Collections

The Douglas MacArthur collection is made up of military documents related to General Douglas MacArthur and the 42nd (Rainbow) Division during the first World War, and miscellaneous letters, documents, photographs, published works, and one diary illuminating various aspects of the General's public career and personal life.

The MacArthur collection contains 885 letters, documents, photographs, and published works dating from March 23, 1885, to July 5, 1983. The bulk of the material (710 items) consists of military documents and manuscript notes from September 8, 1917 to January 27, 1919.

The military materials include general orders, field orders, field messages, memoranda, intelligence, and communications, related to the U.S. 42nd Division (The Rainbow Division), A.E.F., founded in 1917. The majority of the collection falls during the period of time from late 1917 to early August 1918, when Douglas MacArthur was Chief of Staff for the 42nd Division. Documents from military units that fought alongside the 42nd Division (both French and American), the U.S. Chemical Warfare, and the Intelligence Divisions -- as well as various German, French, and American communications -- are included. Organizational documents, such as training schedules, and march tables, are also present. A considerable number, if not all, of these materials must have been approved or viewed by MacArthur, and many of the items in this collection bear his initials or the initials of his information assistant, William Hughes, Jr. From early August 1918 until the armistice was signed on November 11, 1918, MacArthur acted as the commanding officer for the 84th Infantry Brigade, and several military orders bear his name.

Seventy-six letters in the collection (located in Box 1) are either from Douglas MacArthur or pertain in some way to him. Six of these items, dated 1904, pertain to MacArthur and Florence Adams, whom he met in the Philippines, including a 46-page diary MacArthur wrote to Adams while he was on board a ship from Manila to the United States. Five letters, dated 1921 and 1925, are written by MacArthur to Louise Brooks who became Mrs. Douglas MacArthur in 1922. These letters contain both romantic content as well as personal reflections on the events in MacArthur's life at the time. Also included are nine letters from MacArthur to Hamilton Fish, Jr., dated 1921-1934. The remainder of the correspondence is a miscellaneous collection of letters written by Douglas MacArthur, Jean MacArthur, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Harry S. Truman, and others.

The Douglas MacArthur collection also contains a notebook kept by Kenneth A. Sutherland, veteran of the 42nd Division, which contains a selection of items related to the Division's post-war activities and reunions; 40 aerial photographs and negatives taken by the 91st Reconnaissance Squadron, October 10, 1918; several photographs of Douglas MacArthur; thirteen published works by or about the General; and other miscellaneous materials.

The Dudley family photograph album (15 x 21 cm) contains approximately 175 photographs of the Rhine Valley in occupied Germany at the end of World War I as well as photographs of U.S. Marine Robert W. Dudley's home and family in Medical Lake and Walla Walla, Washington, after the war and through the Great Depression.

The Dudley family photograph album (15 x 21 cm) contains approximately 175 photographs of the Rhine Valley in occupied Germany at the end of World War I as well as photographs of U.S. Marine Robert W. Dudley's home and family in Medical Lake and Walla Walla, Washington, after the war and through the Great Depression. Images related to the Allied occupation of Germany include candid and portrait photographs of American soldiers; images of Coblenz and street scenes in Neuweid and Rengsdorf; images of an aviation field near Andernach; a postcard from the Jewish Welfare Board with an illustration of the ocean liner S.S. George Washington,; and several photographs of the River Rhine itself, including an image of a pontoon bridge opening to let an excursion boat pass. Post-war images from Washington include views of horse-drawn plows, Medical Lake Firemen, a camping trip, and numerous children. A large number of images have manuscript captions.

The album has a black cloth cover tied with string and is housed in a light blue box.

University of Michigan faculty member and administrator, Educational Director of the Y.M.C.A. at Camp Custer, Michigan during World War I, and principal at Ann Arbor High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Album of photographs taken at Camp Custer, showing classroom scenes and other aspects of camp life; also portraits of family members.

Album of photographs taken at Camp Custer, showing classroom scenes and other aspects of camp life, panoramic views of grounds and structures, and portraits and photographs of soldiers; also portraits of members of the Springer and Lazelle families.

Adrian, Michigan attorney and Republican congressman, 1919-1933 and 1935-1951. Correspondence, 1898-1934, newspaper clippings, 1920-1950, including materials concerning veterans and other constituent affairs, political campaigns, the Republican Party, the influence of the Ku Klux Klan in the election of 1924, and personal affairs.

The Michener collection consists almost totally of correspondence accumulated while Michener served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Although the collection dates from 1898 to 1955, the great bulk of it dates from 1904 to 1934, years when Michener practiced law, served as a county prosecutor, then went off to Congress. The files relate exclusively to the politics of being a congressman, the job of staying in touch with constituents, responding to their concerns, thanking them when they offer support, etc. During each election year, Michener sent out hundreds of form letters. Such correspondence included notes enclosed with nominating petitions; brief notes which accompanied signed petitions; acknowledgments of the signed petitions; letters to newspapers asking them to print enclosed advertisements; letters enclosing campaign cards; form letters urging support at the primary; letters of congratulation; Michener's acknowledgment of congratulations; letters to people from various towns asking them to phone in the election returns; thank you notes to those who phoned in the returns; and so forth. Examples of each type of these form letters have been included in the collection though the bulk of materials has been reduced.

The collection is particularly valuable for material on grass-roots Republican politics, the methods and means by which an individual sought election to Congress and then maintained that position through several successive terms. Michener's correspondence is particularly heavy during election years. Some of the issues discussed by him relate to prohibition in Michigan, the influence of the Ku-Klux-Klan in the 1924 election, and the problems confronting veterans of the Spanish-American War and World War I. The collection is less valuable for the work that Michener did while in Congress. There are few files relating to legislative activities.

Soldier from Sanilac County, Mich., member of Co. H, 339th U.S. Infantry who served in the Allied intervention in Russia, 1918-1920, the "Polar Bear Expedition." Collection includes typescript of his statement relating his experience as a prisoner of war and copies of his enlistment and discharge records.

The papers consist of photocopies of a typescript of his statement relating his experience as a prisoner of war and copies of his enlistment and discharge records.

Member of Medical Corps, 310th Engineers, U.S. Army who served in the Allied intervention in Russia, 1918-1920, the "Polar Bear Expedition." Collection includes letter and songs relating to the Polar Bear expedition to Archangel.

The papers include a short reminiscence and several songs Bruce composed about the campaign.

Edmund Atkinson was a WWI army veteran who participated in the Polar Bear Expedition in Russia. He later moved to Arizona where he worked in real estate. This collection contains a photograph and letter from Atkinson's time in Russia, as well as two clippings of his obituary.

The Edmund Atkinson papers contain digitial copies of a photograph and letter relating to Atkinson's time in Russia during WWI, and two newspaper clippings of Atkinson's obituary.

Member of Co. H, 339th U.S. Infantry who served in the Allied intervention in Russia, 1918-1920, the "Polar Bear Expedition." Collection includes field diary recounting the Polar Bear expedition and photographs of Archangel and members of the expedition.

The collection contains a copy of the field diary of Co. H, Sept. 1918-Apr. 1919, describing the company's service on the Onega front, including fighting at Chekuevo, Sept. 1918; Wazentia[?], Oct. 1918; Turchasovo, Dec. 1918; Chinova, March 1919; and Bolshie Ozerki, March and April 1919. Also included are 34 photos by the American Red Cross, containing group portraits and pictures of base areas, churches, Russian people, soldiers on patrol, and fortifications, all taken in the Onega- Chekuevo area.

The Edward R. Mullin, USS Albany in Asia photograph albums consist of three volumes containing images and ephemera that document an American sailor’s experiences aboard a US Navy ship in the Asiatic Fleet from 1919 to 1920.

The Edward R. Mullin, USS Albany in Asia photograph albums consist of three volumes containing images and ephemera that document an American sailor’s experiences aboard a US Navy ship in the Asiatic Fleet from 1919 to 1920.

Volume A: This album (14.5 x 21 cm) contains photographs of scenes in Panama, Hawaii, Japan, Russia, China, California, and the Philippines that mostly depict the USS Albany, American soldiers and sailors, local citizens, and tourist scenes. Numerous ephemeral items compiled by Edward R. Mullin (the album’s creator) from various foreign places are also present, including tickets, stamps, bank notes, and an Asahi beer label. Of note is a “familiar phrases” card for translating English to Japanese. On the inside back cover of the album a handwritten log lists arrivals and departures of the USS Albany, while a typescript description of a military takeover of Vladivostok, Russia, is also included.

Volume B: This album (18 x 26 cm) contains photographs of scenes in Russia and China. Images show American soldiers and sailors exploring sites and interacting with local citizens as well as natural scenery and architecture. Of note are photographs of the Great Wall and the Forbidden City in China. Some photos have handwritten captions that identify locations and/or persons pictured

Volume C: This album (20.5 x 29 cm) contains photographs of scenes in Russia, the Philippines, Panama, Japan, China, Hawaii, and California. Of note are photographs of the Panama Canal and some images showing the compiler of the album, Edward R. Mullin. Many photos have handwritten captions. Also present are various types of ephemera including a beer label, tickets, and a fabric poppy flower, as well as a photocopy of Mullin’s service record, a large portrait of the USS Albany in Shanghai, China, and a loose photo of the USS Albany in Vladivostok.

Soldier from Bay City, Mich., member of Co. A, 339th U.S. Infantry who served in the Allied intervention in Russia, 1918-1920, the "Polar Bear Expedition." Collection includes diary, correspondence and newspaper clipping relating to his military life with the Polar Bear Expedition.

The papers include a diary, July 1918-Jan. 1919, describing patrolling, foraging for food, and fighting at Shenkursk, Oct. 1918, and Nijni Gora, Jan. 1919. Also included is a letter, Feb. 26, 1920, from T. B. Kernan, expressing his anger at news that the Bolsheviks had taken Archangel, and a roster of the 2d Platoon, Co. A.