Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

Correspondence is the largest and most important series within the collection providing documentation of White's entire career, his teaching and research, his interaction with colleagues and other notable anthropologists, and his mentoring of students and young anthropologists. The files, with some slight exceptions are in the order maintained by White. The earliest correspondence (1921 to 1944) is arranged chronologically by day. Correspondence thereafter is arranged by academic year and then alphabetically. With some individuals, White maintained separate named files. Notable among these correspondents were Harry Elmer Barnes, H. L. Mencken, Robert Carneiro, Edward Norbeck, and Elsie Clews Parsons. It should be noted that these were by no means the only individuals that White corresponded with on a regular basis. The dated files include significant exchanges with many anthropologists and academicians. Appended to this finding aid is a selected list of Leslie White's correspondents.

The University career series pertains mainly to White's four decade career at the University of Michigan. A small portion is from the 1920s when he taught at the University of Buffalo. The University of Michigan portion of this series detail White's influence as a teacher as seen in student evaluations of his classes and the notes made by two of his students from 1933 and 1953 which were incorporated into the collection.

Part of the University career series concerns White's administrative responsibilities as department chairman and the impact of his iconoclastic views. There were at least two instances when White's treatment of religion within his classes led to criticism within the religious community and attempts to have him disciplined.