The Durant-Hornor correspondence (1 volume) consists of over 300 manuscript letters, between attorneys Thomas J. Durant of Washington, D.C., and Charles W. Hornor of New Orleans, Louisiana, dated July 11, 1848-October 21, 1850. The legal partners discussed court cases and other legal affairs, as well as their finances and local news. Durant occasionally described travel in the southern and middle Atlantic states. Many of the letters refer to local and national affairs, such as migrants passing through New Orleans on their way to California, disagreements over the future of slavery in California, the death of Zachary Taylor and the appointment of a new Cabinet, and Cuban political struggles. Some of the letters pertain to family news and health. The first 2 pages contain information about Durant and Hornor, the letters in the volume, and the book's provenance.
Thomas Jefferson Durant was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on August 8, 1817, the son of John Waldo Durant and Sarah Heyliger. Around 1831, Durant moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, where he was a lawyer, a prominent supporter of the Democratic Party, a district attorney, and a state senator. He briefly served in the Confederate Army until the Union capture of New Orleans, though he supported the Union cause; he initially worked with Benjamin Butler and Nathaniel Banks to establish a loyal Louisiana government, serving as attorney general. He resigned around early 1864, expressing his opposition to the military government. In 1866, Durant moved to Washington, D.C., where he continued his legal career, often arguing in front of the United States Supreme Court. In 1867, he declined an offer of the governorship of Louisiana. Thomas J. Durant died on February 3, 1882.
Charles West Hornor was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1813, the son of Joseph Potts Hornor and Jane West. He later lived in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he founded a legal firm with Thomas J. Durant. From 1848-1850, Hornor remained in Louisiana while Durant lived in Washington, D.C. After the Civil War, Hornor returned to Philadelphia and then moved to Washington, D.C., where he and Durant reestablished their partnership. Charles W. Hornor died in Philadelphia on July 8, 1905.