Riggs Family records (Page R. Bradley donation)
Scope and Contents
Materials in this collection include business ledgers, correspondence, and personal belongings related to various members of the Riggs family. These materials date from the early 1800s to 1950.
Dates
- Creation: 1800-1950
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Some material may be copyrighted or restricted. It is the patron's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections.
Biographical / Historical
Members of the Riggs family founded or were connected to numerous Washington, DC banking institutions in the 19th and 20th century. The earliest incarnation of Riggs Bank was formed in 1836 when William Wilson Corcoran opened a small brokerage house. In 1840, Corcoran and George Washington Riggs, the son of a neighbor, formed "Corcoran & Riggs", which offered checking and depositing services. The bank got a major boost in 1844, when The U.S. government assigned Corcoran & Riggs to be the only federal depository in Washington. In 1854 Corcoran retired, and the bank changed its name to "Riggs & Co." After accepting a government charter, "Riggs National Bank" was born in 1896. By 1900, Riggs was twice as large as any other bank in D.C. It embarked on a project to become known as the bank of embassies and diplomats, and by 1950 most embassies in Washington were customers. Many branches thereafter opened within embassies in Washington D.C. and London. Riggs Bank was bought by PNC for $779 million in 2005.
Specific members of the Riggs family represented in this collection include: Elisha Riggs (New York merchant & Georgetown business man), George Washington Riggs (head of Riggs' banking business, known as "The President's Banker"), Elisha Francis Riggs (successor to G.W. Riggs in banking firm), Thomas Riggs, Jr. (Governor of Alaska Territory & U.S. Commissioner to the International Boundary Commission), and Thomas Lawrason Riggs (first Catholic chaplain of Yale University & musical theatre lyricist).
Extent
7.25 Linear Feet (Collection contains 2 record center boxes, 4 flat boxes, and 1 slim document box.)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
This collection contains materials relating to the Riggs family, who founded or were connected to numerous Washington, DC banking institutions beginning in the mid-1800s. The materials in this collection include business ledgers, correspondence, and personal belongings related to various members of the Riggs family. These materials date from the early 1800s to 1950. Specific members of the Riggs family represented in this collection include: Elisha Riggs (New York merchant & Georgetown business man), George Washington Riggs (head of Riggs' banking business, known as "The President's Banker"), Elisha Francis Riggs (successor to G.W. Riggs in banking firm), Thomas Riggs, Jr. (Governor of Alaska Territory & U.S. Commissioner to the International Boundary Commission), and Thomas Lawrason Riggs (first Catholic chaplain of Yale University & musical theatre lyricist).
Arrangement
Organized into 3 series: Business ledgers, Correspondence, and Personal artifacts.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Page R. Bradley, 9 March 2015 [2015.019]
Processing Information
This finding aid was revised in 2022 to address harmful descriptive language. During that revision staff edited the description in the Collection Abstract and Biographical/Historical Note. To see the description prior to revisions, please view the previous version of the Riggs Family records (Page R. Bradley donation) finding aid.
Source
- Bradley, Page Riggs (Donor, Person)
Subject
- Riggs family (Family)
- Riggs, Elisha Francis (Person)
- Riggs, Elisha (Person)
- Riggs and Co. (Organization)
- Riggs National Bank (Organization)
- Riggs, Elisha (Person)
- Riggs, George Washington (Person)
- Riggs, Thomas (Person)
- Riggs, T. Lawrason (Thomas Lawrason) (Person)
- Riggs, Samuel (Person)
- Corcoran, W. W. (William Wilson) (Person)
- Peabody, Riggs & Co. (Organization)
- Riggs & Co. of New York (Organization)
- Riggs & Levering (Organization)
- Riggs, Peabody & Co. (Organization)
- Riggs, Medora (Person)
- Riggs, Lawrason (Person)
- Corcoran & Riggs (Organization)
- Title
- Guide to the Riggs Family records (Page R. Bradley donation), 1800-1950
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Special Collections Research Center, The George Washington University
- Date
- 2015
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections Research Center, The George Washington University Repository
George Washington University Gelman Library
2130 H Street NW
Washington DC 20052 United States of America
speccoll@gwu.edu
