The Cleveland Council of Sociology was founded in 1893 in Cleveland, Ohio, at the suggestion of Professors Richard T. Ely and John R. Commons. It was patterned after the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circles. The collection consists of correspondence, annual reports of the secretary and treasurer, lists of lecture topics, speakers, and members, and other records. Persons represented include Newton D. Baker, George A. Bellamy, Starr Cadwallader, John R. Commons, Harris R. Cooley, Richard E. Ely, Rabbi Moses J. Gries, Charles S. Howe, Tom L. Johnson, M.A. Marks, G.K. Shurtleff, D.C. Westenhaver, and Peter Witt.
