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Robert Oaks Papers, 1908-2001 (bulk 1976-1990)
GLC 56  
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Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • Access
  • Publication Rights
  • Preferred Citation
  • Provenance
  • Biographical note
  • Scope and Contents
  • Arrangement note

  • Title: Robert Oaks Papers,
    Date (inclusive): 1908-2001
    Date (bulk): 1976-1990
    Collection Identifier: GLC 56
    Creator: Oaks, Robert F., 1942-
    Physical Description: 2.0 boxes (1 cubic ft.)
    Contributing Institution: James C. Hormel Gay & Lesbian Center, San Francisco Public Library
    100 Larkin Street
    San Francisco, CA 94102
    (415) 557-4567
    info@sfpl.org
    Language of Materials: Collection materials are in English, with one article in French.
    Abstract: Robert F. Oaks is a historian with a primary interest in Colonial America and the American Revolution. In the late 1970s he developed an interest in gay history, too. The collection contains letters from gay historians, research notes for articles on homosexuality in 17th and 18th century America, photocopies of relevant articles by other historians, and some general material related to gay causes in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
    Physical Location: The collection is stored onsite.
    Languages represented: Collections materials are in English, with one article in French.

    Access

    The collection is open for research.

    Publication Rights

    Copyright and literary rights for Oaks's published and unpublished works are retained by Robert Oaks.

    Preferred Citation

    [Identification of item], Roberts Oaks Papers (GLC 56), Gay and Lesbian Center, San Francisco Public Library.

    Provenance

    Donated by Robert Oaks, August 2004.

    Biographical note

    Robert Francis Oaks is a fifth generation Californian, born in Escondido in 1942. After receiving a B.A. from Stanford and a Ph.D. from the University of Southern California, he taught for a few years, primarily in Texas. With a specialty in Colonial America and the American Revolution, in the late 1970s he developed an interest in gay history.
    He published several articles in professional historical journals and was a weekly cast member of a gay radio show in Dallas. He had frequent correspondence with prominent gay historians around the country and interviewed prominent gay activists.
    A depressed job market prevented Oaks from achieving a tenured faculty position, so in 1978, he moved to San Francisco and soon changed careers to data processing and banking. At the beginning of 1992, he retired and now devotes much of his time to historical research and writing, though his interests now are primarily the histories of San Francisco and Hawai'i. Since retirement he has published articles on 19th century San Francisco in historical journals and a book on the history of the Big Island of Hawai'i.

    Scope and Contents

    The collection contains letters from gay historians, research notes for articles on homosexuality in 17th and 18th century America, photocopies of relevant articles of other historians, and some general material related to gay causes in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Correspondents include Jonathan Katz, Lou Crompton, and Sal Licata.

    Arrangement note

    The collection is arranged into three series: Series 1. Correspondence; Series 2. Subject Files and Ephemera; and Series 3. Publications.

    Subjects and Indexing Terms

    Crompton, Louis, 1925-2009
    Katz, Jonathan, 1938-
    Licata, Salvatore J.
    Oaks, Robert F., 1942- -- Archives
    Gay men--Legal status, laws, etc.--United States
    Homosexuality--History
    Homosexuality--Law and legislation--United States
    Sex and Law--United States--History
    Sex crimes--United States--History
    Sodomy--United States--History