Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

Photographs of the Musgrove Evans House.

Photographs of the Musgrove Evans House, Tecumseh, Michigan.

Republican congressman from Michigan's 4th Congressional District, 1934-1962, served on the Education and Labor Committee and the Government Operations Committee, known for his fiscal conservatism and opposition to much of the New Deal legislation, he was particularly concerned with the growing power of labor unions and worked to amend the Wagner Act, eventually becoming a key player in passage of the Taft-Hartley Act. As chair of special subcommittees, Hoffman conducted several investigations into labor racketeering, particularly by the Teamsters Union. Collection includes committee files, some constituent correspondence, topical files, investigation files, press releases, scrapbooks and a limited number of sound recordings and photographs.

The Clare E. Hoffman Papers consist of Congressional files detailing his work on the House Committee on Education and Labor, the House Committee on Government Operations, and various subcommittees, including investigating labor racketeering; files concern in part his sponsorship of labor-related legislation, bills unifying the armed services, and bills authorizing reorganization of the executive branch; and photographs.

The Hoffman collection of congressional papers covers the years 1934-1962. Unfortunately the first few terms of his service are not as adequately documented as might be hoped, as in 1942 Hoffman directed his staff to discard retired files. As a result, except for a few political files and subject files, the Hoffman collection bulks largest for the years 1943-1962.

Despite the fragmentary character of the documentation on Hoffman's early years in Congress, the collection provides a detailed view of the activities of a conservative congressman from western Michigan for a twenty-year period. In recent American history, the years 1943-1962 were important both for wartime politics and for the myriad problems that came after victory: the cooling of relations with the Soviet Union, the integration of returning veterans into the economy, shortages in housing and consumer goods, a renewed militancy among the nation's labor unions, the continuation of the struggle for civil rights for blacks, the fear of internal subversive activities; in short, problems of great importance and complexity, issues for which there were no easy answers.

Hoffman was eyewitness and participant to the politics of these issues. As a representative of increasing seniority, he was a powerful conservative voice within the Congress. Because of his position on the Education and Labor committee, he helped shape the bulk of legislation passed in the postwar period, notably the Taft-Hartley Act. And because of his position on the Expenditures Committee, Hoffman was instrumental in passage of the National Security Act of 1947 that unified the administration of the armed services and enlarge their responsibilities.

Apart from these major pieces of legislation, the Hoffman collection documents the service of a congressman who was attuned to the concerns and politics of his largely rural and small-town district, with constituents economically conservative and ever distrustful of federal encroachments upon their lives. Of special interest are various files of correspondence with the businessmen and small manufacturers of his district. As a good politician, Hoffman was especially mindful of maintaining good relations with these people, and helping them when he could with their labor-related problems.

Like many congressional collections, the Hoffman papers consist in large part of communications with constituents and out-of-district citizens. But because of his power within the Congress, Hoffman's files (letters received and sent) are often substantive in content and a valuable complement to the work of the House, as published in the Congressional Record and other printed sources.

Group portraits of pastor, with various groups of members and visitors, inside and outside the church building.

Professor of English at the University of Michigan; correspondence, teaching and course materials, and photographs.

The collection contains Thorpe's personal and professional correspondence between 1921 and 1959. The collection also includes some letters to his wife after Thorpe's death. Within the correspondence are materials relating to the Fred Newton Scott Anniversary Papers. Also included is A list of books in Thorpe's personal library, teaching materials and course evaluations, notes for lectures and notes and typescripts of articles on Addison, Coleridge, Hunt, Hazlitt, Keats, and other Romantic poets and critics. There are also works on other topics and figures in English literature.

Other materials relating primarily to Thorpe's literary activities are retained by the Rare Book Room of the University of Michigan Graduate Library. These include correspondence relating to John Keats: The Complete Poems and Selected Letters which Thorpe edited, and materials relating to activities of the Modern Language Association's Joint Bibliography Committee for the groups designated as General Topics II and English IX involving nationally and internationally known scholars of the Romantic movement.

Pioneer in the public recreation movement, Detroit (Mich.) Recreation Commissioner. Correspondence, memoranda, and printed matter relating to the work of the War Camp Community Service program in the 1920's.

The Clarence Brewer collection is valuable for anyone doing research on the development of the community recreation movement in the United States during the early twentieth century. Unfortunately, the Brewer collection contains very little material relating to the development of community recreation in Detroit. This is strange considering Brewer's long association with the City (1920-1941), first as Commissioner of Recreation and later as General Superintendent of Parks and Recreation. His personal papers do contain frequent reference to Detroit; the bulk of these, however, are concerned with such things as salary negotiations and civil service examinations. The extant material falls into three distinct series: Personal papers; other recreation and related organizations; and War Camp Community Service.

Papers of a soldier with the 339th Infantry in the Allied intervention in Russia, 1918-1919, the "Polar Bear Expedition."

Teh Primm Papers include a typed reminiscence (titled "Polar Bear Tales") with transcribed copies of letters written from Russia describing Primm's experiences. Also contains a digitized copy of the reminiscence and letters supplemented by photos and maps.

This collection contains digital reproductions; the original papers and/or photographs are owned by the donor. The digital items in this collection were digitized from originals by the individual donors before being received by the Bentley Historical Library. Preservation copies of these files with their original file names and CD-ROM file structures intact have been submitted to Deep Blue. Access copies of these digital files can be viewed by clicking on the links next to the individual folders in the Content List below.

Professor of Speech at the University of Michigan and active participant in local, national, and university theater. The collection includes correspondence, press, and programs and photos documenting various theatrical productions.

This collection documents Claribel Baird Halstead’s life as an educator, theatrical director, and actress. It provides insight into the development and history of theater at the University of Michigan and into Claribel’s specific contributions. The collection is divided into five series: Personal Papers, Professional Papers, Audiovisual Materials, Theater Programs, and Published plays.

Attorney, Michigan State Representative, Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court; biographical information, topical files, and visual materials

The papers of Clark J. Adams are arranged into three series: Biographical, Topical, and Visual Materials. The papers relate to his career as an attorney and public servant.

Gerontologist, lecturer in social research, and director of the Institute for Human Adjustment at the University of Michigan. Professional files, especially concerning the Institute, the University Board on University Policies, the Bureau of Psychological Services, and the University Fresh Air Camp; also photographs.

The Clark Tibbitts Papers, 1926-1969, are arranged into four principal series corresponding to the major activities of Tibbitts's career in the fields of sociology and gerontology. There are also eight smaller series (plus an addition to a series) received subsequent to the accessioning of the bulk of the papers.