Description
The Ernest P. Watson, S.J. Papers,1906-1968 (bulk 1911-1929), document the personal, scholastic, and professional life of
Ernest P. Watson, SJ. Included are materials from Watson's days as an undergraduate student at Santa Clara University and
his career as a professor to Santa Clara University. The records consist of correspondence, newspaper clippings, course materials,
prayer books, religious pamphlets, photographs, prayer cards, postcards and a diary. This collection is arranged into two
series: Series I. Biographical Materials and Correspondence, 1906-1968 (bulk 1911-1958) and Series II. Diary and Religious
Materials, 1900-1929 (bulk 1924-1929).
Background
Ernest Paul Watson, S.J. was born on April 4, 1889 in Quincy, California. Watson went to Santa Clara College (now Santa Clara
University) as an undergraduate and was a student during the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. He wrote an account of his experience
in the aftermath of the earthquake for the Plumas Independent; a copy of the article is included in the collection. Santa Clara University was founded in 1851 by the Society of Jesus as Santa Clara College and is California's oldest operating
institution of higher learning. It was established on the grounds of Mission Santa Clara de Asìs, the eighth of the original
21 California missions. The college originally operated as a preparatory school and did not offer courses of collegiate rank
until 1853. The institution became known as the University of Santa Clara in 1912, when the schools of engineering and law
were added. For 110 years, Santa Clara University was an all-male school. In 1961, women were accepted as undergraduates and
Santa Clara University became the first coeducational Catholic university in California. The number of students and faculty
tripled over the next decade and the university began the largest building program in school history with eight residence
halls, a student union, and an athletic stadium. In the early 1970s, the Board of Trustees voted to limit the size of the
undergraduate population, an action that was intended to preserve the character and ensure the quality of the university for
generations to come. In 1985, the university adopted Santa Clara University as its official name. Bibliography: Santa Clara University. "About SCU – History." www.scu.edu/about/history.cfm (Accessed Nov. 23, 2010) McKevitt, Gerald, S.J.
The University of Santa Clara: A History, 1851-1977. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 1979.
Extent
2.5 linear feet
(3 document boxes and 1 oversize flat box)
Restrictions
Materials in Archives & Special Collections may be subject to copyright. All requests for permission to publish from manuscripts
must be submitted in writing to the University Archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Archives & Special
Collections as the owner of the physical materials, and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder,
which must also be obtained. Copyright restrictions also apply to digital reproductions of the original materials.
Availability
Folders 7 and 14 in Box 1 are restricted.