Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

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Collection

John Harvey Kellogg Papers [microform], 1832-1965 (majority within 1874-1943)

46 microfilms

Battle Creek, Michigan physician, food scientist, founder of the Battle Creek Sanitarium. Correspondence, student notebooks from University of Michigan and Bellevue Hospital, drafts of speeches and lecture notes, newspaper clippings and scrapbooks, and topical files; include material concerning medical theories and practices, especially matters of diet and hygiene, his work with organizations such as the National Vitality League, Race Betterment Foundation, Battle Creek Three Quarter Century Club, Chicago Workingmen's Home and Medical Mission, and Seventh-Day Adventists; also photographs.

The John Harvey Kellogg papers document the career of a medical doctor and health reformer and advocate. The collection provides telling insight to the operation of the Battle Creek Sanitarium. The papers span the years 1869 to 1965, with the bulk of the materials covering the years 1874 to 1943. Significantly, there are some collected published items in the collection that date as early as 1832. The Kellogg papers consist of correspondence, lectures, notes, memoranda, clippings, scrapbooks, notebooks, photographs, articles, and book manuscripts. These diverse sources provide ample documentation of Kellogg's life, and are an excellent source with which to examine early twentieth-century medicine in general and Kellogg's important innovations in health reform. The collection is also very strong on the development of the Sanitarium and the "Battle Creek idea" of natural health. Kellogg's zealous efforts to proselytize the world at large on the wisdom of the "Battle Creek Idea" are reflected in the papers. Also included are materials relating to his work with organizations such as the National Vitality League, Race Betterment Foundation, Battle Creek Three Quarter Century Club, Chicago Workingmen's Home and Medical Mission, and Seventh-Day Adventists.

The Kellogg collection came to the Michigan Historical Collections in two primary accessions, one in 1962 and another in 1972. Parts of the collection were reprocessed in 1988 prior to the entire collection being microfilmed. The collection is now divided into the following series: Biographical/Personal; Correspondence; Lectures, Speeches, and Related; Notes and Articles; Subject Files; Clippings/ Scrapbooks; Bound Manuscripts/Published Volumes; and Photographs.

Collection

John Harvey Kellogg Papers, 1832-1965 (majority within 1874-1943)

19.3 linear feet (in 21 boxes) — 30.5 GB

Online
Battle Creek, Michigan physician, food scientist, founder of the Battle Creek Sanitarium. Correspondence, student notebooks from University of Michigan and Bellevue Hospital, drafts of speeches and lecture notes, newspaper clippings and scrapbooks, and topical files; include material concerning medical theories and practices, especially matters of diet and hygiene, his work with organizations such as the National Vitality League, Race Betterment Foundation, Battle Creek Three Quarter Century Club, Chicago Workingmen's Home and Medical Mission, and Seventh-Day Adventists; also photographs.

The John Harvey Kellogg papers document the career of a medical doctor and health reformer and advocate. The collection provides telling insight to the operation of the Battle Creek Sanitarium. The papers span the years 1869 to 1965, with the bulk of the materials covering the years 1874 to 1943. Significantly, there are some collected published items in the collection that date as early as 1832. The Kellogg papers consist of correspondence, lectures, notes, memoranda, clippings, scrapbooks, notebooks, photographs, articles, and book manuscripts. These diverse sources provide ample documentation of Kellogg's life, and are an excellent source with which to examine early twentieth-century medicine in general and Kellogg's important innovations in health reform. The collection is also very strong on the development of the Sanitarium and the "Battle Creek idea" of natural health. Kellogg's zealous efforts to proselytize the world at large on the wisdom of the "Battle Creek Idea" are reflected in the papers. Also included are materials relating to his work with organizations such as the National Vitality League, Race Betterment Foundation, Battle Creek Three Quarter Century Club, Chicago Workingmen's Home and Medical Mission, and Seventh-Day Adventists.

The Kellogg collection came to the Michigan Historical Collections in two primary accessions, one in 1962 and another in 1972. Parts of the collection were reprocessed in 1988 prior to the entire collection being microfilmed. The collection is now divided into the following series: Biographical/Personal; Correspondence; Lectures, Speeches, and Related; Notes and Articles; Subject Files (medical missionaries); Clippings/ Scrapbooks; Bound Manuscripts/Published Volumes; and Photographs.

Collection

Library (University of Michigan) records, 1837 - 2013 (majority within 1920 - 2000)

297.3 linear feet — 1 oversize volume — 1 oversize folder

Online
The University Library system at the University of Michigan provides information resources and services to faculty, students, staff, and the public, and is comprised of undergraduate, graduate, and subject-oriented divisional collections. The record group includes administrative files of library directors, reports, committee files, financial records, photographs, and publications.

The records of the library of the University of Michigan document the development and administration of the central library. The records include topical files, miscellaneous correspondence and reports, and business record books, 1886-1916; include files of librarians/directors/deans Theodore W. Koch, William W. Bishop, Warner G. Rice, Frederick H. Wagman, Richard Dougherty, Robert M. Warner, Don Riggs, William A. Gosling, and Paul Courant; also assorted papers of earlier librarians, Andrew Ten Brook and Raymond C. Davis.

  1. The records are organized into elleven subgroups:
  2. Assistant Director for Technical Services, 1984 - 1999
  3. Associate Director for Public Service Files, 1976 - 1998
  4. Associate Director for Technical Services, 1979 - 1986
  5. Associate Director's office, 1982 - 1989
  6. Audio - Visual Materials, 1954 - 2001
  7. Collection Development Office, 1949 - 1986
  8. Deputy Director's Office, 1980 - 1991
  9. Directors Office, 1905-2013
  10. Human Resources, 1956 - 2001
  11. Miscellaneous Records, 1837 - 1985
  12. Other Offices and Programs, 1904 - 2004
Collection

Sligh Family Papers, 1842-2012

36 linear feet (in 41 boxes) — 31 oversize volumes — 1 oversize folder

Online
Grand Rapids, Michigan family, involved in furniture making and other businesses, also active in local state and Republican Party politics and businessmen's associations. Papers include family papers and correspondence, business records, scrapbooks and visual materials.

The Sligh family collection consists of the personal and business papers of the four generations of Slighs mentioned in the biographical introduction: James W. Sligh, Charles R. Sligh, Charles R. Sligh, Jr., and Robert L. Sligh. Although there is some overlap, the files have been arranged into seven series, one for each of these three Slighs, one for the Sligh Furniture Company and related family businesses, and one each for Newspaper clippings and Scrapbooks, and Visual Materials.

Collection

Edwin Denby papers, 1845-1846, 1880-1927

2.4 linear feet — 1 oversize folder

United States Representative and Secretary of the Navy; collection includes correspondence, 1880-1927, concerning personal matters, business affairs, and political activities; letters to Mrs. Denby regarding Denby’s death; articles, speeches, notes and memoranda on various topics including the Teapot Dome Scandal, Panama Canal, relations with China, and the United States Navy; photostats of letters exchanged between Nathaniel Denby and George Bancroft, 1845-1846; and photographs.

The Edwin Denby papers, dating from 1845-1846 and 1880-1929, are organized into five series: Correspondence, Articles and Speeches, Topical Files, Personal/Biographical, and Photographs. Denby's papers document his political career as United States Representative and Secretary of the Navy, and include relevant information on such topics as the United States Navy, the Panama Canal and the Teapot Dome Scandal.

Collection

Peter White Papers, 1848-1915

30 linear feet — 15 oversize volumes

Marquette, Michigan businessman, Democratic state senator, and Republican regent of the University of Michigan. Letterbooks and correspondence relating to activities in the Democratic Party in Michigan, particularly in the Upper Peninsula, to his service within the state legislature, and to state and national elections, 1876-1896; also correspondence and other records concerning his extensive business interests that include Northern Michigan iron, insurance, banking, and general investments.

The collection documents the development of the economy of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan from the perspective of one of its pioneer entrepreneurs. Through correspondence and other business records, there is documentation of White's extensive business interests in Northern Michigan iron, insurance, and banking. Other portions of the collection concern his service in the state legislature and his involvement in state and national elections, 1876-1896.

Peter White's correspondence, the largest portion of the collection, has been divided into two series: correspondence/business papers and insurance correspondence. The papers for 1850-1853 deal with White's activities as clerk for Robert Graveraet. Also discussed in this early period are legal matters with some material on his work as postmaster and various family matters. The correspondence for 1854-1862 deals with early mining companies with whom he had association and provides some information about the financial aspect of various organizations. White acted as a marketing agent for several companies and this aspect is covered well. The term served by White in the state legislature is covered very sparsely.

Beginning in 1863 White activities expand to encompass insurance and banking concerns. While the iron interest is well represent in the papers for 1863-1873, insurance and banking occupy an increasingly important place. After 1874, White's insurance business is heavily represented in the correspondence. Banking also continues to occupy an important place but the iron companies are far less frequently a subject of discussion. Local politics is also discussed in the correspondence for 1874-1891. As someone who had been actively engaged in politics and public service, White commented on state and national election campaigns from the 1870s to the 1890s. Most notable are letters exchanged pertaining to the campaign of Williams Jennings Bryan in the presidential election of1896. Beginning in 1902, the insurance correspondence decrease and the investment phase of White's career make itself evident. After 1900 correspondence with the University of Michigan and its history department becomes more important.

The remainder of the collection consists of Business Records, divided between folder records and bound records. Each of these series includes records of specific companies with whom Peter White was associated. These include the Phenix Iron Mining Company, the Michigan God Company, the Manhard-Jopling Company, the Lake Superior Leather Company, and the Schoolcraft Iron Company.

Collection

William B. Mershon Papers, 1848-1943

46.5 linear feet — 1 oversize folder — 14 microfilms

Online
Saginaw, Michigan, lumberman and businessman, and Michigan State Tax Commissioner, 1912 and wildlife conservationist and sportsman. Papers include extensive correspondence files, business records and photographs.

The William Mershon collection consists of correspondence dealing with Mershon's various activities as a lumberman, Saginaw businessman, and member of the State Tax Commission in 1912. Subjects included in the papers are Michigan wildlife conservation, the Michigan Sportsmen Association, the Michigan Manufacturers Association, the Michigan State Tax Commission, Michigan politics, the Democratic party, personal business investments, lumbering and mining interest, and personal affairs.

The collection also includes diaries, a book of notes on hunting and fishing trips, and various business records such as cash books, time books, ledgers, and journals. These primarily concern his investments and lumbering business. Many of the business records are available on microfilm. The collection also includes photographs.

Collection

Fred Newton Scott papers, 1860-1931

3 linear feet — 1 oversize folder

Professor of rhetoric and journalism at University of Michigan. Correspondence concerning his professional activities, particularly his interest in linguistics and English language and speech, and papers, 1917-1918, concerning war issues course at the University, manuscripts of articles and speeches, diary, 1903-1909, day-books, 1903-1922, and miscellaneous notebooks and journals; also photographs.

The Fred Newton Scott collection includes correspondence, drafts of articles and reviews, diaries, daybooks, some personal materials, and photographs.

The correspondence is the core of the collection, consisting mainly of incoming letters to Scott from friends, colleagues, students, publishers, editors, authors, and learned societies. The letters deal mainly with literary and language questions and with Scott's lecture engagements, book reviewing, and other writings. The correspondence, arranged chronologically, is between Scott and four categories of individuals: Students; Journalists and publishers; Professional associates; and University colleagues and other.

I. Students

The wide-ranging influence of Scott's philosophy and teaching is amply illustrated through letters from his former students. They kept him informed of how they were putting his principles into practice as journalists or in academic teaching, and sought his advice on further developments in their work. The accomplishments of women students who had studied with him are particularly noteworthy. Gertrude Buck, whose dissertation on metaphor was considered a definitive study at the time, became a professor at Vassar College. In 1898, she had received the first Ph.D. in Rhetoric awarded by the University of Michigan. Other women students who went on to distinguished careers included Marjorie Nicolson, English professor and dean of Smith College; Helen Mahin, professor of journalism, University of Kansas; Ada Snell, Wellesley College; and Phyllis Povah Drayton, actress. Georgia Jackson was one of the first women to serve on the editorial staff of The American Boy magazine and later became editor of the Literary Digest. Other students of Scott were Frank Mitchell, Katherine Reed, Alice D. Snyder, Katherine Taylor, and Joseph M. Thomas.

Perhaps the most locally prominent among men graduates was Lee A. White who became editor of The Detroit News. Scott also numbered among his accomplished students, Avery Hopwood, playwright and donor of the Hopwood prizes; Wilfred B. Shaw, author and editor, and Director of Alumni Relations at the University of Michigan; Paul Osborn, playwright; Edgar A. and Paul Scott Mowrer, journalists; Joseph Thomas, Dean of the Senior College, University of Minnesota; James O. Bennett, journalist, The Chicago Tribune and Walter A. Donnelly, editor and Director of the University of Michigan Press.

II. Journalists and Publishers

As Scott developed courses in journalism he called on editors and publishers, some of whom had been his students, to lecture on the practical side of newspaper work. Much of this correspondence concerns arrangements for, and contents and evaluations of, these lectures. Since he was also concerned with improving journalistic writing, some letters deal with projects he undertook in cooperation with editors to raise the standards and styles of reportorial work. These professionals included James O. Bennett, Edmund Booth, George Booth, Frank Cobb, J.W. Cunliffe, Willard B. Gore, W.W. Harris, Roy Howard, Frank G. Kane, James M. Lee, Louis Ling, Milton A. McRae, C.M. Marstow, Robert Mountsier, Edgar Ansel Mowrer, Paul Scott Mowrer, Chases S. Osborn, E.G. Pipp, Arthur C. Pound, James Schermerhorn, James E. Scripps, Edwin E. Slosson, and Lee A. White.

III. Professional associates

Many of the letters in F. N. Scott's papers deal with his work on the National Council of Teachers of English and other professional organizations in which he played an active role. These are scattered throughout the collection but are not listed here. The largest amount of correspondence is that related to his interest in setting up an academy for the improvement of the English language. A British organization, the Society for Pure English, had been founded in 1913. In early 1922, a committee was organized, with Scott as chairman, to work with a British committee consisting of Robert Bridges, Henry Newbolt, and J. Dover Wilson, to form an international academy of English. The members of the American committee were: Henry Seidel Canby, Charles M. Gayley, Charles H. Grandgent, John L. Lowes, and John M. Manley. Other correspondents within organizations with whom Scott corresponded included John W. Bright, C.G. Hoag, F.P. Keppel, and Louise Pound. There also letters exchanged with Henry Ford.

IV. University colleagues and others

Included here are letters of Professor Thomas E. Rankin dealing with departmental affairs when he was acting chairman of the department in Scott's absence, and also his reactions to the later merging of the department with the Department of English. Aside from departmental and university concerns, the collection includes extensive correspondence with Jean Paul Slusser who became director of the Museum of Art following a long career teaching design and painting at the university. There is also correspondence with Regent Lucius Hubbard who shared Scott's interest in good English usage and in rare books. In addition, Scott was attracted to the health teachings of John Harvey Kellogg, stayed at his sanitarium in Battle Creek, and exchanged letters with him regarding his health regimen. Other correspondents include John Effinger, Peter Monro Jack, Clarence Cook Little, and Charles E. Whitman.

Collection

Kennedy family papers, 1860s-1982

3 linear feet

Ann Arbor, Michigan family; papers, 1904-1928, of James A. Kennedy, Sr., Presbyterian clergyman; papers, 1925-1969, of James A. Kennedy, Jr., Ann Arbor, Michigan attorney, largely concerning organizational activities; and papers of Mrs. James A. Kennedy (nee Elizabeth Earhart), 1950-1956, concerning her activities in Ann Arbor civic and social organizations and miscellaneous Earhart family materials.

The collection has been arranged into three series: James A. Kennedy, Sr.; James A. Kennedy, Jr.; and Elizabeth Earhart Kennedy. The correspondence of James A. Kennedy Jr. includes letters from Charles H. Cooley, 1926, Edward H. Litchfield, 1938, Chase S. Osborn, 1926-1927 and 1937, and James K. Pollock, 1938. His papers also detail his work with such organizations as the Ann Arbor Rotary, the First Presbyterian Church of Ann Arbor, the Michigan League for Planned Parenthood, the Michigan Merit System Association, the Michigan Civil Service Commission, the Ann Arbor Chamber of Commerce, and the local Republican Party. The papers of Elizabeth Kennedy detail her work with the Ann Arbor Council of Social Agencies and the Community Chest, and other organizations. The photographs in the Elizabeth Kennedy series date back to the mid-nineteenth century and are of the Kennedy, Beal, and Stockdale families.

Collection

Alfred Noble Papers, 1863-1922

2 linear feet (partially microfilmed) — 1 oversize folder

Soldier in the 24th Michigan Infantry during Civil War, later civil engineer concerned largely with construction of bridges and canals, especially improvements of St. Mary's Falls Canal, and consultant engineer to Panama Canal project. Correspondence, Civil War diaries, essays on proposed Nicaraguan Canal, printed materials, maps, and other miscellanea; also photographs.

The Alfred Noble Papers collection consists of several letters and diaries documenting his service with the 24th Michigan Infantry during the Civil War and correspondence, construction documents and other material relating to his work as a civil engineer on a number of major projects including the St. Mary's Canal, the Harlem Tunnel in New York, Panama Canal, Alton Bridge on the Mississippi and a proposed Nicaraguan Canal. The collection is organized in two series, Papers and Printed Works, 1853-1906. The Papers series is available on microfilm.

Collection

Henry Carter Adams Papers, 1864-1924

30.3 linear feet — 3 oversize folders — 1 oversize folder

Professor of economics at University of Michigan, 1880-1921, statistician for the Interstate Commerce Commission, 1887-1911, developed standard accounting procedures for railroads. Papers include personal and professional correspondence, diaries, travel journals, drafts of books, letter books, reports and printed materials concerning his work with the Interstate Commerce Commission, his activities as an expert witness in railroad compensation and tax cases, and University of Michigan affairs.

The Henry Carter Adams papers consist of personal and professional correspondence, diaries, travel journals, drafts of books, letter books, reports and printed materials concerning his work with the Interstate Commerce Commission, his activities as an expert witness in railroad compensation and tax cases, and University of Michigan affairs.

Collection

Junius E. Beal Papers, 1869-1946

15.3 linear feet

Ann Arbor, Michigan, businessman, publisher of Ann Arbor Courier, Republican politician, and regent of University of Michigan. Correspondence, letter books, speeches, newspaper clippings, and photographs; papers (1909-1920) of Michigan Public Domain Commission, of which Beal was a member; papers (1877-1904) concerning Port Huron Gas Light Company; and printed material and miscellanea (1885-1905) concerning League of American Wheelmen and his interest in bicycling.

The Junius E. Beal papers include correspondence, papers accumulated from his various interests and organizational activities, subject files, speeches, newspaper clippings, and photographs. The series in the collection include: Correspondence, Michigan Public Domain Commission, Topical Files; and Other Materials. Most of the files in the collection relate in some way to Beal's life in Ann Arbor, either as a student, a businessman, a public figure, as someone who took civic responsibility seriously and was determined to serve his community and the university that he loved.

Collection

Lucius L. Hubbard papers, 1871-1935

5 linear feet — 1 oversize folder

State Geologist and University of Michigan Regent. Personal and business correspondence and letter books concerning personal matters, his literary and book collecting interests, geology and mining in Michigan, the publication of his writings, and University of Michigan affairs.

The Hubbard papers relate to his career as a geologist, to his service as a member of the University of Michigan Board of Regents, and to his other various literary and scientific interests. The collection has been arranged into four series: Correspondence; University of Michigan papers; Other Activities (mining and geological interests); and bound personal and business records.

Collection

Wilfred B. Shaw Papers, 1873-1954 (majority within 1900-1951)

7 linear feet (in 12 boxes) — 1 oversize folder

Online
General secretary of the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan and editor of the Michigan Alumnus; correspondence, drawings and etchings, photographs and other visual materials

The Shaw collection is an assemblage of personal materials such as correspondence, essays and student notebook, and of Shaw's work as an artists including drawings, etchings, and other examples of artistic expression that he used in connection with his work with the University's Alumni Association and its publications. Records of Shaw's activities with the university will be found in the record groups for the Alumni Association and the Bureau of Alumni Relations also located at the Bentley Library. The collection has been divided into five series: Correspondence, Essays, Drawings and Etchings, Miscellaneous, and Photographs and other Visual Materials.

Collection

Frank Ward Fletcher papers, 1875-1922

1.5 linear feet

Alpena, Michigan, lumberman and Republican member of the Board of Regents of the University of Michigan; business and personal correspondence, University of Michigan Board of Regents correspondence, financial materials, and photographs.

The Frank Ward Fletcher collection includes letters from his father George N. Fletcher concerning business and personal affairs. There are also letters received from faculty and university administrators from the period when he was a member of the Board of Regents. Miscellaneous items include a letterpress book, 1885-1899, of business letters and files of bills and receipts. Of interest are materials relating to state Republican politics, especially the elections of 1896 and 1898. The one file of photographs includes portraits of family members as well as snapshots of Fletcher and others on a boating excursion.

Collection

Ernest L. Cooley Papers, 1875-1928

5 linear feet

Chicago, Illinois engineer. Personal and business papers, notes, reports, and correspondence, much of it with his brother Mortimer E. Cooley and Chase S. Osborn; include material concerning the Cooley family genealogy, water engineering projects, the Hudson Bay Co., 1850-1908, the St. Lawrence Seaway, and Mortimer E. Cooley's race for the U.S. Senate in 1924.

The Ernest L. Cooley papers consist of correspondence, engineering reports and notes, and Cooley family genealogical material. Included is an extensive exchange of correspondence with his brother Mortimer E. Cooley, dean of the Engineering School of The University of Michigan. These letters concern vacation plans for trips to northern Michigan and Canada, and Mortimer Cooley's candidacy for the U.S. Senate from Michigan in 1924 (especially correspondence, July 1924 to Jan. 1925). There is also material relating to the management of the Cooley farm in Georgia 1927; the controversy surrounding the falling level of the Great Lakes (i.e., Nov. 18, 1926); and other engineering projects.

Another of his correspondents was Chase S. Osborn, former governor of Michigan. These letters cover personal matters growing out of their retreats to Osborn's summer camp at Duck Island. There is also material relating to the proposed St. Lawrence Waterways in letters of Aug. 1927 and throughout. Other than correspondence, the collection includes reports made on hydraulic engineering projects, particularly relating to flood control in the Chicago area, and the diversion of the Des Plaines River. Cooley also collected material relating to the history of the Hudson Bay Company. There are several folders of original business correspondence, reports, and accounts of the Hudson's Bay Company, 1850-1908. Miscellaneous items of interest include Cooley family genealogy found particularly in correspondence of 1915-1916. Cooley also wrote a short autobiographical sketch, Dec. 30, 1920; there is also a note on William Randolph Hearst, June 20, 1912.

Collection

Wilber M. Brucker Papers, 1877-1968

54 linear feet — 2 oversize folders — 22 GB (online)

Online
Prosecuting attorney of Saginaw County, Michigan, attorney general of Michigan, 1929-1931, governor, 1931-1932, general counsel to the Department of Defense during the Army-McCarthy Hearing, 1954-1955, and Secretary of the Army, 1955-1961. Correspondence, speeches, tapes, appointment books, scrapbooks, photograph albums, newspaper clippings, and other materials concerning his political career.

The Wilber M. Brucker Collection consists of correspondence, subject files, scrapbooks, tape recordings, visual materials, political ephemera, and other materials from a lifelong career in public service. The collection provides significant, though not always extensive, material on his activities as state attorney general, governor, and secretary of the army. In addition, the papers include documentation from Brucker's private career: his law practice, his involvement in the preparation of a plan for the reapportionment of the Michigan Legislature, his devotion to Republican Party causes, his activities with the Knights Templar of Michigan, and as a member of the World War I Rainbow Division. With some exceptions, the early phases of Brucker's life are not as well represented as one might hope. There is really no body of Brucker gubernatorial materials extant. What remains are scattered items, largely concerning the election campaigns of 1930 and 1932.

The collection has been arranged into twelve series: Biographical; Correspondence; Family Papers; Subject Files; Knights Templar; Rainbow Division; Appointment Books; Speeches; Secretary of the Army; Newspaper Clippings; Personal: Albums, Scrapbooks, etc.; and Visual Materials.

Collection

Horace L. Wilgus Papers, 1878-1935

4.5 linear feet — 1 oversize folder — 14.3 MB (online)

Online
Professor of law at University of Michigan, and specialist in corporation law. Correspondence, speeches, newspaper clippings, notes, and manuscripts of books and articles, relating to his professional career, Ann Arbor, Michigan organizations and issues, particularly progressive political movements and prohibition, including the Michigan Anti-Saloon League, the anti-trust movement, and the 1912 Progressive Party; also photographs.

The Horace L. Wilgus papers include correspondence, speeches, clippings, notes, manuscripts of books and articles dealing with his professional career, the many Ann Arbor organizations and issues in which he was interested: particularly progressive political movements and prohibition, including the Michigan Anti-Saloon League, the anti-trust movement, and the 1912 Progressive Party. The collection also includes University of Michigan Law School course materials, family genealogical information, and a small series of photographs, many of them of his home on Washtenaw Ave. in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Collection

Emerson R. Boyles papers, 1879-1911, 1931-1960

6 linear feet — 1 oversize folder

Charlotte, Michigan, attorney, legal advisor to Governors Frank Fitzgerald and Luren Dickinson and justice of the Michigan Supreme Court. Correspondence, newspaper clippings and other materials on Michigan politics, the Republican Party, and his association with Governor Dickinson; scrapbook, 1885-1889, compiled by Fred A. Pennington; account book, 1904-1905; day book, 1941; log book, 1942, of Beaver Island cabin; and miscellaneous notebooks and photograph albums.

The Emerson Boyles papers consist of correspondence, newspaper clippings and other materials on Michigan politics, the Republican Party, and his association with Governor Dickinson; a scrapbook, 1885-1889, compiled by Fred A. Pennington; account book, 1904-1905; day book, 1941; log book, 1942, of Beaver Island cabin; and miscellaneous notebooks and photograph albums. The collection has been arranged into three series: Correspondence and other papers; Miscellaneous personal and family; and Photographs.

Collection

Harry Burns Hutchins papers, 1879-1930

22 linear feet

Professor of law and president of the University of Michigan. Papers include correspondence, reports, and speeches relating to all aspects of his University activities; and visual materials.

The Harry B. Hutchins papers cover the years 1879 through 1929, and include records generated during his years as professor and dean of the law department, President of the University of Michigan, and in retirement. Boxes 1-18 are primarily comprised of correspondence. Reports of the departments, schools, and other units of the university are contained in box 19, folders 30-32, and box 20, folders 1-13. As president, Hutchins did not regularly submit annual reports to the Board of Regents. Additional materials include speeches, photographs, and biographical material.

Collection

R. M. Wenley Papers, 1879-1931

11 linear feet — 1 oversize folder

Professor of philosophy at Glasgow University and University of Michigan. Extensive correspondence, scrapbooks, lecture notes, addresses, newspaper clippings and other papers relating to questions of philosophy and to his activities at University of Michigan; diaries, 1896-1927, relating to his European travels and career at the University; and photographs.

The Wenley papers have been divided into the following series: Correspondence; University of Glasgow/Queen Margaret College; Biographical and personal; Notes from University of Michigan and other courses and lectures; Speeches and addresses; Miscellaneous; and Scrapbooks.

Collection

Marshall L. Cook and William R. Cook papers, 1880-1945

6 linear feet

Editor and publisher, with his brother, William Randolph Cook, of the Hastings Banner in Hastings, Michigan. Correspondence, 1893-1941, relating to operations of their paper and other business enterprises, including material concerning Republican politics, the temperance movement, their activities and interest in the Rotary Club, the Salvation Army, and the Young Men's Christian Association.

The collection has been arranged into three series: Correspondence; Hasting Rotary Club; and Miscellaneous. The correspondence has been arranged chronologically with separate folders when needed for specific kinds of activities of the two brothers: political, business, church activities, and other professional responsibilities.

Collection

Fred W. Green papers, 1881-1939

2.5 linear feet (in 3 boxes) — 4 oversize volumes — 1 oversize folder

Republican Governor of Michigan, 1927-1930, from Ionia. Correspondence and other papers, 1898-1936, concerning the Spanish-American War, Republican politics, and personal affairs; and scrapbooks, 1896-1929, covering his political career and election campaigns; and photographs.

The Fred W. Green collection is comprised of correspondence, scrapbooks, speeches, photographs, postcards, and miscellaneous other materials. Some of the correspondence covers the period when Green was at Santa Clara, Cuba in 1899, but the bulk of the letters fall within the period of his gubernatorial service.

Collection

Shirley Wheeler Smith Papers, 1881-1959

15 linear feet — 1 oversize folder

Vice-president and secretary of the University of Michigan; correspondence; research materials for his biographies of university presidents; files relating to activities on the Ann Arbor City Council; course notes from classes at the University of Michigan; and photographs.

The Shirley Wheeler Smith papers include a combination of personal and professional materials. Much of Smith's career with the U-M is documented in the official records of the University, most notably in the records of the Secretary's Office and the papers of the presidents under whom he served (Angell, Hutchins, Burton, Little, and Ruthven). Even so, these papers contain much material relating to the business affairs of the U-M. The extensive correspondence files (with partial index) demonstrate wide influence in all phases of University operations as he corresponded with presidents, faculty, members of the board of regents, and other university personnel. Also documented in the collection is Smith's activities with the city of Ann Arbor and with other community organizations.

The collection has been arranged into the following series: Correspondence; Research for writings; Topical files; Ann Arbor City Council; Papers (by date); Personal and miscellaneous; and Photographs.

Collection

Ralph Stone papers, 1882-1956

4 linear feet — 3 oversize volumes

Detroit banker, alumnus and regent of the University of Michigan; contain correspondence and other papers largely concerning University affairs, including athletics, the Development Council, alumni activities, regental affairs; also papers concerning Detroit city government, Detroit Street Railways, affairs of the Alien Property Custodian in World War I, recollections of University life in 1890's,articles on Hazen S. Pingree and Chase S. Osborn; also scrapbooks, speeches, manuscripts, and genealogical material.

The Stone collection is arranged into the following series: Correspondence; Speeches and Articles; Subject Files; and Clipping and Scrapbooks.

Collection

John J. Carton Papers, 1883-1921

17 linear feet — 3 oversize volumes

Flint, Michigan, attorney and Republican state representative. Correspondence concerning the automotive industry, particularly his firms dealing with the General Motors Corporation and other automobile companies; also papers concerning state politics, the Republican Party, and the Constitutional Convention of 1907-1908; also docket books, 1883-1921, with record of cases handled by Carton and his partners.

The collection has been divided into the following series: Correspondence, 1900-1920; Masonic Papers, 1909-1920; Railroad, 1919-1920; Law Materials.

Collection

Claude Halstead Van Tyne papers, 1885-1930

3.5 linear feet

Professor of history at University of Michigan; scholar of America's revolutionary era. Correspondence concerning the historical profession, publishing, current events, and personal matters; lecture notes, newspaper clippings concerning personal matters and travels in Europe and India; papers concerning his activities during World War I, particularly with the National Security League.

The Van Tyne collection includes correspondence concerning the historical profession, publishing, current events, and personal matters; lecture notes, newspaper clippings concerning personal matters and Van Tyne's travels in Europe and India. The papers also include material concerning his activities during World War I, particularly with the National Security League. The papers are organized in two series: Correspondence and Professional and Personal Papers.

Collection

Isle Royale papers, 1885-1955 (majority within 1921-1946)

2 linear feet (in 5 boxes)

Files of Detroit News conservation editor Albert Stoll and director of public relations Lee A. White. Correspondence, newspaper clippings, photographs, and miscellaneous papers relating to the Detroit News' campaign to make Isle Royale a national park and to secure land for it; manuscript and notes of an article by Martha M. Bigelow, 1955.

The collections consists of the files of Detroit News conservation editor Albert Stoll and director of public relations Lee A. White who directed the Isle Royale campaign. The collection consists of correspondence, photographs, clippings, speeches, and other materials relating to Isle Royale and to its importance to the state, and to the effort to make the island a national park.

Collection

Albert Joseph Engel Papers, 1885-1960

10 linear feet

Prosecuting attorney for Missaukee County, Michigan, Republican State Senator, and U.S. Congressman from the 9th Michigan District from 1935 to 1951. Correspondence, reports and newspaper clippings concerning his activities on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Armed Services; material on the Manhattan Project and the testing of the atomic and hydrogen bombs; and photographs.

The Albert J. Engel papers primarily document his eight terms of service in United States House of Representatives, 1935-1951, though is some correspondence and other material dating back to 1911. The papers include correspondence, speeches, press releases, clippings scrapbooks and articles about Engel, files on various topics that came before Engel's House committees -- notably the Bikini Island A bomb and H bomb tests, and photographs

Collection

Roy Dikeman Chapin Papers, 1886-1945 (majority within 1910-1936)

32 linear feet (in 33 boxes) — 7 oversize volumes

Online
Lansing, Michigan businessman, founder of the Hudson Motor car Company, Secretary of Commerce in the Hoover Administration, leader of the "good roads movement" and the Lincoln Highway Association. Collection includes correspondence, speeches, business papers, clippings and scrapbooks and photographs.

The Roy D. Chapin papers include correspondence, speeches, articles, interviews, business papers, receipts, scrapbooks, photographs, and miscellaneous notes and files of Chapin's wife, and his biographer, John C. Long, concerning family matters, highway transportation, the automobile industry, general economic conditions, foreign trade, World War I, national defense, state and national politics, the Republican Party, and the University of Michigan. The collection also contains extensive papers concerning the Hudson Motor Car Company, including information on management policies, production, and labor organizing.

Collection

Roger Irving Wykes papers, 1889, 1907-1938

3 linear feet

Attorney General of Michigan, 1912. Briefs and other legal papers relating to the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railroad case and the Grand Rapids Gas Company case; correspondence, 1907-1908, on his campaign and activities in the Michigan Constitutional Convention; scrapbooks on the Constitutional Convention and Michigan politics, 1907-1920.

The Roger Irving Wykes papers are comprised of four series: Correspondence; Michigan Constitutional Convention, 1907-1908; Miscellaneous; and Litigation Case Files. Most of the correspondence relates to his campaign for delegate to the Constitutional Convention. The great bulk of the Litigation series relates to his participation in the Duluth South Shore and Atlantic Railroad Company Rate Case.

Collection

Johan G.R. Banér papers, 1890-1938

3 linear feet — 2 oversize volumes

Swedish-American author and journalist, of Ironwood, Michigan. Correspondence, manuscripts of poetry and other writings, and scrapbooks containing correspondence, newspaper clippings, and other poetry, concerning the myths of Sweden and Scandinavia and Banér's studies of Michigan Indian lore; also photograph.

The Johan G.R. Banér collection is an especially valuable resource for the study of immigrants in Michigan; it also provides examples of popular folklore during the first half of the twentieth century. The collection is divided into six series: Biographical Information, Correspondence, Manuscripts, Scrapbooks, Publications and Photographs; the material is written in both English and Swedish.

Collection

Charles Adam Weissert papers, 1893-1947

3.3 linear feet (in 4 boxes) — 1 oversize folder

Journalist, historical researcher from Kalamazoo, Michigan; Correspondence, research articles and notes, and photographs.

The Weissert collection includes correspondence, 1893-1947, including letters from Joseph Bailly, Clarence M. Burton, Gurdon S. Hubbard, Chase S. Osborn, Albert E. Sleeper, and George Van Pelt. There are also speeches, and writings mostly on Michigan history topics, including Indian history and the history of Kalamazoo and Barry County. The series of research notes illustrates the variety of Weissert's interests: historical personalities, forts, Michigan cities, and early state history. The photographs and snapshots pertain to Weissert's interest in Michigan history, especially homes, churches, mills, hotels, businesses, and other sites primarily in western Michigan, but also including Sault Ste. Marie and Mackinac Island. There are also photographs of Michigan pioneers, particularly from the Hastings, Michigan area.

Collection

Marion L. Burton Papers, 1895-1925 (majority within 1921-1925)

22.3 linear feet — 1 oversize folder

College educator and president; president of University of Michigan, 1920-1925. Administrative correspondence, speeches, articles and scrapbooks detailing his years at University of Michigan; also his speech nominating Calvin Coolidge for the Presidency in 1924; and photographs.

The collection, although defined as personal papers of Marion Burton, is in fact the correspondence files of the office of president of the University of Michigan (1920-1925). Complementing these files are scattered personal items from the period prior to Burton's coming to Michigan. The collection has been arranged into the following series: Correspondence Files (President's Office); Miscellaneous President's Office Files; Personal Materials; Speeches and Articles; Scrapbooks/Newspaper clippings; University of Minnesota Topical Files; and Photographs.

Collection

James Orin Murfin papers, 1896-1940

8 linear feet

Republican politician and regent of University of Michigan. Correspondence, 1901-1940, personal and professional materials, legal briefs and letters relating to William Cook estate and other University of Michigan affairs during his regency, 1918-1937; also correspondence while member of University's Board in Control of Athletics concerning University's departure from and return to Big Nine Conference and college athletics in general.

The Murfin papers relate mainly to JOM's activities as regent and as member of the University of Michigan's Board in Control of Athletics. The collection contains information concerning Michigan's departure from and return to the Big Nine Conference and the amateur-professional dilemma in college athletics. The regental material documents such problems as administrative oversight, particularly selection of the president and settlement of the William Cook estate. As member of the Law Club's governing body, Murfin helped to shape the university's case when Cook's bequest was contested by his wife. Although Murfin was influential in Michigan Republican party affairs, he filed his political papers separately and thus they are not included here.

The collection has been divided into two series: Correspondence, 1901-1940 and Topical Files which contain personal information and legal briefs concerning in part the Cook bequest

Collection

Arthur Lyon Cross Papers, 1897-1940

16 linear feet — 1 oversize folder

Professor of English history at University of Michigan. Correspondence with European and American historians, publishing houses, editors of learned journals, members of his family, and friends; also manuscripts of books and articles, lecture notes, student records, business papers, personal account books, diaries, 1938-1940, with comments on world events, and miscellaneous papers; and photographs.

The Cross papers are divided into the following series: Correspondence; Miscellaneous and undated papers; Personal/Biographical; University of Michigan; Publications, articles, and related; Research and lecture materials, and Photographs.

Collection

Earl C. Michener papers, 1898-1934, 1940-1954 (majority within 1904-1934)

13 linear feet

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.

Collection

William A. Comstock Papers, 1899-1949

14 linear feet — 2 oversize folders

Alpena, Michigan, businessman, University of Michigan regent and Democratic governor of Michigan, 1933-1934; correspondence, diaries, business papers, and other items, concerning Democratic party affairs, state and national elections, real estate and financial transactions, and photographs.

The William A. Comstock papers document activities of a businessman/promoter and a Democratic Party functionary. Although the collection dates from 1902 to 1949, the bulk of the papers date from 1919 to 1932, the period of Comstock's primary business involvements. The collection has been arranged into five series: Correspondence, Other Papers and Records, Business Record Books, Diaries, and Photographs.

Collection

Walter H. Sawyer papers, 1900-1931

5 linear feet — 1 oversize folder

Hillsdale, Michigan physician, regent of the University of Michigan. Correspondence, notes, reports, addresses, and other papers relating to board of regents activities and state medical issues.

The Sawyer papers contain a mixture of papers relating to his political and regental activities, and to his medical practice and association with professional medical groups. The collection has been arranged into three series: Correspondence and other papers (arranged chronologically); University of Michigan Board of Regents; and Addresses and Miscellaneous. Sawyer's regent's papers are significant for information on those individuals who were considered for the presidency of the University of Michigan in 1909, 1920, 1925, and 1930. As a heavily involved regent, Sawyer maintained communications with his fellow regents, with university presidents and other administrators. These letters and other documents will be found throughout the Correspondence series. These individuals include James B. Angell, Harry B. Hutchins, Marion L. Burton, Clarence C. Little, and Alexander Ruthven.

Collection

Louis H. Fead papers, 1900-1948 (majority within 1918-1942)

6 linear feet — 2 oversize volumes

Associate justice of the Michigan Supreme Court; correspondence, speeches and other materials relating to Michigan politics, Republican Party affairs, and his judicial career.

The Louis Fead collection includes correspondence, scrapbooks, biographical information and other materials relating to his political and judicial career. Some of the files relate to the view from Michigan of the proposed reorganization of the US Supreme Court in 1937. There are also materials concerning the Newberry State Bank of which Fead was an officer. Also of interest are those materials relating to his service with the American Red Cross in France during World War I.

Collection

Skulda V. Banér papers, 1900-1975 (majority within 1920-1964)

3.5 linear feet

Author of Ironwood, Michigan. Correspondence and scrapbooks relating to the development of Banér's literary career; also photographs.

The Skulda V. Banér papers document her career as an author and her midlife adaptation to blindness, as well as eighty years in the life of the Banér family. The collection has been divided into six series: Biographical Information, Correspondence, Manuscripts, Publications, Photographs, and Scrapbooks. Some material is in Swedish. The library also has the papers of Johan G.R. Banér.

Collection

Charles A. Sink Papers, 1900-1996

21 linear feet — 1 oversize folder — 2.22 GB

Online
Republican member of the state house and the state senate; president of the University Musical Society. Legislative and campaign files, 1919-1935, detailing his election campaigns, his activities within the legislature, and his various responsibilities as a member of the Republican State Central Committee; general correspondence files, 1922-1960, largely pertaining to his work with the University Musical Society and other civic activities; topical files; family history and memoirs; diaries and appointment books; papers of wife Alva Gordon Sink; and visual materials.
Collection

Alexander G. Ruthven Papers, 1901-1961 (majority within 1906-1951)

65.4 linear feet — 1 oversize folder

Zoologist, college professor, president of University of Michigan, 1929-1951. Professional files relating to his career with the University Museum and as a professor of zoology, and presidential files containing correspondence, reports, speeches, and other University materials, including budget and legislative files, material relating to changes in University administration, his relationship with faculty, students and alumni, and photographs.

The Alexander Ruthven papers consists of two series of records. The first is the papers of Ruthven as president of the University of Michigan, 1929 to 1951. The second, and smaller, series is the files maintained by Ruthven as a zoologist with the University Museum and as professor of zoology. This latter series dates largely from 1908 to 1929 but also includes collected earlier files from the 1870s.

Collection

Prentiss Marsh Brown Papers, 1902-1973

28 linear feet (in 29 boxes) — 2 oversize folders — 12 microfilms

Michigan congressman and senator, head of the U.S. Office of Price Administration; papers include correspondence, legislative files, speeches, political files, business and legal records, diaries and scrapbooks, visual materials, and sound recordings.

The Prentiss M. Brown Collection is rich and full and offers researchers materials on a variety of local and national topics reflecting the diversity of the man's private and public life. The earliest item in the collection is a letter book dated 1902-04 of James J. Brown, like his son a prominent St. Ignace attorney. The collection then picks up Prentiss M. Brown's entrance to the legal profession in 1917, traces his rise to public office, his work in Congress and with the O.P.A., and then concludes with his later business interests and his crusade upon behalf of the Mackinac Bridge.

The Brown Collection comprises approximately twenty-eight feet of correspondence, letterbooks, scrapbooks, diaries, speeches, topical and legislative files, photographs and phonograph records, and legal case files and business records. Covering the period 1917 to 1973, the papers concentrate most heavily in the years 1932-1942 when Brown was in the U.S. Congress. The greatest gap in the collection is in the period of the 1920s when Brown was making his first bids for political office. Also missing are any extensive files for the time of Brown's O.P.A. directorship. What the collection has on the O.P.A. are largely speeches, scrapbooks, and congratulatory letters.

Collection

Herbert F. Baker Papers, 1904-1930

5 linear feet — 1 oversize volume

Republican state representative, 1907-1912, speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives, 1911, state senator, 1919-1922, and official of the Farmers' National Council, the National Gleaner Federation, the Michigan State Grange and other farm and insurance organizations; includes correspondence, clippings, photographs and scrapbooks, concerning his political and business activities.

The collection spans the dates 1904-1926 and contains five linear feet of correspondence, clippings, photographs and scrapbooks concerning Baker's political and business activities.

Collection

Louis A. Weil papers, 1904-1952

1 linear foot — 2 oversize volumes — 3 phonograph records — 2.14 GB

Online
Editor and publisher of the Port Huron Times Herald. Scrapbooks, correspondence, and photographs concerning his newspaper career and other Port Huron, Michigan, activities.

The collection is composed of four series: Correspondence; Miscellaneous; Scrapbooks; and Audio-Visual materials. One of the scrapbooks contains letters received from William Lyon Phelps, H. L. Mencken, Edgar A. Guest, Chase S. Osborn, Frank Murphy, Theodore Roosevelt and Arthur H. Vandenberg.

Collection

Frank Knox papers, 1907-1910, 1934-1938

6 linear feet — 1 oversize folder

Newspaper publisher, manager of Chase S. Osborn’s campaign for governor in 1910, vice presidential candidate in 1936. Correspondence, 1907-1910 and Addresses, 1934-1938.

The Frank Knox papers consist of two series: Correspondence and Addresses. The Correspondence series dates from 1907 to November 1910 and was donated by Chase S. Osborn. These are the papers from Osborn's campaign for governor, 1909-1910, and detail the close relationship between Osborn and Knox. The second series of Addresses was donated by Col. Knox in 1938, then at the Chicago Daily News, and concern his interest in public affairs, the New Deal, and his own campaign as vice presidential candidate in 1936.

Collection

Frank A. Picard papers, 1907-1963

3 linear feet — 11 oversize volumes — 1 oversize folder

Chairman of Michigan Liquor Control Commission, 1932-1934, candidate for the US Senate in 1934, president of Michigan Bar Association, and U.S. Judge of Eastern District of Michigan, 1939-1963. Correspondence and other papers relating to Michigan and national politics, his work on the Liquor Control Commission and the Michigan Bar Association; also campaign speeches and scrapbooks.

The Frank A. Picard papers consist of correspondence and other papers relating to Michigan and national politics, his work on the Michigan Liquor Control Commission and the Michigan Bar Association; files of campaign speeches and scrapbooks; and scripts and related papers for plays he wrote. The collection has been arranged into the following series: Correspondence, speeches and other materials; Scripts and plays; Other writings and miscellaneous; and Scrapbooks.

Collection

Stellanova Osborn papers, 1907-1988

40 linear feet

Wife of Chase S. Osborn, leader in the Atlantic Union Movement, and officer in the Atlantic Union Conference, the International Movement for Atlantic Union, and Federal Union, Inc. Correspondence, diaries and other materials concerning her professional interests, especially her work for world peace through international cooperation.

The Stella Osborn collection was received in multiple accessions. The bulk of the papers were received from her home in Georgia (1958) and her office in Washington D.C. (1972). These materials documenting her entire career were organized into seven series: Biographical; Correspondence; Personal and miscellaneous; Atlantic Union Committee and related; Business and Professional Women's Club; Sound recordings; and Index card files. An extremely active woman with many interests and causes, Stella Osborn continued to add to her papers with a later accession in 1983. Following her death, the executor of her estate and other friends added to the collection with materials which she had retained for whatever reason or which had been in storage. There is obviously some overlap in these later materials and the files received previously. The purpose of the Summary Contents List (see below) is to draw like materials together.

The 1992 accession was more fully described than the earlier papers. This accession includes biographical notes and clippings about Stella Osborn and Chase Osborn. There is, in addition, personal and organizational correspondence, financial and estate records (1970-1988), land deeds for the Osborn holdings in Georgia and Michigan, organizational material for the Federal Union and the Atlantic Union Committee, manuscripts of poetry, prose, and political essays (including some material by Chase Osborn), and Stella Osborn's diaries (1982-87). The collection includes childhood photographs of Stella Osborn and photographs of her parents and grandparents. Two copies of a videotape about the Osborn farm in Georgia, Possum Poke, are included here as well.

Much of this accession documents the last few years of Stella Osborn's life, after her move to a retirement home in Sault St. Marie Michigan, years during which she maintained an interest in people and world peace organizations, and in documenting her own and Chase Osborn's place in history. While the bulk of correspondence here is for 1982, 1983, and 1987, some earlier correspondence is included as well. Of interest to university historians is the topical correspondence file on Robert Frost's visit to Michigan. Stella Osborn's lifelong friendship with Yuki Otsuki is documented by their extensive correspondence, a series of letters beautifully written and presented that recall earlier days, including student life.

The collection contains some material of interest to researchers interested in Chase Osborn, including the series of land transfers and deeds which document Chase and Stella Osborn's extensive holdings in Georgia and Michigan, and their gifts of land to various charities and institutions. Also included is some Chase Osborn correspondence and copies of articles he wrote about his extensive travels in Africa. Chase Osborn's 1938 "Longfellow Birthday Book" contains the birth dates of his ancestors. Several letters from 1936 pertain to Chase Osborn's involvement in the movement to build the Mackinac Bridge.

Of special interest to researchers interested in Stella Osborn and her role in various world peace organizations are her unpublished autobiographical manuscripts and files. Also of interest are her diaries, where she continued to record her ideas about politics and her memories.

Summary Contents Lists
  1. Accessions, 1958 and 1971-1972 [boxes 1-27]
    • Biographical material [box 1]
    • Correspondence, 1916-1982 [boxes 1-13]
    • Personal and miscellaneous
      • Schedules, notes on telephone conversations, various writings [box 14]
      • Personal press releases [box 15]
      • Speeches [box 15]
      • Clippings [box 15]
      • Poetry [box 15]
      • Income tax files [box 15]
      • Diaries [box 16]
      • Student notebooks, account books, etc. (U-M and others) [box 16]
    • Atlantic Union Committee and related [boxes 17-24]
    • Business and Professional Women's Club activities [box 24]
    • Sound tapes [box 25]
    • Card files [boxes 25-27]
  2. 1983 Accession [boxes 28-34]
    • Biographical material [box 28]
    • Correspondence, 1918-1983 [boxes 28-31]
    • Organizations [box 31]
    • Topical file [boxes 31-32]
    • Writings (autobiography, poetry, prose) [box 32]
    • Diaries [box 33]
    • Visual materials [box 34]
  3. 1992 Accession [boxes 35-38]
    • Biographical and Autobiographical Material (including Chase Osborn) [box 35]
    • Correspondence, 1960-1987 [box 35]
    • Financial and Business Affairs, 1920-1985 [boxes 35-36]
    • Peace Organizations, 1970-1983 [box 36]
    • Manuscripts and Research Notes [box 36]
    • Chase Osborn materials, 1913-1949 [box 37]
    • Diaries, account books, day books, 1930-1987 [box 37-38]
    • Card Indices [box 38]
Collection

Rudolph E. Reichert Papers, 1907-2004 (majority within 1907-1962)

17.5 linear feet

Ann Arbor, Michigan banker and commissioner of the Michigan Banking Department during the depression. Correspondence and other papers concerning his activities as banking commissioner and officer of the Michigan Bankers Association; includes letters from Mrs. Christine Reichert to her children while touring Europe, mainly Germany, on the eve of World War II, 1939; also letters between Reichert and British manufacturer in which British-American foreign policy is discussed, 1939-1945; and photographs.

The Reichert papers span the period 1907-1965 but bulk largest for the years 1927-1936. The collection deals with Reichert's career as Commissioner of the State Banking Department of Michigan, his activities as a local bank president in Ann Arbor, an officer in the Michigan Bankers Association, and a stockholder in the Argus Corporation. There are a few scattered items of a personal nature, in short, such personal correspondence as was handled through his business office.

The papers are rich in materials on the financial crisis in Michigan during the Great Depression when he was Banking Commissioner. Reichert was also active until the early 1950's in the framing of both state and federal legislation dealing with banks, federal deposit insurance, etc., and he carried on a full correspondence with Congressman Earl Michener and Senator Arthur Vandenberg on these legislative matters. Considerable material exists on the Michigan Bankers Association, especially for the years 1941-1944, when he was an officer of the group. There is some material on Republican party matters, but it is not very full.

Ann Arbor's business and financial life is well covered for the whole period, including material on Argus, Inc. for the post-war period. The effect of both the depression and the war on small town economic life is particularly well documented. There is an interesting series of letters, 1939-1945, between Reichert and a British rope manufacturer named Hendy, in which British and American policy in foreign affairs and the conduct of the war is argued at length.

The collection has been divided into the following series: Professional Papers; State Banking Department and related; Biographical/Personal; and Photographs.

Collection

Frank Murphy papers, 1908-1949

166 microfilms — 24 linear feet (in 28 boxes) — 7 oversize volumes — 2 oversize folders — 474 MB (online) — 18 digital video files (online)

Online
Michigan-born lawyer, judge, politician and diplomat, served as Detroit Recorder's Court Judge, Mayor of Detroit, Governor General of the Philippines, Governor of Michigan, U. S. Attorney General and U.S. Supreme Court Justice. Papers include extensive correspondence, subject files, Supreme court case files, scrapbooks, photographs, newsreels and audio recordings, and other material.

The Frank Murphy Collection documents in detail the life and career of one of Michigan's most distinguished public servants. Through correspondence, subject files, scrapbooks, visual materials, and other documentation, the collection traces Murphy's life from his years as Detroit judge, later Mayor, to his service in the Philippines, his tenure as governor, his stint as U.S. Attorney General, and culminating in his final years as U.S. Supreme Court Justice.

The Frank Murphy Collection consists of eight series: Correspondence, Other Papers, Supreme Court Case Files, Speech File, Speech Material, Miscellaneous, Visual Material, and Newsclippings/Scrapbooks.

Collection

DeHull Travis Papers, 1909-1960

1 linear foot — 1 oversize folder

Secretary to Michigan governor Chase S. Osborn, later assistant to the secretary general of the Nuremberg Medical Trial, 1946-1947. Correspondence, writings, and International Military Tribunal files; also photographs.

The papers of DeHull Norman Travis include one linear foot of material in addition to five outsize items stored separately. The collection covers the period from the start of his law practice in 1909 through his death in 1960. However, most of the collection relates to Travis's work at the Nuremberg War crimes trials.

Collection

Frank D. McKay Papers, 1909-1965

3 linear feet — 2 oversize volumes

Grand Rapids, Michigan businessman and politician; correspondence, business papers; scrapbooks, and photographs.

The Frank D. McKay collection is divided into the following series: Correspondence; Topical Files; Business and financial papers; Newspaper clippings and scrapbooks; and Photographs.

Collection

Volney H. Jones papers, 1909-1979 (majority within 1930-1979)

8 linear feet

Volney H. Jones was a leading ethnobotanist and served as Curator of Ethnology at the University of Michigan Museum of Anthropology from 1945 to 1969. The papers include correspondence with ethnobotanists and anthropologists, including Edward F. Castetter and Leslie A. White, administrative files, biographical information on anthropologists, teaching files for Jones' courses within the Department of Anthropology, and notes for unpublished textbooks on ethnobotany. The papers also include correspondence with Chase S. Osborn, Stellanova B. Osborn, and Milo M. Quaife concerning a project to establish a Friends of the Michigan Indian organization, and correspondence and reports from Ted Bank concerning the University of Michigan expeditions to the Aleutian Islands.

The Volney H. Jones Papers include correspondence with ethnobotanists and anthropologists, including Edward F. Castetter and Leslie A. White, administrative files, biographical information on anthropologists, teaching files for Jones' courses within the Department of Anthropology, and notes for unpublished textbooks on ethnobotany. The papers also include correspondence with Chase S. Osborn, Stellanova B. Osborn, and Milo M. Quaife concerning a project to establish a Friends of the Michigan Indian organization, and correspondence and reports from Ted Bank concerning the University of Michigan expeditions to the Aleutian Islands. The Jones papers are comprised of eight series: Correspondence, Administrative Files, Biographies and Bibliographies, Teaching Files, Culture Areas and Ethnobotany Textbook Files, Hopi Research Files and Maize Research.

Collection

Patrick Henry Kelley papers, 1910-1924

0.5 linear feet

Lieutenant Governor of Michigan, 1907-1911, and Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Correspondence, newspaper clippings, speeches and scrapbook concerning his political career and private law practice. Correspondents include: Calvin Coolidge, Louis C. Cramton, Oramel B. Fuller, Chase S. Osborn, Arthur J. Tuttle, Arthur H. Vandenberg, and James E. Watson.

The collection is arranged into three series: Correspondence; U.S. House of Representatives, 1913-1923; and Photographs.

Collection

William DeKleine papers, 1914-1955

3 linear feet — 1 oversize folder

Physician, public health officer, medical director of the American Red Cross and Michigan Health Commissioner, 1944-1947. Correspondence, articles, speeches, and other professional papers.

The William DeKleine papers have been arranged into the following series: Biographical; Correspondence; Other papers: research interests and writings; Red Cross materials; Articles and speeches; and Photographs. Some of the correspondents in the collection include: Paul DeKruif, Harry F. Kelly, John H. Kellogg, Charles S. Mott, Arnold Mulder, Chase S. Osborn, and Kim Sigler. Some of the topics covered in the collection include medical relief, pellagra research, and the work of the Red Cross. There are also histories he wrote on the Good Roads Movement in western Michigan and the First Presbyterian Church of Lansing, Michigan.

Collection

Howard Cyrus Lawrence Papers, 1916-1966

25 linear feet — 2 oversize volumes

Grand Rapids, Michigan businessman and Republican politician. Correspondence, business records, speeches, and other papers relating to state politics, charitable and civic interests, banking issues, the Grand Rapids Varnish Corporation, the Michigan Trust Company of Grand Rapids, and the Ypsilanti-Reed Furniture Company of Ionia, Michigan; also materials on Albion College, the Methodist Church, the Ionia Free Fair, and Republican Party politics, especially the campaign of Arthur H, Vandenberg for the presidency in 1940.

The collection documents the business, civic, and political interests of Howard C. Lawrence. The series in the collection are: Correspondence; Speeches and speech material; Financial; Business Interests; Charitable and Civic Interests; Clippings; Miscellaneous; Photographs; and Notebooks.

Collection

Eleanor M. Bumgardner papers, 1919-1967

8 linear feet — 9 oversize volumes

Personal secretary to Frank Murphy. Correspondence, newspaper clippings, and printed miscellanea concerning the life and career of Frank Murphy; also scrapbooks, and photographs.

The Bumgardner papers consist of two major series. The first is made up of Frank Murphy papers, including correspondence prior to July 1949, speeches of Murphy, and clippings and biographical materials. The second series pertains primarily to Bumgardner's activities and includes correspondence after July 1949, a topical file of clippings maintained by Bumgardner, miscellaneous books, clippings, and scrapbooks. There are also several files of photographs, portraits and informal photos, of Frank Murphy and Eleanor Bumgardner.

Collection

Murray D. Van Wagoner Papers, 1921-1949

4 linear feet — 2 oversize volumes — 10 film reels

Online
Construction engineer and Michigan Democratic politician; served terms as Oakland County Drain Commissioner, Michigan State Highway Commissioner, and as Governor, 1941-1942; include correspondence, scrapbooks, appointment books, and assorted miscellanea.

The series in the Van Wagoner collection are Correspondence (1933-1945); Newspaper clippings/Scrapbooks (1930-1933 and 1940-1949); Miscellaneous/Political; and Visual Materials. The collection is largely an accumulation of personal materials from his career as a public service. There is very little of these papers that might be classified as administrative or office files from his years as highway commissioner or his term as governor.

Collection

John R. Dethmers papers, 1923-1970

11 linear feet

Prosecuting attorney, attorney general of Michigan, 1945-1946, and justice on the Michigan Supreme Court, 1946-1970. Correspondence and campaign material relating to his political interests, court agendas and topical files, and papers relating to the operation and activities of the state supreme court; also photographs.

This collection of John R. Dethmers papers, in addition to a few folders of correspondence and campaign materials from the 1930s, is comprised mainly of files from his service on the Michigan Supreme Court. Within the Correspondence series, there are letters from William W. Blackney, Mar. 19, 1942; Fred Bradley, Mar. 4, 1942; Albert J. Engel, Mar. 2, 1942; Bartel J. Jonkman, Mar. 6, 1942; Earl C. Michener, Mar. 2, 1942; Chase S. Osborn, Mar. 16, 1942; and Arthur H. Vandenberg, Mar. 4, 1942.

Collection

Clarence Cook Little papers, 1924-1929

14 linear feet

Online
President of the University of Michigan, 1924-1929, educational reformer, geneticist and cancer researcher, also interested in a range of reform movement including birth control, eugenics, international peace, and immigration. Papers include correspondence, speeches and reports concerning all phases of his career as president of the University of Michigan and his civic and reform activities.

The C.C. Little papers document a wide range to topics, events, administrative actions, policy developments during Little's tenure as president of the University of Michigan. The collection contains mainly reports and replies to letters but very little incoming correspondence. However, the researcher may use these replies as clues to other collections in the library which contain the individual correspondent's papers.

The chronological ordering of the papers makes subject access somewhat difficult. To selective indexes of correspondents and subjects found in the papers provide some assistance in using the Little papers. The following discussion of the papers follows the structure of the subject index.

The growth of the university which had begun at the close of World War I continued to be felt during President Little's tenure. New buildings completed earlier were handling classroom and laboratory needs, so attention now turned to living accommodations and the athletic department's needs (Sec. II). The period of the 1920s was one of increased interest in theories of progressive education. President's Little's primary interest was in educational policy arising from such theories. Thus, academic and departmental proposals and reorganizations (Sec. III of the subject index) form a major part of his papers. He made fewer administrative changes (Sec. I of the subject index). The twenties are also remembered as a time of social ferment in the country and this was reflected in campus life, with more attention being paid to regulating student social mores and the use of alcohol and cars (see Secs. I and IV of the subject index).

Although President Little oversaw the reorganization of some administrative offices, his attention was mainly focused on educational policy, his primary interest. This is reflected in materials on admissions policy, freshman orientation, continuing education of alumni, and the re-organization of the university into two separate units.

A few months after President Little took office, the "Day Report", so named because Edmund Day, Dean of the School of Business Administration chaired the committee which drew it up, was completed. It was the result of an exhaustive study of athletics, physical education and recreation in the university and led to changes in the Board in Control of Athletics, development of women's and intramural athletics, and gave impetus to the financing and building of the stadium (opened in 1927).

President Little's concern with developing students of good moral character resulted in regulation of the use of cars and alcohol, thought to be related twin evils, and the initiation of planning for dormitories, where all students would live under university supervision.

The major building projects that came to fruition during the Little Administration were the Stadium and the Women's League Building. Construction work at the Law School and the School of Education represented on-going projects begun in earlier administrations, while plans for a natural science museum were just beginning to take shape.

During President Little's tenure, schools and departments established earlier continued to grow, while some projects, such as the Creative Arts Fellowship, were brought to a close. The financing and governance of the Lawyers' Club presented on-going difficulties. Compensation for and the role of "outside work" in Medicine, Engineering, and Education required continued attention. The university contributed to scientific research through the Hobbs Expedition to Greenland which also showed the value of the university's fledgling radio program in maintaining communication with such distant projects.

With the appointment of Samuel Trask Dana as Dean, the School of Forestry was established in the spring of 1927. At that time the state was faced with the problems of cutover lands and the collapse of the lumbering industry. In 1927 the School of Forestry provided leadership in dealing with these problems by sponsoring two conferences which brought together owners and operators in the lumbering industry, state officials, and forestry experts to consider solutions.

The School of Education continued its growth with the addition of an elementary school building. The completion of that building in 1929 enabled the School to provide K-12 education under the supervision of its faculty. Some attention was given also to providing pre-primary education, but nothing came of this during Little's tenure.

The university and its academic life did not escape the impact of the societal upheavals of the "roaring twenties". Perhaps more so at the University of Michigan because of President Little's active role in several of those issues, as is reflected in his correspondence. He was an officer in the American Eugenics Society, a vocal proponent of both population control and the "betterment of the human race", and also served as chairman of the Michigan chapter of the League of Nations Non-partisan Association.

Collection

Arthur W. Stace papers, 1927-1950

3 linear feet

Newspaperman, editor of the Ann Arbor News. Correspondence, reports, photographs, and other materials largely concerning his newspaper career with Booth Newspapers, Inc.

The Stace collection has been arranged into the following series: Correspondence; Ann Arbor News and Booth Newspapers; Topical files; and Other materials. The collection documents his career as a newspaperman with Booth Newspapers and the Ann Arbor News.

Collection

Frank Dwight Fitzgerald papers, 1928-1944 (majority within 1930-1939)

28 linear feet — 4 oversize volumes — 1 oversize folder

Michigan Secretary of State, 1931-1935; Governor of Michigan, 1935-1936 and 1939; and chairman, 1936, of the Michigan delegation to the Republican National Convention. Correspondence, speeches, press releases, newspaper clippings, and miscellaneous notebooks and printed materials concerning his political career.

The Fitzgerald papers date from 1928 to 1944 but the bulk of the collection falls within the period of 1930 to 1939, the year of Fitzgerald's death. Papers dated after 1939 are those of his wife Queena. The collection primarily concerns the mechanics of campaigning for office with little documentation of the administration of either the office of secretary of state or governor. The collection has been arranged into seven series: Correspondence; Biographical / Personal; Photographs; Speeches and Press Releases; Political Career; National Republican Party published material; and Scrapbooks.

The largest series in the collection - Correspondence - is important for showing the range of Fitzgerald's political acquaintances and his skill in achieving elective office. A selective index to those who corresponded with Fitzgerald is appended to this finding aid.

Collection

John Klaerr Walsh papers, 1928-1958

0.5 linear feet — 1 oversize volume

Kalamazoo, Michigan newspaperman; papers relating to his career in journalism and to his trip to the Far East in 1940.

The Walsh papers includes scattered materials relating to his career as a newspaperman. The bulk of the collection concerns the flight of American newspapermen aboard a clipper plane to the South Pacific prior to World War II. Other materials relate to the history and operation of the Kalamazoo Gazette. Items of interest include research material concerning Dr. William E. Upjohn and the history of the Upjohn family. There is also correspondence received, 1929-1930, supporting the newspaper's editorial position regarding enforcement of the 18th Amendment. Some of the correspondents in the collection include: Caroline Bartlett Crane, Fred W. Green, Frank Murphy, Chase S. Osborn, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Arthur H. Vandenberg, and Wendell L. Willkie.

Collection

G. Donald Kennedy Papers, 1928-1968

6 linear feet (in 7 boxes) — 14 oversize volumes

Civil engineer, served as Michigan state highway commissioner, chairman of the Mackinac Straits Bridge Authority and president of Portland Cement Company. Papers primarily document work with highway commission and Mackinac Straits Bridge Authority.

The papers, 1928-1968, of G. Donald Kennedy document his career in civil engineering, his participation in professional organizations, his activities as a state official, and as a supporter of the Michigan Democratic Party. The collection Includes correspondence, speeches, minutes, reports, articles, clippings, and photographs. The files relate to his work as municipal engineer in Pontiac, Michigan, with the Mackinac Straits Bridge Authority, the American Association of State Highway Officials, the Automotive Safety Foundation, and the Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority. The collection also includes papers relating to highway and airport construction, to economic mobilization during World War II, the Willow Run Bomber Plant, state Democratic Party matters, particularly the campaign visits of President Roosevelt to Michigan in 1936.

Collection

George R. Averill papers, 1928-1969

2 linear feet — 30 oversize volumes

Editor and publisher of the Birmingham Eccentric; correspondence, scrapbooks, and other materials relating to his career.

The collection consists of correspondence, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, and other materials concerning Averill's newspaper career, his support of Senator Arthur H. Vandenberg, especially in the election of 1934, and his support of other Republican candidates, particularly Wilber M. Brucker and Herbert Hoover. Some of Averill's correspondents include Roscoe O. Bonisteel, Wilber M. Brucker, James J. Couzens, Chase S. Osborn, Frank M. Sparks, and Arthur H. Vandenberg.

Collection

Michigan Civil Service Study Commission records, 1935-1941

6 linear feet

Correspondence, reports, minutes, financial records, drafts of bills and clippings, including the 1936 report of the Public Administration Service on existing conditions in Michigan.

These records, maintained by commission chair James K. Pollock, include administrative files relating to the operation of the commission. There are also materials relating to the survey undertaken by the commission, to the hearings held, and to the drafting of the report prior to its submission to the governor.

Collection

Department of Journalism (University of Michigan) research papers, 1967-1978

2 linear feet

Research papers, 1967-1979, of students in journalism at the University of Michigan; contain essays relating to the history of Michigan newspapers and journalists, and the development of radio and television broadcasting; include papers concerning newspapers in Adrian, Ann Arbor, Detroit, and Grand Rapids, and the journalistic efforts of Father Charles Coughlin, Henry Ford, and Gerald L. K. Smith.

The Department of Journalism research papers collection measures 2 linear feet and consists solely of student research papers written between 1967 and 1979. The papers contain essays written regarding the history of various newspapers -- many in Michigan cities such as Adrian, Ann Arbor, Detroit and Grand Rapids; journalists and the journalistic efforts of individuals such as Father Charles Coughlin, Henry Ford, and Gerald L.K. Smith; and the development of radio and television broadcasting.

The surviving administrative records of the Department of Journalism were retained by its successor unit, the Department of Communication, and can be found in that department's records.

Collection

Chase S. Osborn Papers, circa 1870-1949 (majority within 1889-1949)

149.9 linear feet ((in 152 boxes)) — 3 oversize volumes — 1 oversize folder

Governor of Michigan, writer, businessman; papers include correspondence, business records, speeches, writings, visual materials, diaries.

The Osborn collection consists of correspondence, diaries, business papers, scrapbooks, photographs, and other materials accumulated during his life. Materials prior to 1889 are scarce possibly because of a fire which destroyed Osborn's home; thereafter and up to the time of his death in 1949, the Osborn papers are voluminous, documenting each of this man's varied activities. Although his career as elected public official was limited to one term as governor, the collection reflects the importance of his life in areas beyond politics alone. His voice was heard, in letters and speeches and monographs, speaking out on the issues of the day - prohibition, conservation, the New Deal, and of course his life-long interest in the development of Michigan's Upper Peninsula economy and natural resources.