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Title: Jean Graham Alinsky papers
Date (inclusive): 1908-1984
Collection Number: 92056
Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
6 manuscript boxes
(2.4 Linear Feet)
Abstract: Memoirs, correspondence, legal and financial papers, memoranda, press releases and printed matter, relating to the career
of Saul Alinsky as a radical and organizer of impoverished communities in the United States. Includes published writings and
a few papers of Saul Alinsky.
Creator:
Alinsky, Jean Graham, 1916-
Creator:
Alinsky, Saul David, 1909-1972
Physical Location: Hoover Institution Library & Archives
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 1992.
[Identification of item], Jean Graham Alinsky papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
| 1916 May 17 | Born Jean La Verne Graham, New York |
| 1938 | B.A., Vassar College |
| 1942 January | Married Frederick Schick |
| 1948 | Divorced Frederick Schick |
| Circa 1951 | Assistant, Museum of Modern Art, New York |
| 1952 May 15 | Married Saul Alinsky in Spartanburg, South Carolina |
| 1956 | Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis |
| Circa 1964 | Moved to Carmel, CA |
| 1967 | Honorary Chair, Help the Children Committee |
| 1969 | Divorced Saul Alinsky |
| 1999 | Died, Monterey, CA |
Scope and Content of Collection
The papers contain Jean Graham Alinsky's memoirs of her marriage to Saul Alinsky. Correspondence, legal papers, memoranda,
reports, and printed matter relate to the career of Saul Alinsky as an organizer of impoverished communities in the United
States. Organizational records from the Industrial Areas Foundation as well as a few personal papers of Saul Alinsky are also
included.
In a 1983 letter, Jean Graham Alinsky wrote that she was "determined to write a biography" of her second husband Saul Alinsky
(Box 1, Folder 28). The bulk of the
Jean Graham Alinsky file consists of Jean's research materials for her Saul Alinsky biography, including extensive clippings, as well as her personal
memoirs and biographical writings on Saul Alinsky (Box 2). These writings, compiled from 1980-1984, are in fragments with
several sections and pages missing. Except for two letters received from Saul Alinsky, the correspondence file consists mainly
of holiday cards, personal letters from unidentified friends, and a few pieces of legal correspondence.
The
Saul Alinsky file contains a few writings of Saul Alinsky as well as some records from the Industrial Areas Foundation, a Chicago-based organization
founded by Alinsky in 1940.
The collection is arranged into two series: Jean Graham Alinsky file and Saul Alinsky file.
Eric Hoffer papers, Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Fred Ross papers, Special Collections, Stanford University
Industrial Areas Foundation records, Special Collections, University of Illinois, Chicago
Saul David Alinsky collection, Trinity College Library
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Radicalism -- United States
Community organization -- United States