Maass, Richard (collector)

Richard Maass was an alumnus of New York University, having graduated from the School of Commerce (now the Stern School) in 1949 with a degree in economics. Maass was active in the political and educational affairs of the county; he was appointed as mayor of White Plains in 1974, and held the office of Westchester County Historian from 1974 to 1981. Maass served his community as the President of the Purchase College Council, and was a member of the American Jewish Committee and the Westchester County Historical Society. Along with his father-in-law, Richard M. Lederer, who served for many years as the Village Historian for Scarsdale, Maass was involved with the Manuscript Society from its earliest inception, and served as president of the organization from 1954-1956. In addition to the collecting interests represented by the Richard Maass Collection of Westchester and New York State, Maass assembled notable collections of Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Paine materials, as well as a significant collection of books relating to pirates.

From the guide to the Richard Maass Collection of Westchester and New York State, Bulk, 1645-1910, 1645-1995 (Bulk: 1645-1910), (© 2009 Fales Library and Special Collections)