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Secondary sourceBook1774

The Letters of Governor Hutchinson and Lieut. Governor Oliver, with the Speech of Mr. Wedderburn

Alexander Wedderburn; edited by Israel Mauduit · 1774

A 1774 London pamphlet reprinting the controversial Hutchinson–Oliver letters and the Privy Council speech attacking Benjamin Franklin over their release.

Prints Hutchinson's own leaked letters, the center of a scandal that fueled calls for his removal as governor.

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Front cover of a bound book with marbled paper boards in red, cream, and black, dark brown leather spine and corners, and gold tooling along the edges. The book lies flat on a light background.
The Letters of Governor Hutchinson and Lieut. Governor Oliver, ed. Israel Mauduit. London, 1774.

About this source

What it is

This pamphlet, edited by Israel Mauduit and printed in London in 1774, reprints private letters written by Governor Thomas Hutchinson and Lieutenant Governor Andrew Oliver, along with the speech of Alexander Wedderburn attacking Benjamin Franklin before the Privy Council. Copies are held today by the Library of Congress and the British Library.

Why it matters

The letters, originally sent privately, were leaked and published in Boston in 1773, causing outrage because they seemed to show Hutchinson urging a crackdown on colonial liberties. Franklin, who had sent the letters to Massachusetts, took public blame for the leak and was publicly humiliated by Wedderburn. The affair deepened colonial anger at Hutchinson and helped push Massachusetts to demand his removal as governor.

Look closer

  • Why might private letters cause such a public uproar when published?
  • What does Wedderburn's attack on Franklin suggest about where the British government placed blame?
  • How might Hutchinson's own account of these events have differed from this published version?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Thomas Hutchinson on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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