Finding Aid for the Carey McWilliams Correspondence, 1924-1975 (bulk 1924-1950)
Processed by Andrea Eitsert, with assistance from Laurel McPhee; machine-readable finding aid created by Caroline Cubé.
UCLA Library Special Collections
Room A1713, Charles E. Young Research Library
Box 951575
Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1575
(310) 825-4988
spec-coll@library.ucla.edu
©2006 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Title: Carey McWilliams correspondence
Collection number: 1356
Contributing Institution:
UCLA Library Special Collections
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
1 linear ft.
(2 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1924-1975 (bulk 1924-1950)
Abstract: Carey McWilliams (1905-1980) was a writer, lawyer, journalist, lecturer, activist, as well as Chief of the California Division
of Immigration and Housing (1938-1942) and editor of
The Nation (1955-1975). This collection contains correspondence, primarily letters written to McWilliams.
Physical location: Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library Special
Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
Creator:
McWilliams, Carey, 1905-
Processing History
Collection 1356 was donated to the Library in 2004 by McWilliams's son, Wilson Carey McWilliams. At the time of accessioning,
the papers were organized in an approximate alphabetical order. In 2006, Andrea Eitsert rehoused the materials and created
a folder-level inventory of the items to facilitate enhanced access to materials and to generate a finding aid.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Carey McWilliams Correspondence (Collection 1356). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E.
Young Research Library, UCLA.
UCLA Catalog Record ID
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
Gift of Wilson Carey McWilliams, June 2004.
Restrictions on Use and Reproduction
Property rights to the physical object belong to UCLA Library Special Collections. Literary rights, including copyright, are
retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright
and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
Restrictions on Access
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Open for research. Advance notice required for access. Contact the UCLA Library Special
Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
Organization and Arrangement
Arranged in the following series:
- Correspondence.
Biography
Carey McWilliams was born December 13, 1905 in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. He completed his Juris Doctorate from the University
of Southern California in 1927. From 1927-1938, McWilliams was an attorney at the law firm Black, Hammack in Los Angeles.
In 1938, he was appointed as Chief of the Division of Immigration and Housing of the State of California, a position he kept
until 1942. During the period from 1945-1955, he began his long association with
The Nation, becoming successively contributing editor, associate editor, and then editorial director. From 1955-1975, he was
The Nation's editor. In addition to his editorial duties, McWilliams was a prolific lecturer and writer, speaking on many subjects and
contributing articles and essays to numerous publications. After his retirement from
The Nation, he continued to write a regular column for that publication. His monographs include
Ambrose Bierce, a biography (1929);
Louis Adamic and shadow America (1935);
Factories in the field: the story of migratory farm labor in California (1939);
Ill fares the land: migrants and migratory labor in the United States (1942);
Brothers under the skin (1943);
Prejudice: Japanese-Americans, symbol of racial intolerance (1944);
Southern California country: an island on the land (1946);
A mask for privilege: anti-Semitism in America (1948);
North from Mexico: the Spanish-speaking people of the United States (1949); California: the great exception (1949);
Witch hunt: the revival of heresy (1950); and his autobiography
The education of Carey McWilliams (1979). In the late 1970s, McWilliams was briefly a Regents Lecturer at the University of California Riverside and then taught
one quarter at the University of California Los Angeles in the History Department. He died of cancer at the age of 74 on June
27, 1980 in New York, New York.
Scope and Content
The collection contains Carey McWilliams's correspondence, primarily letters that were written to him. Many of the letters
are from writers mentioning reviews or articles he composed about their work. Some of them discuss future writings or McWilliams's
work on topics such as Ambrose Bierce, Louis Adamic, George Sterling, and western regionalism. The collection also contains
fan mail, letters addressing McWilliams's research or political causes, some of McWilliams's responses, and assorted supporting
materials.
Related Oral History
The following oral history is available through the UCLA Library Center for Oral History Research:
Subjects and Indexing Terms
McWilliams, Carey, 1905- --Archives.
Authors, American--20th century--Archival resources.
Periodical editors--United States--Archival resources.
Correspondence.
1924-1975 (bulk 1924-1950).
Physical Description:
2 boxes (1 linear foot)
Scope and Content Note
This series consists of correspondence. Files are arranged alphabetically by the surname of the correspondent, in respect
to the original order. In each folder, letters are arranged chronologically with undated ones filed at the beginning. Unidentified
correspondents are located at the end of the series, as is a folder of miscellaneous printed materials.
Box 1, Folder 1
American Jewish Committee.
1948.
Physical Description:
3 items.
Scope and Content Note
Letter from McWilliams, a joint memorandum, and a 7-page typewritten manuscript entitled "Memorandum" by McWilliams.
Box 1, Folder 2
American Red Cross.
1946.
Physical Description:
3 items.
Scope and Content Note
Correspondence with McWilliams.
Box 1, Folder 3
Appell, George.
1946 July.
Physical Description:
2 items.
Scope and Content Note
Correspondence with McWilliams.
Box 1, Folder 4
Baldwin, Roger.
1945-1946.
Physical Description:
6 items.
Scope and Content Note
Correspondence with McWilliams.
Box 1, Folder 5
Bancroft, Hubert Howe.
1946 July.
Physical Description:
1 item.
Scope and Content Note
Correspondence with McWilliams.
Box 1, Folder 6
Beardsley, Helen and Charles E..
1946 August.
Physical Description:
2 items.
Scope and Content Note
Correspondence with McWilliams.
Box 1, Folder 7
Bunzel, Jack.
1949 September 18.
Physical Description:
1 item.
Scope and Content Note
Card to McWilliams.
Box 1, Folder 8
California State Library.
1936.
Physical Description:
5 items.
Scope and Content Note
Includes related materials on California's poet laureates.
Box 1, Folder 9
Carlson, Evans.
1945 September 11.
Physical Description:
1 item.
Box 1, Folder 10
Carson, Charles A..
1949 December.
Physical Description:
5 items.
Box 1, Folder 11
Chandler, Norman.
1931, October 3.
Physical Description:
1 item.
Box 1, Folder 12
Chapman, Oscar.
1949 November 30.
Physical Description:
1 item.
Box 1, Folder 13
Cohn, Morris.
1944.
Physical Description:
2 items.
Scope and Content Note
Letter from McWilliams, and a clipping concerning Judge Goodwin Knight.
Box 1, Folder 14
Collier, John.
1934, 1942.
Physical Description:
4 items.
Scope and Content Note
Includes printed materials dealing with the Mission Indian Federation.
Box 1, Folder 15
Cushman, Rober E..
1950, August 4.
Physical Description:
1 item.
Box 1, Folder 16
Danton, George H..
1948 August 25.
Physical Description:
1 item.
Box 1, Folder 17
Davis, H.L..
1930.
Physical Description:
3 items.
Box 1, Folder 18
Dienstein, William.
1948 July 15.
Physical Description:
1 item.
Box 1, Folder 19
Dobie, Charles Caldwell.
1930-1933.
Physical Description:
3 items.
Box 1, Folder 20
Dumont, Henry.
1935-1936.
Physical Description:
3 items.
Box 1, Folder 21
Elias, Robert H..
1939 August 5.
Physical Description:
1 item.
Box 1, Folder 22
Federal Parole Board.
1950 August 24.
Physical Description:
1 item.
Scope and Content Note
Letter from McWilliams concerning Alvah Bessie's parole.
Box 1, Folder 23
Fee, Marcia Gayle.
1926.
Physical Description:
2 items.
Box 1, Folder 24
Fenelon, Eugenie.
1928 January 12.
Physical Description:
1 item.
Box 1, Folder 25
Fenton, Frank.
undated.
Physical Description:
1 item.
Box 1, Folder 26
Fergusson, Erna.
1949 January 10.
Physical Description:
2 items.
Box 1, Folder 27
Fergusson, Harvey.
ca. 1940.
Physical Description:
1 item.
Box 1, Folder 28
Field, Sara Bard.
1929.
Physical Description:
4 items.
Box 1, Folder 29
Firkins, O.W..
1931 January 13.
Physical Description:
1 item.
Box 1, Folder 30
Foote, Mary Hallock.
1930-1936.
Physical Description:
9 items.
Scope and Content Note
Includes typewritten notes on and quotations from her books.
Box 1, Folder 31
Francis, R.W..
1932, November 18.
Physical Description:
1 item.
Box 1, Folder 32
Gallagher, Leo.
1935 October 20.
Physical Description:
1 item.
Box 1, Folder 33
Gidlow, Elsa.
1937 June 16.
Physical Description:
1 item.
Box 1, Folder 34
Godard, Howard.
1938 June 18.
Physical Description:
1 item.
Box 1, Folder 35
Gray, H.D..
1925 March 4.
Physical Description:
1 item.
Box 1, Folder 36
Gudenian, Haig.
1935.
Physical Description:
3 items.
Scope and Content Note
Includes a publicity brochure on Gudenian.
Box 1, Folder 37
Hadley, J. Nixon.
1943.
Physical Description:
2 items.
Scope and Content Note
Correspondence with McWilliams.
Box 1, Folder 38
Haines, Paul.
1934.
Physical Description:
3 items.
Scope and Content Note
Includes typewritten notes.
Box 1, Folder 39
Hanna, Phil Townsend.
1934-1935.
Physical Description:
4 items.
Scope and Content Note
Correspondence with McWilliams.
Box 1, Folder 40
Hart, James D..
1930-1932.
Physical Description:
20 items.
Box 1, Folder 41
Hazlitt, Henry.
1933 August 7.
Physical Description:
1 item.
Box 1, Folder 42
Hergesheimer, Joseph.
1929 February 11.
Physical Description:
1 item.
Box 1, Folder 43
Hicks, Granville.
1930.
Physical Description:
2 items.
Box 1, Folder 44
Higgins, F.R..
1931-1932.
Physical Description:
14 items.
Scope and Content Note
Correspondence with and concerning Higgins. Also includes a clipping, and typewritten and signed copies of Higgins's poems.
Box 1, Folder 45
Hogan, Edward.
1939 August 17.
Physical Description:
1 item.
Box 1, Folder 46
Holt, Madora.
1935 December 4.
Physical Description:
1 item.
Box 1, Folder 47
Hood, Juliette.
1937 June 14.
Physical Description:
1 item.
Box 1, Folder 48
Hubbell, Jay B..
1930 February 11.
Physical Description:
1 item.
Box 1, Folder 49
Hughes, Glenn.
1929 November 25.
Physical Description:
1 item.
Box 1, Folder 50
James, E..
1924 July 18.
Physical Description:
1 item.
Box 1, Folder 51
Johnson, Harold R..
1936.
Physical Description:
2 items.
Box 1, Folder 52
Johnson, Lucius W..
1937 June.
Physical Description:
2 items.
Box 1, Folder 53
Johnson, Roosevelt.
1930.
Physical Description:
2 items.
Box 1, Folder 54
Johnstone, Helen Louise.
1946 October 8.
Physical Description:
1 item.
Box 1, Folder 55
Jones, Idwal.
1929-1939.
Physical Description:
7 items.
Scope and Content Note
Also includes 1 letter from Phil Townsend Hanna to McWilliams and 1 letter from Hanna to Jones.
Box 2, Folder 1
Jones, Nard.
1929-1934.
Physical Description:
20 items.
Scope and Content Note
Also includes 1 clipping, and an image of Jones.
Box 2, Folder 2
Josephson, Matthew.
1975 February 13.
Physical Description:
1 item.
Box 2, Folder 3
Kaplan, J.M..
1947-1948.
Physical Description:
3 items.
Scope and Content Note
Also includes an article about the Welch Grape Juice Company.
Box 2, Folder 4
Kelly, Mr..
1948 March 14.
Physical Description:
1 item.
Scope and Content Note
6 page letter from McWilliams concerning the publicity for
North from Mexico.
Box 2, Folder 5
Klein, Herb.
1931-1933.
Physical Description:
2 items.
Box 2, Folder 6
Kramer, Dale D..
undated.
Physical Description:
1 item.
Box 2, Folder 7
Krutch, Joseph Wood.
1925-1930.
Physical Description:
5 items.
Box 2, Folder 8
La Motte, Ellen Newbold.
1929.
Physical Description:
5 items.
Box 2, Folder 9
Lavrin, Janko.
1930-1935.
Physical Description:
4 items.
Box 2, Folder 10
Le Sueur, M..
undated.
Physical Description:
3 items.
Box 2, Folder 11
Leary, Mary Ellen.
undated.
Physical Description:
1 item.
Box 2, Folder 12
Leckenby, Maurice.
undated.
Physical Description:
2 items.
Scope and Content Note
Includes a letter of recommendation for McWilliams.
Box 2, Folder 13
Lengyel, Cornel.
1943.
Physical Description:
7 items.
Scope and Content Note
Includes typewritten copies of Lengyel's poems.
Box 2, Folder 14
Lewis, Janet.
1930 July 9.
Physical Description:
1 item.
Box 2, Folder 15
Lewis, Oscar.
1929-1930, 1974.
Physical Description:
4 items.
Box 2, Folder 16
Lloyd, J. William.
1930-1931.
Physical Description:
7 items.
Box 2, Folder 17
Long, H..
1930 October 15.
Physical Description:
1 item.
Box 2, Folder 18
Ludovin, Anthony.
1924 September 9.
Physical Description:
1 item.
Box 2, Folder 19
MacKaye, James.
1932 August 7.
Physical Description:
1 item.
Box 2, Folder 20
Mayo, Morrow.
1929.
Physical Description:
3 items.
Box 2, Folder 21
McCarthy, John R..
1929-1933.
Physical Description:
3 items.
Box 2, Folder 22
McCoy, Frank J..
1938 April 16.
Physical Description:
1 item.
Scope and Content Note
Concerning Horace A. Vachell's books.
Box 2, Folder 23
Merriam, H.G..
1928-1934.
Physical Description:
16 items.
Scope and Content Note
Also includes indexes to
The Frontier: a magazine of the Northwest, and a program.
Box 2, Folder 55
Miscellaneous materials.
1935, 1942.
Physical Description:
7 items.
Scope and Content Note
Report on importation of Negro labor to California prepared by McWilliams as Chief of the Division of Immigration and Housing.
Also contains a clipping on Henry Lafler, an essay "Benjamin DeCasseres: a fourth dimensional mind" by S.P. Rudens, a typewritten
poem "The night court" by Ruth Comfort Mitchell, and ten black and white (approximately) 3.5 x 4 photographs of Lloyd at Roscoe.
Box 2, Folder 24
Monaghan, Frank.
1929-1935.
Physical Description:
9 items.
Box 2, Folder 25
Moore, Wm. E..
1934-1935.
Physical Description:
2 items.
Scope and Content Note
Moore was the managing editor of
The Sun.
Box 2, Folder 26
Nakazawa, Ken.
1929-1935.
Physical Description:
4 items.
Scope and Content Note
Includes a clipping.
Box 2, Folder 27
Nathan, Otto.
1947.
Physical Description:
9 items.
Scope and Content Note
Includes a memorandum, correspondence between Nathan and Margaret O'Connor, and a resume. These materials relate to fund-raising
for Harold Laski.
Box 2, Folder 28
Niven, Frederick.
1930.
Physical Description:
4 items.
Scope and Content Note
Correspondence with McWilliams.
Box 2, Folder 29
Nussbaum, Olga.
1940 August 5.
Physical Description:
1 item.
Box 2, Folder 30
Pearce, Charles A..
1932 March 15.
Physical Description:
1 item.
Scope and Content Note
Letter to Maxim Lieber concerning McWilliams.
Box 2, Folder 31
Phipps, Margaret R..
1950 January 3.
Physical Description:
1 item.
Box 2, Folder 32
Powell, William Clark.
1937-1938.
Physical Description:
2 items.
Scope and Content Note
Letters to McWilliams concerning a column he wrote on Will Levington Comfort.
Box 2, Folder 33
Purdy, James.
1972-1973.
Physical Description:
5 items.
Scope and Content Note
Correspondence with McWilliams. Includes a press release and a clipping.
Box 2, Folder 34
Rourke, Constance.
1931 May 4.
Physical Description:
1 item.
Box 2, Folder 35
Ryan, Don.
1929-1930.
Physical Description:
2 items.
Box 2, Folder 36
Smith, Paul.
1950 August 31.
Physical Description:
1 item.
Scope and Content Note
Letter from McWilliams.
Box 2, Folder 37
Stevens, James.
1925-1926.
Physical Description:
3 items.
Box 2, Folder 38
Stewart, George R. Jr..
1931-1936.
Physical Description:
6 items.
Box 2, Folder 39
Stolberg, Benjamin.
1930-1935.
Physical Description:
2 items.
Box 2, Folder 40
Tracy, Henry C..
1929-1936.
Physical Description:
16 items.
Scope and Content Note
Also includes 1 letter from McWilliams.
Box 2, Folder 54
Unidentified correspondents.
1930-1931.
Physical Description:
5 items.
Box 2, Folder 41
United States Atomic Energy Commission.
1949.
Physical Description:
3 items.
Box 2, Folder 42
Vachell, Horace Annesley.
1938 March 14.
Physical Description:
2 items.
Box 2, Folder 43
Wallace, William Kay.
1933 April 8.
Physical Description:
1 item.
Box 2, Folder 44
Watson, E.L. Grant.
1930.
Physical Description:
6 items.
Scope and Content Note
Also includes an article by Watson, and a brochure on his lectures.
Box 2, Folder 45
Watterson, Elsie.
1930.
Physical Description:
4 items.
Scope and Content Note
Includes a letter from the California State Prison to McWilliams.
Box 2, Folder 46
Weisberg, Goldie.
1929-1931.
Physical Description:
7 items.
Scope and Content Note
Includes 2 letters from McWilliams to publishers, and a clipping.
Box 2, Folder 47
Weisz, George.
1949 April 26.
Physical Description:
1 item.
Box 2, Folder 48
Welch, Marie de L..
1929.
Physical Description:
2 items.
Scope and Content Note
Includes clippings of Welch's poems.
Box 2, Folder 49
West, G..
1930 August.
Physical Description:
2 items.
Box 2, Folder 50
Whipple, T.K..
1931.
Physical Description:
2 items.
Box 2, Folder 51
Winter, Ella.
undated.
Physical Description:
4 items.
Box 2, Folder 52
Wydra, Miriam.
1943 August.
Physical Description:
2 items.
Scope and Content Note
Correspondence with McWilliams.
Box 2, Folder 53
Young, A. Beatrice.
1940-1941.
Physical Description:
3 items.
Scope and Content Note
Correspondence with McWilliams.
