Douglass Adair Papers: Finding Aid

Finding aid prepared by Huntington Library staff.

The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens

Manuscripts Department

1151 Oxford Road

San Marino, California 91108

Phone: (626) 405-2191

Email: reference@huntington.org

URL: http://www.huntington.org

Overview of the Collection

Title: Douglass Adair Papers

Dates (inclusive): 1946-1968

Bulk dates: 1960-1968

Collection Number: mssAdair papers

Creator: Adair, Douglass.

Extent: Approx. 10,000 pieces in 28 boxes.

Repository: The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. Manuscripts Department

1151 Oxford Road

San Marino, California 91108

Phone: (626) 405-2191

Email: reference@huntington.org

URL: http://www.huntington.org

Abstract: This collection contains the papers of American historian and editor Douglas Adair (1912-1968), chiefly from the 1960s, including correspondence, lectures, research notes, professional and teaching papers, scholarly writings, and papers related to the Claremont colleges.

Language: English.

Access

Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.

Administrative Information

Publication Rights

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item]. Douglass Adair Papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Provenance

Gift of Virginia Adair, 1969 and 1975.

Biographical Note

American historian and editor Douglass Greybill Adair 1912-1968) was born in New York City in 1912. He received a B.A. from the University of the South (1933), an M.A. from Harvard (1935), and a Ph.D. from Yale (1943). From 1936 to 1938 he was a research assistant with the Social Security Board, which he left to join the faculty of Yale as an instructor in the 1939-1940 term. He left Yale for a Princeton instructorship from 1941 to 1943. In 1943 he moved to the College of William and Mary, where he achieved the rank of Associate Professor. From 1946 to 1955 he was managing editor of the William and Mary Quarterly, which position he resigned to become Professor of History at Claremont Graduate School in 1955 until his death in 1968. Adair’s fields of interest included early American history, 18th century intellectual history, and the establishment of the United States Constitution.

Scope and Content

This collection contains correspondence, lectures, and research notes, Adair's scholarly writings, papers relating to professional organizations and meetings, research publications, photographs, teachings aids, papers relating to the Claremont colleges. Correspondents include Julian Parks Boyd, Lyman Henry Butterfield, Lester Jesse Cappon, Martin Diamond, Edmund Sears Morgan, Allan Nevins, John Adolph Schutz, Clifford Kenyon Shipton. Geographical origins: mostly southern California; New England, Virginia and the mid-west are also represented.

Arrangement

The material is organized into the following categories: correspondence, lecture and research notes, Adair’s scholarly writings (exclusive of his dissertation, which is not in this collection), papers relating to professional organizations, photographs, teaching aids, papers relating to the Claremont Colleges, secondary source material, such as newspaper clippings and articles from scholarly and popular periodicals, student papers and copies of primary source material, such as letters.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Huntington Library's Online Catalog.

Subjects

Adair, Douglass -- Archives.

Boyd, Julian P. (Julian Parks), 1903-1980 -- Correspondence.

Butterfield, L. H. (Lyman Henry), 1909-1982 --Correspondence.

Cappon, Lester Jesse, 1900-1981 -- Correspondence.

Diamond, Martin, 1919-1977 -- Correspondence.

Morgan, Edmund S. (Edmund Sears), 1916- -- Correspondence.

Nevins, Allan, 1890-1971 -- Correspondence.

Schutz, John A., 1919- -- Correspondence.

Shipton, Clifford Kenyon, 1902-1973 -- Correspondence.

Claremont Colleges.

History -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- United States.

United States -- History -- Study and teaching.

Forms/Genres

Letters (correspondence) -- United States -- 20th century.

Personal papers -- United States -- 20th century.

Professional papers -- United States -- 20th century.

Additional Contributors

Boyd, Julian P. (Julian Parks), 1903-1980.

Butterfield, L. H. (Lyman Henry), 1909-1982.

Cappon, Lester Jesse, 1900-1981.

Diamond, Martin, 1919-1977.

Morgan, Edmund S. (Edmund Sears), 1916-.

Nevins, Allan, 1890-1971.

Schutz, John A., 1919-.

Shipton, Clifford Kenyon, 1902-1973.

Correspondence

Box 1

Letters to Adair, A-J

Box 2

Letters to Adair, K-Z

Box 3

Letters from Adair

Lecture and research notes, teaching aids, and Adair's writings

Box 4