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Guide to the Hartley Burr Alexander Papers
D1943.1
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Title: Hartley Burr Alexander
Papers
Creator:
Alexander, Hartley Burr
Dates:
1897-2000
Date (bulk): (bulk 1908-1938)
Quantity:
8.0 cubic feet
Repository:
Claremont Colleges. Library.
1090 Columbia Avenue
Claremont, California 91711
Abstract: The Hartley Burr
Alexander Papers contain correspondence, financial material,
newspaper clippings, manuscripts, music manuscripts, and
blueprints documenting Hartley Burr Alexander’s many
educational and cultural activities. The collection contains
papers relating to his teaching career, his writings and
musical compositions, his work on architectural inscriptions
and decoration, and his work on Indian art in North America.
The collection covers the years 1897-2000 with the bulk of
the material ranging from 1908-1938. This collection also
contains materials of documenting the writing activities of
other scholars who were working on similar activities or who
had working relationships with Hartley Burr Alexander.
Collection Number: D1943.1
Physical Location: Ella Strong Denison Library
Language:
English
This collection is open for research with permission from
Ella Strong Denison Library staff.
All requests for permission to publish must be submitted
in writing to Denison Library.
Related Materials at Ella Strong Denison Library
Title: Hartley Burr Alexander Projects,
Date: 1929-1933
Oversize material is located in oversize box numbers 1
and 2.
Hartley Burr Alexander Papers. Ella Strong Denison
Library, Scripps College, Claremont, California.
Gift of Hartley Burr Alexander in 1943.
Preliminary arrangement by library staff. Processed by
History Associates Incorporated, 2005
No addition to the collection is anticipated.
Biography of Hartley Burr Alexander
Hartley Burr Alexander (1873-1939), educator, author, poet,
philosopher, was born on April 9, 1873 in Lincoln, Nebraska
and raised in Syracuse, Nebraska by his father, George
Sherman Alexander, a self-educated Methodist Minister from
Massachusetts, and his artist-stepmother, Susan Godding
Alexander. His mother, Abbey Gifford Smith Alexander died
when he was three.
After graduating from Syracuse High School, Alexander attended the
University of Nebraska, graduating in 1897 with an A.B.
degree. Alexander began his teaching career in the English
Department before accepting the Harrison Fellowship at the
University of Pennsylvania (1898-1900). He then transferred
to Columbia University where he received his Doctor of
Philosophy in 1901. In 1908 he accepted a position teaching
philosophy at the University of Nebraska (1908-1927), after
which he became Professor of Philosophy at Scripps College
in Claremont, California.
Alexander began his prolific writing career as a member of the
editorial staff for G. & C. Merriam Company’s
Webster’s
New International Dictionary
(1903-1908),
where he revised the words from “bicycle” to “marriage.”
While at G. and C. Merriam Company he was promoted to
assistant chief of the editorial staff, revising definitions
for words used in philosophy, psychology, anthropology, and
mythology. Dr. Alexander’s writing career continued in the
publication of several books and numerous articles. In 1904
he published articles and poems constantly, and in 1905
published “Poetry and the Individual” and “Mid Earth Life,”
a collection of poems. His most important philosophical
contributions include
Nature and
Human Nature
(1923);
Truth and the Faith
(1929); “The Great Art which is Philosophy,” in
Contemporary American
Philosophy
, Volume I (1930); and
God and Man’s Destiny
(1936).
Dr. Alexander also researched extensively in anthropological issues
related to philosophy. A significant amount of his work
involved recording dances, songs, poems, and sacred stories
from many American Indian cultures. Between 1914 and 1917 he
devoted his time to his work on the mythology of the North
American Indians. It was during this time that he also wrote
and directed three summertime pageants that were staged in
Lincoln, Nebraska on the University campus. But, Alexander
did not solely concentrate on the cultures of the North
American Indian. He also created works about the peoples
south of the United States, including those of Mexico, the
Antilles, and Central and South America. The most
significant of which was his publication of “Mythology of
all Races, Latin American,” which led to his delivery of a
series of lectures at the Sorbonne in Paris [lectures on the
“Art and Philosophy of the North American Indians”](1925).
As a result of his lecture at the Sorbonne and for his work
on behalf of French war orphans, he became a member of the
Societe des Americanistes
de Pari
s, and a recipient of the Chevalier
de la Legion d’Honneur.
Alexander’s interest in native cultures manifested itself into the
publication of several important works, his most important
of which include his contributions to
The Mythology of All
Races
, Vol. X (1916) and Vol. XI (1920);
Odes and Lyrics (1922),
a collection of poems;
L’Art et la
Philosophie des Indiens de l’Amerique du
Nord
(1926), a publication of his Sorbonne lectures;
and
The World’s Rim: Great
Mysteries of the North American Indians
(1953).
Dr Alexander also combined his interests in philosophy and
anthropology in the publication of numerous poems and
articles about poetry. He also had great interest in the
theater, writing several operettas and plays on the subject
of American Indians. Alexander was the author of several
popular pageants presented in Lincoln, Omaha, and at the
University of Nebraska, including “The Pageant of Lincoln”
(1915), “The Gate City” (1916), and the Ak-Sar-Ben Pageant
for 1922.
Hartley Burr Alexander’s interests in philosophy, anthropology, and
the arts synthesized with his interest in architecture. Many
of Alexander’s thoughts have been cut into stone in the form
of inscriptions and symbolic programs in several monuments
of American architecture throughout the United States. The
most notable are those he created for the Nebraska State
Capitol in 1925, Memorial Stadium at the University of
Nebraska, Rockefeller Center in New York City, Bertram
Goodhue’s Los Angeles Public Library, and for several
buildings at the Century of Progress Exhibition at the
1933in Chicago.
In 1919, it had been decided that a new capitol should be built in
Lincoln, Nebraska. Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue was selected,
and construction began in 1922. Goodhue’s design – Roman
chariots prancing on a roof – so offended Alexander’s sense
of what was appropriate for Nebraska that he wrote Goodhue
with suggestions of more appropriate art. Goodhue was so
impressed, that he hired Alexander on the spot to direct the
artwork and write the inscriptions for the building. It was
during his work on the capitol that Alexander first worked
with tile designer Hildreth Meiere, and sculptor Lee Lawrie.
Alexander worked with them again on other Goodhue buildings,
such as the Los Angeles Public Library; the Fidelity Mutual
Insurance Building in Philadelphia; Pennsylvania State
Finance Building, Chicago Century of Progress Exhibition;
the City Hall and Courthouse in St. Paul, the Department of
Justice Building in Washington, D.C.; the Joslyn Memorial
Building in Omaha, Rockefeller Center; and others.
Several works were written by Alexander concerning his work on the
Nebraska State Capitol building, such as “Nebraska’s
Monumental Capitol” in
Western
Architect
, 1923; “Lee Lawrie’s Sculptures”
in
Nebraska State Journal,
1923; “The Nebraska Capitol” in
Goodhue Memorial Volume published by the
American Institute of Architects, 1925; and
Nebraska State Capitol:
Synopsis of Decorations and Inscriptions
,
State Capitol Commission, 1926.
Between 1935 and 1939, Alexander, in addition to his teaching,
remained an extremely active writer. During this period he
finished a book on Indian ceremonies entitled “The Great
Mysteries of the North American Indians,” and another book
which was eventually entitled
God
and Man’s Destiny
(1936). Although Oxford
published God and Man’s Destiny in 1936, “The Great
Mysteries of the North American Indians” was not published
until 1953 by the University of Nebraska Press under the
title
The World’s Rim.
Alexander died at his home in Claremont in 1939 at the age of 66.
The memorial service was held in Balch Hall Auditorium at
Scripps College on July 29. Scripps College honored him
posthumously with the establishment of the Hartley Burr
Alexander Professorship in the Humanities.
| 1873 | Born on April 9 in Lincoln, Nebraska |
| 1897 | Graduated from the University of Nebraska with an A.B. degree. |
| 1898-1900 | Taught English at the University of Nebraska |
| 1901 | Received his Doctor of Philosophy from Columbia University |
| 1908-1927 | Taught philosophy at the University of Nebraska |
| 1922 | Began designing architectural descriptions for Nebraska State Capitol building |
| 1924-1931 | Designed architectural inscriptions for the Los Angeles Public Library, Los Angeles, California |
| 1926-1932 | Designed architectural inscriptions for the Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance Company Building, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| 1927-1933 | Designed architectural inscriptions for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Home Office Building in Ottawa, Canada |
| 1929-1932 | Designed architectural inscriptions for the Joslyn Memorial Building in Omaha, Nebraska |
| 1930-1933 | Designed architectural inscriptions for the Century of Progress Exhibition in Chicago Illinois |
| 1931-1933 | Designed architectural inscriptions for the Rockefeller Center in New York, New York |
| 1932-1934 | Designed architectural inscriptions for the Ellen Phillips Samuel Memorial in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| 1932-1935 | Designed architectural inscriptions for the Department of Justice in Washington D.C. |
| 1939 | Died at his home in Claremont, CA. at the age of 66 |
Scope and Contents of the Collection
The Hartley Burr Alexander Papers contain correspondence, financial
material, newspaper clippings, manuscripts, music
manuscripts, and blueprints documenting Hartley Burr
Alexander’s many educational and cultural activities. The
collection contains papers relating to his teaching career,
his writings and musical compositions, his work on
architectural inscriptions and decoration, and his work on
Indian art in North America. The collection covers the years
1897-2000 with the bulk of the material ranging from 1908 to
1938. This collection also contains materials of documenting
the writing activities of other scholars who were working on
similar activities or who had working relationships with
Hartley Burr Alexander.
Documents authored by Hartley Burr Alexander may be found in Series
3, Correspondence; Series 4, Faculty Papers; Series 6,
Project Records; and Series 8, Writings. Much of the other
material in this collection is authored by Hartley Burr
Alexander’s family members, friends, and business
acquaintances, especially Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue, who
hired him to direct the art work and write the inscriptions
for many of the buildings Goodhue constructed, as well as,
material authored by Lee Lawrie, and Meiere Meredith, who
worked with Alexander on creating the designs for these
buildings.
With the exception of Series 5 Photographic/Illustrations, and a
few photographic prints scattered throughout other series,
this collection consists largely of textual records. Textual
record types primarily include correspondence, newspaper
clippings, reports, notes, financial statements,
publications, and manuscripts.
The largest series is Series 3, Correspondence. Additional
correspondence is scattered throughout other series. Other
large series include Series 9, Writings, and Series 10,
Writings by Others.
The collection is organized into eleven series:
- Series 1. Donor Records
- Series 2. Biographical Material
- Series 3. Correspondence
- Series 4. Faculty Papers, 1919-1937
- Series 5. Photographs/Illustrations
- Series 6. Project Records, 1922-1938
- Series 7. University of Nebraska, 1922-1933
- Series 8. Writings, 1924-1989
- Series 9. Writings by Others
- Series 10. Topical Files
- Series 11. Oversize Material
The following terms have been used to index the description of this
collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Alexander,
Hartley Burr, 1873-1939 – Archives
Scripps College
(Claremont, Calif.)--Archival resources.
Scripps College – Faculty – Archives
Nebraska State Capitol (Lincoln, Neb.)
Los Angeles Public Library
Rockefeller Center
Architectural inscriptions – United States
Decoration and ornament, Architectural – United
States
Indian art – North America
Indian painting – North America
Architecture – Slides
Musicals – United States
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Blueprints
Correspondence
Pamphlets
Photographs
Sketches
Manuscripts
Scrapbooks
Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
Programs