This collection contains over 500 items of original material primarily from U.S. presidents George Washington to Barack Obama, collected and assembled by electronics engineer, inventor, and philanthropist L. Dennis Shapiro (1933-2021). The bulk of presidential material is for John Quincy Adams, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Warren G. Harding. The collection also contains material for cabinet members, Supreme Court justices, presidential spouses, and a small number of items relating to explorers, British politicians, and royalty. Material is primarily correspondence; the collection also contains documents, ephemera, photographs, and engraved portraits.

L. Dennis Shapiro (1933-2021) was an electronics engineer, inventor, philanthropist, and collector of historic manuscripts. He graduated from MIT in electrical engineering and served in the U.S. Air Force in the 1950s. Shapiro founded the company Aritech, which was sold to ADT in 1975, and was chair for 28 years and CEO for 10 years of Lifeline Systems, later acquired by Royal Philips Electronics. Along with his wife Susan R. Shapiro, a retired partner at the law firm Ropes & Gray, LLP, he founded the Shapiro Center for American History & Culture at The Huntington in 2019. The Shapiro Center was created to advance scholarship, knowledge, and understanding of American history and culture—especially of the early Republic and of the nation's founders and leaders. It also promotes use of The Huntington's library collections in this field.

27 Linear Feet (21 flat boxes, 1 oversize flat box, 1 half document box, 1 artifact box)

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

RESTRICTED. Available with curatorial approval. Requires extended retrieval and delivery time.