Gordon, Robert Winslow.

Robert Winslow Gordon, born September 2, 1888 in Bangor, Maine, was one of the first and foremost authorities on American folksong. He studied and later taught at Harvard University; while teaching there he began research on folk poetry and song. In 1918 he accepted a position in the English Department at the University of California at Berkeley. During his tenure there he collected and recorded a vast array of folk song material from regions spanning the entire United States. He moved East in 1924 and embarked on extensive field trips, primarily in the Asheville, NC area. In 1928 Gordon established the Archive of American Folk Song at the Library of Congress, the first national center devoted to American folk culture. Gordon held this position for five years during which time he continued his collection and recording in the south. During this period Gordon also did research and gave testimony on the behalf of Victor Records in a claim of authorship suit brought against that company concerning "Old 97." From 1934 until his retirement in 1958, Gordon worked for the Department of the Interior, the English Department of George Washington University, and the Navy Department, engaging his passion for folklore in his spare time. He died on March 26, 1961 at the age of 71.