These papers document the career of Jesse L. Greenstein, a Harvard educated astronomer who came to the California Institute of Technology in 1948 to run the astronomy program. While at Caltech he did research on stellar composition and high resolution spectra using the Palomar telescope. The papers consist of correspondence, technical material, professional organizational material, class and lecture notes, and subject files. They emphasize Greenstein's research on the discovery of peculiar stars and the study of their composition from their spectra.

Jesse Leonard Greenstein was born in New York City, where his family ran a prosperous real estate business. Although he was expected to join the family business, Greenstein had other interests. As a boy he was an avid reader and an enthusiastic student. His interests ranged from classical languages and literature to science. When he was eight years old his grandfather presented him with a brass telescope and a tripod, and his interest in astronomy flourished. He was soon lecturing to his friends about the planets and stars. Something of a child prodigy, he skipped through the New York public schools and went on to attend a private high school, the Horace Mann School for Boys, from the ages of 11 to 15. His interest in science continued to grow, and when he entered Harvard at age 16, he was committed to pursuing a life in science.

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