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Title: William X. Scheinman papers
Date (inclusive): 1952-1999
Collection Number: 98036
Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
55 manuscript boxes, 5 oversize boxes, 1 oversize folder, 1 framed poster
(26.1 Linear Feet)
Abstract: Correspondence, writings, reports, bulletins, serial issues, clippings, photographs, sound recordings, video tapes, and motion
picture film relating to American relations with Africa, the political and economic development of Kenya and other African
countries, assistance to African students in the United States, and especially to the Kenyan political leader Tom Mboya. Includes
correspondence with, writings by, and interviews of, Mboya.
Creator:
Scheinman, William X., 1927-
Physical Location: Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Box 59 closed. The remainder of the collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation
system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives in 1998.
[Identification of item], William X. Scheinman papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
| 1927(?) | Born |
| 1940s | Serves in U.S. Navy during World War II |
| 1950s | Founds Arnav Aircraft Associates, Inc. |
| 1956 | Meets Tom Mboya, Kenyan independence leader |
| 1958-1961 | Leading figure in the activities of the African-American Students Foundation, which brings African students to the United States and arranges for their college education |
| 1960s-1990s | Works as stock broker and investment adviser, publishing the newsletter, Timings |
| 1970 | Author, Why Most Investors Are Mostly Wrong Most of the Time |
| 1999 May 24 | Dies, Reno, Nevada |
Scope and Content of Collection
Received at the Hoover Institution Library & Archives in 1999, the William X. Scheinman papers consist primarily of correspondence
and printed matter that reflect Scheinman's lifelong interest in African politics, particularly with respect to Kenya. Having
met the Kenyan independence leader, Tom Mboya, in 1956, Scheinman was to identify himself with African causes, even while
working as a businessman and investment adviser on Wall Street.
An important part of the collection consists of Scheinman's extensive correspondence with Tom Mboya. This exchange of letters,
which was conducted from 1957 until Mboya's assassination in 1969, provides significant information concerning the Kenyan
independence movement and its leading personalities, as well as documenting the first five years of the Kenyatta administration,
in which Mboya served as Minister of Justice. In addition, the collection includes numerous speeches and writings by Mboya
(see Tom Mboya File).
As one of the directors of the African-American Students Foundation, Scheinman was also involved in a program that enabled
African students to attend American colleges and universities. Numerous records of this foundation are contained in the collection
(see African-American Students Foundation File).
In addition, Scheinman collected extensive material about African countries besides Kenya (see Printed Matter and Subject
File) and corresponded with some of the leading figures in the American civil rights movement (see Correspondence). The collection
will be of most interest to African scholars, but it also reflects important aspects of modern American history, especially
in the 1950s and 1960s.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Audiotapes
Video tapes
Sound recordings
Motion pictures
Africa -- Politics and government -- 1960-
Africa -- Economic conditions -- 1960-
Kenya -- Politics and government
Educational assistance, American -- Africa
United States -- Relations -- Africa
Africa -- Relations -- United States
Mboya, Tom
African American Students Foundation
American Committee on Africa