Letter from Edwyn S. Dawes to Jules Levita (April 15, 1884)

SP00199.pdf

Dublin Core

Title

Letter from Edwyn S. Dawes to Jules Levita (April 15, 1884)

Alternative Title

Letter from Dawes to Levita (Apr. 15, 1884)

Subject

Investments--Florida
Insurance--Florida

Description

A letter from Edwyn Sandys Dawes (1838-1903) to Jules Levita, dated April 15, 1884. Levita was a business associate and lawyer based in Paris, France, at the time. The letter discussed plans to schedule a meeting between Dawes and Levita. Dawes covered matters related to the Florida Land and Colonization Company (FLCC), including a lengthy discussion of Henry Shelton Sanford's (1823-1891) proposals and business strategies, many of which were rejected by the London-based board members. The letter offers evidence of how Sanford was often at odds with the board of directors regarding business strategy. It also reveals the negative perception of Sanford held by Dawes and others. Though the letter is ostensibly directed towards Levita, it is unclear how or why it came to be in Sanford's possession.

Dawes was one of the founding partners of Gray Dawes and Company, a London-based company founded in 1865 by business partners Archie Gray and Edwyn Sandys Dawes. Located at 13 Austin Friars in London, England, the company was focused, at least initially, on maritime insurance. By the mid-1870s, the company had also expanded its operations into shipping, overseeing a fleet of steamships that circulated within a trade network including London, Calcutta, Madras, and elsewhere. The company was closely linked to the Scottish shipping titan, Sir William MacKinnon (1823-1893). Gray was Mackinnon's nephew. Dawes, meanwhile, went on to become a close and trusted business partner to MacKinnon. As such, the firm became a useful means for MacKinnon to reward his friends and business associates. The company availed insurance accounts to these select individuals, accounts that could be used as a source of credit to be paid at a later date. The company became associated with Henry Shelton Sanford thanks to the mutual connection to MacKinnon. In 1880, MacKinnon lent Sanford, who was faced at the time with financial difficulties, some £8,000 to facilitate the founding of a Florida land investment company. The money offered by MacKinnon was in fact loaned to Sanford by Gray Dawes and Company. Additionally, at the behest of MacKinnon, both Gray and Dawes became reluctant subscribers to Sanford’s land investment scheme, the Florida Land and Colonization Company (FLCC).

Creator

Dawes, Edwyn Sandys

Source

Original letter from Edwyn Sandys Dawes to Henry Shelton Sanford, April 15, 1884: box 53, folder 7, subfolder 53.7.7, Henry Shelton Sanford Papers, General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.

Date Created

1884-04-15

Is Format Of

Digital reproduction of original letter from Edwyn Sandys Dawes to Henry Shelton Sanford, April 15, 1884.

Is Part Of

Box 53, Folder 7, Henry Shelton Sanford Papers, General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Florida Land Colonization Company Collection, Henry Shelton Sanford Papers Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.

Format

application/pdf

Extent

386 KB

Medium

4-page handwritten letter

Language

eng

Type

Text

Coverage

Gray Dawes and Company, London, England, United Kingdom

Accrual Method

Donation

Mediator

History Teacher
Economics Teacher

Provenance

Originally created by Edwyn Sandys Dawes.
Donated to the Connecticut Historical Society after 1901.
Loaned to the Tennessee State Library and Archives for processing until June 1, 1960.
Acquired by the General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, Sanford Museum in 1960.

Rights Holder

The displayed collection item is housed at the General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, Sanford Museum in Sanford, Florida. Rights to this item belong to the said institution, and therefore inquiries about the item should be directed there. RICHES of Central Florida has obtained permission from the Sanford Museum to display this item for educational purposes only.

Curator

Fedorka, Drew M.

Digital Collection

Source Repository

External Reference

Citation

Dawes, Edwyn Sandys, “Letter from Edwyn S. Dawes to Jules Levita (April 15, 1884),” RICHES, accessed May 23, 2024, https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/items/show/4742.

Locations

Categories