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Tomás Herrán Papers

 Collection
Identifier: GTM-000005

Scope and Contents

The Tomas Herran papers contain correspondence, cables, letter books, and related material dealing primarily with Colombian-U.S. relations in the period leading up to and just after the negotiation of the Hay-Herran Treaty (1903). The documents also concern Herran's duties as minister to the United States. Printed material deals largely with the Panama Canal and the Hay-Herran Treaty. Note: Click on "External Documents" below for a link to the finding aid for the collection.

Dates

  • 1794 - 1906
  • Majority of material found within 1863 - 1898

Conditions Governing Access note

Most manuscripts collections at the Georgetown University Booth Family Center for Special Collections are open to researchers; however, restrictions may apply to some collections. Collections stored off site require a minimum of three days for retrieval. For use of all manuscripts collections, researchers are advised to contact the Booth Family Center for Special Collections in advance of any visit.

Biographical note

Tomas Herran (1843-1904) was a Colombian diplomat and educator. He was born on September 21, 1843 in Bogota, Colombia. Herran received a B.A. (1863), an M.A. (1868), and a LL.D. (1900) from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Both his father and grandfather were diplomats. In 1871, he founded the School of Mechanical Arts in Medellin. In that same year, he married Laura Echeverri Villa. Herran served as Consul in Hamburg, Germany beginning in 1892. In 1900, he became secretary of the Colombian embassy in Washington, D.C. On January 22, 1903, Herran signed, together with U.S. Secretary of State John M. Hay, the Hay-Herran Treaty which--if ratified--would have given the U.S. a lease in perpetuity on a six-mile wide strip of land across the Isthmus of Panama (at that time belonging to Colombia). The Colombian government did not ratify the treaty.

[Source: "Tomas Herran Mosuqera," "Encyclopedia Banrepcultural" online.; also: Georgetown University Student Files.]

Extent

2.5 Linear Feet (5 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Custodial History

Gift of Laura E. Herran, 1910

Title
Tomás Herrán Papers
Status
Completed
Author
Georgetown University Library Booth Family Center for Special Collections, Washington, D.C.
Date
2018 April
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the Georgetown University Manuscripts Repository

Contact:
Lauinger Library, 5th Floor
37th and O Streets, N.W.
Washington DC 20057