Supreme Court Justice in 1798. As a result, these letters provide a deeper understanding of the types of contracts, disputes, and suits that were common in late eighteenth-century Virginia.

These letters detail the continued health struggles that Bushrod and Nancy Washington dealt with, especially in the latter years of their life. Bushrod rode circuit to New Jersey and Pennsylvania multiple times a year in service of his appellate duties as a Supreme Court Justice. Such journeys, traveled even during the colder months, strained both of their health. These correspondences afford insight into how people grappled with health concerns in the Early Republic era, including the enjoyment of hot springs which were reputed for their soothing, healing qualities.

The following collection details the cases Bushrod encountered while serving on the Circuit Court of the United States for the Third Circuit between 1803 and 1829. The Third Circuit consisted of the District of New Jersey and the District of Eastern Pennsylvania. Bushrod rode circuit to these courts for both a fall and spring term. He corresponded frequently with Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story, and their discussions helped both justices determine difficult legal applications and interpretations. Many of these cases involved bankruptcy, copyright, criminal, maritime, and patent law.

This collection contains letters written between Bushrod Washington, Joseph Story, John Marshall, and other justices of the Supreme Court of the United States. Bushrod served as a justice from 1798 until 1829. The justices frequently sought out each other’s opinions on matters of legal application and interpretation, especially for controversial cases such as McCulloch vs. Maryland. These letters show how influential each member of the Marshall Court proved in shaping the early-American judiciary.

The following letters pertain to “General Washington’s Works,” a published collection of George Washington’s correspondences with military, political, and personal acquaintances. Jared Sparks, the editor, received many such letters when helping Bushrod Washington and John Marshall publish a biography of the general. Sparks’s familiarity with these resources led Bushrod and John Marshall to trust in him for this new project.

This correspondence relates to Bushrod Washington’s and John Marshall’s efforts to produce a biography for George Washington. Bushrod inherited Mount Vernon, and this situation gave him unparalleled access to the general’s public and private letters. Held back by his impaired vision, Bushrod turned to John Marshall to serve as author while he handled the business affairs. The published biography, released in multiple volumes, detailed the general’s military career and presidency and contained unique insight derived from these letters.

The following correspondences pertain to the will of George Washington. Bushrod served as one of his uncle’s executors after he passed away in 1799. This role required him and the other executors to manage affairs including outstanding debts, land investments and sales, matters involving Mount Vernon, and requests for letters written to and by the president. Many of these issues took years to resolve, and Bushrod continued working in this capacity throughout the course of his life.

This series of letters detail the concerns of estate and plantation management that Bushrod dealt with as inheritor of the Mount Vernon estate. After the passing of Martha Washington in 1802, Bushrod came into ownership of Mount Vernon and the collection of personal letters written to and by George Washington. Bushrod’s inheritance, salary as a Supreme Court Justice, and earning from the plantation proved insufficient to maintain the estate with ease. Despite various attempts to raise funds, including selling many enslaved peoples, Bushrod failed to remedy these financial difficulties, and the estate declined gradually.

This collection explores Bushrod’s relationship with the institution of chattel slavery. As a Virginian planter and inheritor of the Mount Vernon estate, Bushrod was a slaveowner. He defended the slaveholder’s property rights because state and federal laws sanctioned them. Bushrod also helped found the American Colonization Society in 1816 and served as its first president. This contradiction opened Bushrod to criticism from contemporary abolitionists, and modern historians classify the effort to send freed slaves to Africa as stemming from an antislavery, as opposed to abolitionist, conviction.