Description
Peirce's papers are primarily incoming and outgoing correspondence pertaining to his professional interests (research, publications,
teaching positions) and his administrative duties at Stanford. Correspondents include Daniel T. MacDougal, William Austin
Cannon, Charles R. Barnes, John M. Coulter, William F. Ganong, and Raymond H. Pond. Also of note is correspondence with the
Forest Service regarding Peirce's study of the effects from smelter fumes, 1910; and correspondence with Wesley H. Beach,
Lyman V. W. Brown, and A. W. Maltby pertaining to various legal cases regarding plant damage from cement dust. His Stanford
correspondence includes letters from David Starr Jordan; letters from LeRoy Abrams, with a report on the Dudley Herbarium;
and Peirce's letters to J. C. Branner (1910-1915) discussing theft of departmental microscopes, with reports on the work of
the botany department.
Background
Peirce earned his B.S. at Harvard in 1890 and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Leipzig, 1894. He taught at Indiana
University before coming to Stanford University in 1897 as assistant professor of botany. He was appointed professor in 1910
and served as executive head of the department from 1925 until his retirement in 1933. He was the author of three textbooks
on plant physiology and coauthor with three other Stanford faculty of a textbook in general biology. He was active in the
civic life of Palo Alto and involved in conservation issues.
Restrictions
Property rights reside with the repository. Literary rights reside with the creators of the documents or their heirs. To obtain
permission to publish or reproduce, please contact the Public Services Librarian of the Dept. of Special Collections and University
Archives.