Edwin Francis Gay Papers: Finding Aid mssGY
Gina C Giang
The Huntington Library
April 2020
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Business Number: (626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
Note
Finding aid last updated on October 17, 2022 by Melissa Haley.
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Edwin Francis Gay papers
Creator:
Gay, Edwin F. (Edwin Francis), 1867-1946
Identifier/Call Number: mssGY
Physical Description:
163.45 Linear Feet
(206 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1786-1973
Date (bulk): 1920-1946
Abstract: A collection of personal and professional material related to Edwin Francis Gay's life and career as an American economist
and historian.
Language of Material: Materials are in English.
Conditions Governing Access
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader
Services.
Conditions Governing Use
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]. Edwin Francis Gay papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Margaret Gay Davies, 1973.
Biographical / Historical
Edwin Francis Gay (1867-1946) was an American economist and historian. Gay was born on October 27, 1867, the son of Aaron
F. Gay and Mary (Loud) Gay. He graduated from the University of Michigan, and afterwards did graduate work in Germany and
received his Ph.D. from the University of Berlin in 1902. In 1893, he married Louise FitzRandolph; the couple had two children:
Edward Randolph Gay and Margaret Gay Davies. Gay was first affiliated with Harvard University from 1901 to 1919, first as
assistant professor and then professor of economics. In 1908, he became the first the Dean of Harvard Business School. During
World War I he served as director of the Division of Statistics of the United States Shipping Board, and the Imports Bureau
of the War Trade Board; he was also a member of the War Industries Board. From 1919 to 1923 Gay was editor of the New York
Evening Post. In addition to his other work, Gay co-founded the National Bureau of Economic Research, and the Council of Foreign
Relations. In 1924, he returned to Harvard University as Professor of Economic History. In 1936, he accepted a research position
at the Huntington Library; in 1941 Gay was appointed Chairman of the Research Group and he remained in this position until
his death in 1946.
Scope and Contents
A collection of 9,601 items from 1786 to 1973, which consists of professional and personal material related to Edwin Francis
Gay's life and multifaceted career. The collection documents his career in the civil service, at Harvard University, the New
York Evening Post, and the Huntington Library; there are also some papers related to the National Bureau of Economic Research.
Subjects include European economic recovery after World War I; international economic relations after World War II; United
States business; and Gay's voluminous research notes on European and American economic history. Also included are Gay's notes
on the Temple family papers in the Stowe collection at the Huntington Library and correspondence and papers relative to Herbert
Heaton's book Scholar in action : Edwin Francis Gay (Cambridge, Harvard University Press, 1952). The collection also includes
business, family and personal correspondence, documents, genealogy, printed material, photographs, clippings, and ephemera.
Also present is Woodrow Wilson telegram to Edwin Francis Gay, 1919 September 17 (GY 3292) in Box 124.
Processing Information
Processed by Harriet McLune, 1988. In 2020, Gina C Giang created a finding aid derived from a legacy summary report. In 2022,
Melissa Haley enhanced description of the presidential material present in the collection as part of the American Presidential
Papers Project.
General
Former call number: mssGY Boxes 1-196.
Related Materials
Edwin Francis Gay papers, related to Gay's work at the New York Evening Post, were donated in 1954 by Margaret Gay Davies,
to Houghton Library, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Related Materials
Edwin Francis Gay collection, related to Gay's World War I activities, Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace, Stanford,
California.
Arrangement
Organized in the following series: 1. School notes; 2. Research and teaching; 3. Personal documents, tributes, and biographical
materials; 4. Photographs, ephemera, and newspaper clippings; 5. Miscellaneous documents, tourist maps, guidebooks, and printed
material; 5. Family correspondence; 6. Family documents and genealogy; 7. Professional and business correspondence.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Economic history -- Sources
Economists -- United States -- Archives
Economists -- United States -- Biography -- Archives
Newspaper editors -- United States -- Archives
Europe -- Economic conditions -- 1918-1945
Europe -- Economic conditions -- 1945- -- Sources
United States -- Commerce -- History -- 20th century -- Sources
United States -- Intellectual life -- 20th century -- Sources
Family papers -- United States
Letters (correspondence) -- United States -- 20th century
Photographs -- United States
Research (document genres) -- United States -- 20th century
Heaton, Herbert, 1890-1973 -- Scholar in action : Edwin Francis Gay
Wilson, Woodrow, 1856-1924
Temple family -- Archives
Harvard Business School -- History -- Sources
Harvard University -- Faculty -- Archives
Harvard University. Graduate School of Business Administration -- History -- Sources
Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery -- Officials and employees -- Archives
Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery -- History -- Sources
National Bureau of Economic Research -- Officials and employees -- Archives
United States. War Industries Board -- Officials and employees -- Archives
United States. Shipping Board -- Officials and employees -- Archives
New York post
Box 1
Lower school essays, poetry
1881-1886
Box 2
High school, college, and travel memorabilia
1881-1889
Box 3
School and travel notebooks; commonplace book
1884-1887
Box 4
Lecture notes: Leipzig and Berlin, Germany
1890-1892
Box 5
Graduate school notes: Berlin, Germany
1890-1893
Research and teaching
1786-1945
Box 6-9
Lecture notes: England-Industrial revolution
1917-1936
Box 10
Lecture notes: European economic history
1930-1936
Box 11
Student term papers: general economic history
1915-1938
Box 12
Lecture notes: England-agriculture
1920-1935
Box 13-14
Notes and statistics: United Kingdom economic history
1920-1936
Box 15
Lecture notes: England economic history
1920-1936
Box 16
Lecture notes: United States economic history
1920-1936
Box 17
Lecture notes: United States economic history - money and commerce
1920-1936
Box 18
Lecture notes: United States agricultural history
1920-1936
Box 19
Lecture notes: United States economic history - commerce tariffs, manufacturing
Box 20
Lecture notes: United States history - transportation, railroads, river shipping
1920-1936
Box 21-22
Lecture notes: Europe - industrial development, international relations
1920-1936
Box 23
Lecture notes: France and Germany - economic development
1920-1936
Box 24
Lecture notes: Medieval England and Europe - economic history
1920-1936
Box 25-27
Notes on: reading economic history
1900s
Box 28
Notes on: reading economic history and Temple
1900s
Box 29
Notes on: reading economic history, Temple, and Industrial Revolution
1900s
Box 30
Notes on: local history, bibliography
1900s
Box 31-46
List of bankrupts
1786-1806
Box 47-50b
Notes on Enclosure Movement
1890-1900s
Box 51-52
Lecture notes: Europe - medieval and early modern
1912-1935
Box 53
Notes: Huntington Library - Stowe and Temple
1935-1945
Box 53a
Documents: historical and economic graphs, maps, etc.
1910-1930
Box 54
Miscellaneous notes and reading lists: bankrupts, economic and medieval history
1903-1904
Box 55
Notes: Huntington Library - Temple, legal and rentals
1935-1945
Box 56
Notes: Huntington Library - Dassett rentals, Temple, cattle, and Stowe
1935-1945
Box 57a-d
Notes: Huntington Library - Temple
1935-1945
Box 58
Notes: Huntington Library Research Committee on Economic History
1937-1944
Box 59
Lecture notes for California Institute of Technology courses
1943-1944
Box 60
Gay's lectures at various conferences
1925-1926
Box 61
Miscellaneous notes and bibliography
1937-1944
Box 62
Bibliography of Gay's writings, reprints, and manuscripts of his articles
1900-1920
Box 63-64
Reprints and manuscripts of articles by Gay
1920-1945
Box 65-66
Gay's diaries and daybooks
1870-1944
Personal documents, tributes, and biographical materials
1886-1979
Box 67
Correspondence relevant to Gay academic "offers" and/or appointments
1902-1936
Box 67a
Personal documents: diplomas, honorary degrees
1902-1940
Box 68
Tributes to Gay including obituary notices, memorials, etc.
1920-1979
Box 68a
Correspondence in regard to: Gay's economic thought; interests, his portrait at Harvard and chronologies of his life
1893-1970
Box 69
Chronological outline of events in Gay's life
1886-1944
Scope and Contents
Included: Schedule of lecture courses.
Box 70
Correspondence and papers relevant to the book Herbert Heaton's Scholar in Action
1947-1953
Photographs, ephemera, and newspaper clippings
1853-1944
Box 71
Photographs: Fitz-Randolph family daguerreotypes; travel album
1853-1890
Box 72
Photographs of Gay: portrait, group and miscellaneous
1880-1944
Box 73
Ephemera: Harvard, Council on Foreign Relations, etc.
1880-1944
Miscellaneous documents, tourist maps, guidebooks, and printed material
1893-1979
Box 76a
Gay family documents: household bills, account books, etc.
1893-1907
Box 77
Tourist maps and guidebooks for England
1926-1935
Box 78
Miscellaneous printed material
1900-1979
Box 79-81
Miscellaneous articles etc. authored by others
1920-1941
Family correspondence
1873-1956
Box 82-83
Mabelle FitzRandolph to Louise FitzRandolph Gay
1888-1923
Box 84
Mary and Edith Gay to Edwin Francis Gay
1885-1945
Box 85-86
Edward FitzRandolph to Louise (FitzRandolph) and Edwin Francis Gay
1888-1922
Box 87
Miscellaneous family letters
1873-1956
Box 88-90
Arvilla H. FitzRandolph to Louise (FitzRandolph) and Edwin F. Gay
1887-1906
Scope and Contents
Included: FitzRandolph's T. and Holt's J. letters them and other letters.
Box 91
Mary (Loud) Gay to Edwin Francis Gay and Aaron F. Gay to Edwin Francis Gay
1873-1892
Box 92-93
Mary (Loud) Gay to Louise (FitzRandolph) and Edwin Francis Gay
1892-1943
Box 94-96
Louise (FitzRandolph) Gay to Edwin Francis Gay and Mary (Loud) Gay
1899-1941
Box 97-107
Edwin Francis Gay to Louise (FitzRandolph) Gay
1889-1944
Box 108-109
Edward Randolph to Louise (FitzRandolph) Gay and Edwin Francis Gay and Margaret Randolph (Gay) Davies
1937-1942
Scope and Contents
Included: Margaret Randolph (Gay) Davies letters to her parents.
Box 110
Edwin Francis Gay to Margaret Randolph (Gay) Davies; Edward FitzRandolph Gay; Mary (Loud) Gay; Aaron F. Gay, etc.
1880-1944
Family documents and genealogy
1878-1850
Box 111
Gay and Loud family documents and genealogy
1878-1950
Scope and Contents
Included: Miscellaneous correspondence to Edwin Francis Gay and Louke.
Box 112
Aaron F. Gay family documents: account books, etc.
1885
Professional and business correspondence
1886-1973
Box 114
1893 October 13-1899 November 2
Box 115
1900 February 2-1903 January 14
Box 117
1913 June 18-1917 October 18
Box 118
1917 December 2-1918 October 18
Box 119
1918 October 19-1919 January 17
Box 120
1919 January 18-1919 April 12
Box 121
1919 April 15-1919 July 2
Box 122
1919 July 3-1919 August 3
Box 123
1919 August 4-1919 August 19
Box 124
1919 August 20-1919 October 19
Box 126
1920 January 1-1920 March 31
Box 127
1920 April 3-1920 June 25
Box 128
1920 June 26-1920 September 6
Box 129
1920 September 7-1921 January 8
Box 130
1921 January 10-1921 March 7
Box 131
1921 March 10-1921 April 26
Box 132
1921 April 29-1921 June 21
Box 133
1921 June 22-1921 August 16
Box 134
1921 August 18-1921 October 22
Box 135
1921 October 23-1921 December 31
Box 136
1922 January 2-1922, March 1
Box 137
1922 March 2-1922 April 20
Box 138
1922 April 24-1922 July 5
Box 139
1922 July 31-1922 November 16
Box 140
1922 November 22-1923 January 28
Box 141
1923 January 29-1923 April 28
Box 142
1923 April 30-1923 July 14
Box 143
1923 July 21-1923 October 5
Box 144
1923 October 6-1923 December
Box 145
1924 January 1-1924 April 5
Box 146
1924 April 7-1924 July 12
Box 147
1924 July 13-1924 October 28
Box 149
1925 January 1-1925 February 28
Box 151
1925 June 4-1925 September 30
Box 152
1925 October 7-1926 February 6
Box 153
1926 February 16-1926 September 10
Box 154
1926 September 16-1927 July 25
Box 155
1927 August 21-1928 December 11
Box 157
1930 January 3-1931 January 26
Box 158
1931 February 3-1931 November 9
Box 159
1931 November 11-1932 November 5
Box 160
1932 November 8-1933 February 14
Box 161
1933 February 21-1933 May 5
Box 163
1933 July 6-1933 October 9
Box 164
1933 October 13-1934 September 17
Box 165
1934 October 5-1935 March 30
Box 166
1935 April 1-1935 October 1
Box 167
1935 October 2-1936 January 8
Box 168
1936 January 12-1936 May 10
Box 170
1936 July 8-1936 September 3
Box 171
1936 September 4-1936 December 7
Box 172
1936 December 9-1937 March 10
Box 173
1937 March 12-1937 May 22
Box 174
1937 May 30-1937 December 18
Box 175
1937 December 22-1938 November 23
Box 176
1938 December 9-1939 July 1
Box 177
1939 July 5-1940 January 1
Box 178
1940 January 11-1940 July 12
Box 179
1940 July 15-1941 January 14
Box 180
1941 January 25-1941 June 16
Box 181
1941 June 19-1941 November 21
Box 182
1941 November 24-1942 February 9
Box 183
1942 February 12-1942 May 8
Box 185
1942 July 16-1942 September 8
Box 186
1942 September 10-1942 November 4
Box 187
1942 November 6-1943 February 12
Box 188
1943 February 17-1943 August 9
Box 189
1943 August 11-1943 November 15
Box 190
1943 November 16-1944 February 15
Box 191
1944 February 28-1944 May 17
Box 192
1944 May 19-1944 December 15
Box 193
1944 December 20-1945 November 23
Box 194
1945 December 4-1947 September 23
Box 195
1947 September 25-1954 November 29
Box 196
1955 March 14-1973 February 28
