This collection of the personal and professional papers of John A. Andrew records his life as a prominent anti-slavery lawyer and governor of Massachusetts during the Civil War. He began his career as a private attorney, and was active in antebellum reform movements and litigation involving fugitive slaves. Andrew was also one of the organizers of the anti-slavery Free Soil Party.

This remarkable man served five terms as governor of Massachusetts, and the collection of his papers is filled with his insights on party affairs, elections, and the war effort to free the slaves. Of special interest are legal notes and briefs relating to these early civil rights cases.