Harry A. Garfield papers, 1908-1934.

ArchivalResource

Williams College. Office of the President. Harry A. Garfield papers, 1908-1934.

Harry A. Garfield papers, 1908-1934.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/45449599

The collection comprises material that documents the administration of Harry A. Garfield from his appointment as the eighth President of Williams College in 1908 to his retirement following Commencement in 1934. The material in this record group comprises predominantly correspondence, including letters and telegrams received, with carbon copies of letters and telegrams sent. Reports, newspaper clippings, handwritten notes, blueprints, photographs, examinations, programs, pamphlets, and memoranda make up the remaining documents. This record group provides documentation of the major achievements of Garfield's presidency. Curriculum reform and the establishment of honors courses mark important educational advances developed by President Garfield. Successful endowment campaigns, conducted under Garfield's leadership, raised professor's salaries. Construction projects nearly doubled the number of buildings on campus. Garfield supervised the construction of Chapin Hall, Stetson Hall, Cole Field House, Freshman Quad, and the Chemistry Laboratory as well as the renovation of several other buildings. President Garfield's guidance during periods of historical significance such as prohibition, the depression and World War I (even as he served as Fuel Administrator) is highly evident and his thoughts on the matters clearly documented. Garfield's influence in programs such as the Thompson Courses and Bok Lectures, which brought prominent people to Williams College, is also evident in this material. Glimpses of his personal life, including family news and his opinions on a variety of matters, can be seen in his letters to Mary Thompson Clarke, Francis Stetson, Alfred Chapin, Bentley Warren, Vanderpoel Adriance and many others. Notable correspondents include Calvin Coolidge, Gaillard Hunt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, William H. Taft, Herbert Hoover, W.E.B. DuBois, A. Barton Hepburn and Herbert Lehman.

38 linear ft. (58 boxes)

Williams College, Sawyer Library