Peter Force

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Force, Peter (1790–1868), born in New Jersey, after serving in the War of 1812 became a Washington printer, publishing the National Journal (1823–31), a Whig newspaper, and was drawn into politics, becoming mayor (1836–40). He is best remembered for his historical works, including National Calendar and Annals of the United States (1820–24, 1828–36), an annual compilation of historical and statistical information; Tracts and Other Papers, Relating Principally to the Origin, Settlement, and Progress of Colonies in North America (4 vols., 1836–46), reprinting scarce early pamphlets; and American Archives (9 vols., 1837–53), a supplementary collection of rare official and private manuscript material covering the period 1774–76. He planned to publish at least 36 volumes of the last work, covering the period from the 17th century to 1789, having received authorization from the State Department and Congress. When Secretary of State Marcy refused to sanction further publications, he was forced to quit and to sell his collection of 22,000 books and 40,000 pamphlets to the Library of Congress. One of his historical works first proved (1855) the spuriousness of the Mecklenburg Declaration.

Peter Force 1790–1868, American journalist and historian, b. near Paterson, N.J. He served in the War of 1812 and afterward established himself in Washington, D.C., as a printer. Entering local politics, he was at different times president of both the city council and the board of aldermen and was mayor of Washington (1836–40). His National Journal, established in 1823 to support John Quincy Adams for the presidency, continued as a daily from 1824 to 1831. He issued for many years the National Calendar, a yearbook of historical and statistical information, and edited four volumes of rare documents, Tracts and Other Papers Relating Principally to the Origin, Settlement, and Progress of the Colonies in North America (1836–46). His project for publishing early American documents, national, state, and private, dealing with colonial and American history down to 1789, was authorized by Congress but was discontinued before completion. The resulting American Archives (9 vol., 1837–53), the work by which Force is chiefly known, covers only the years 1774–76 but has proved indispensable to students of the American Revolution. Force's large collections were purchased by the Library of Congress.