Alexander Hamilton letter at center of legal fight returned

By MARK PRATT
Associated Press

A letter written by founding father Alexander Hamilton during the Revolutionary War has been returned to the state of Massachusetts. Authorities say the letter was reputedly stolen in the 1930s or 1940s by a “kleptomaniacal cataloguer” at the state archives. A federal appeals court decision upheld a previous ruling that the letter is owned by Massachusetts. Secretary of State William Galvin said Tuesday the letter is expected to be put on display at the museum for special events. The letter was written in 1780 to the Marquis de Lafayette, spurring Massachusetts sending to send troops to Rhode Island to help allied French forces.