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1826 French letter from French diplomat Charles-Alexandre de Ganay, future 3rd Marquis of Ganay, to his father in France. Ganay was embassy attach/secretary to Ambassador Baron de Mareuil.
Contents refer to Stephen Girard who, during the War of 1812, single-handedly saved the federal government of the United States from bankruptcy by personally financing the American war effort. At the time of his death, Girard was the wealthiest man in America, with adjustment for inflation, Girard was the fifth-wealthiest American of all time.
This letter talks of 2 people who are hoping to become acknowledged as beneficiaries in his will. One is a French general, the second a niece of Girard’s. It seems Girard was a difficult person.
Washington 3 février 1826
Mes chers et bons parents…J’ai reçu la lettre que mon père m’envoye du Général Ordonneau pour M. Stephen Girard dont il me paroit et avec raison avoir fort envie d’être le neveu. Je n’ai pas voulu comme mon père m’y engagé --- un négotiation diplomatique avec un homme, dont il suffit d’être le --- pour que ce soit un titre d’exclusion à sa succession, il y a quelques tems qu’une de ces nièces arriver de Bordeaux à Philadelphie ses affaires paraissaient devois être plus avancés que celles de M. Ordonneau qui demande une reconnaissance de parenté tandis que la dame en question était la fille d’une sœur de M Gd; quand il su qu’elle était à Philadelphie, il lui fit écrire sans avoir consenti à la voir un seul instant que si elle ne partait dans les 24h pour Bordeaux elle devrait renoncer à toute partie quelconque de sa succession. M.G. est une espèce d’ours – léché avec qui il est fort peu agréable d’être en rapport et quand M. Or. serait son neveu il n’en seroit guerre plus avancé. Aussi me suis-je borné à lui écrire au nuit et à lui envoyer la lettre du Gal il ne m’a pas encore répondu quand il l’aura fait je vous ferai part de ce qu’il m’écrit.
Point de nouvelles ici si ce n’est qu’il vient de nous arriver un nouveau secrétaire de la légation anglaise un fort aimable garçon avec lequel je suis agréé fort lié il est fort bon musicien qualité – chez les gens de son nation, et nous faisons ensemble d’excellente musique.
Adieu mes chers parents, je vous aime plus que jamais.
ch
My dear and good parents… I received the letter that my father sent me from General Ordonneau for Mr. Stephen Girard, whom he declared to me and rightly wanted to be the nephew. I didn’t want to do what my father did -- a diplomatic negotiation with a man, which you just have to be the -- for it to be an exclusion title to his estate, Some time ago, one of these nieces who arrived from Bordeaux to Philadelphia appeared to be more advanced than Mr. Ordonneau’s, who was seeking recognition of kinship, while the lady in question was the daughter of a sister of Mr. Gd; when he knew that she was in Philadelphia, he had her written to without having consented to see her for a single moment that if she did not leave within 24 hours for Bordeaux she would have to give up any part of her estate. M.G. is a species of bear – licked with whom it is very unpleasant to be in contact and when Mr. Or. would be his nephew he would not be little more advanced. So I limited myself to write him at night and to send him the letter of the Gal he has not yet answered me when he has done I will tell you what he writes me.
No news here except that a new secretary of the English legation has just arrived, a very kind boy with whom I am bound very closely he is a very good musician – among the people of his nation, and we make excellent music together.
Sent to:
Monsieur le Ms de Ganay Rue du Faubourg St Germain No 57 Paris
Postmarked in red on front 74 LE HAVRE, and on back MARS 14 1826
Charles-Alexandre de Ganay, 3rd Marquis de Ganay (1803 –1881) was a French aristocrat, diplomat and art collector. He was the only son of Françoise Bonne de Virieu (1776–1870) and Gen. Antoine-Charles de Ganay, 2nd Marquis de Ganay (1769–1849), a representative for Saône-et-Loire from 1810 to 1823.
A diplomat, he served as Minister Plenipotentiary to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany in Italy The United Provinces of Central Italy, a client state of the Kingdom of Sardinia, annexed Tuscany in 1859. Tuscany was formally annexed to Sardinia in 1860, as a part of the unification of Italy resulting in the Kingdom of Italy in 1861.
Stephen Girard (1750 –1831) was a French-born American banker, philanthropist and slave owner. Born in Bordeaux, Girard subsequently immigrated to the United States where he established himself in the American banking industry. During the War of 1812, Girard single-handedly saved the federal government of the United States from bankruptcy by personally financing the American war effort.
Eventually accumulating a large estate which included a slave plantation in Louisiana, a 2007 article in Fortune Magazine estimated that he was the fourth-richest American in history. Having no children, Girard devoted much of his fortune to philanthropy, in particular the education and welfare of orphans, and his estate continues to fund philanthropic endeavors in the present day.
Girard's Bank was the principal source of government credit during the War of 1812, worth an outstanding $1 million. Towards the end of the war, when the financial credit of the U.S. government was at its lowest, Girard placed nearly all of his personal resources at the disposal of the government and underwrote up to 95 percent of the war loan issue, which enabled the United States to carry on the war. After the war, he became a large stockholder in and one of the directors of the Second Bank of the United States.
At the time of his death, Girard was the wealthiest man in America, with adjustment for inflation, Girard was the fifth-wealthiest American of all time as of 1996, behind John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and John Jacob Astor.
Girard's will was contested by his family in France but was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in a landmark case.
