Victor Lenzen papers, [ca. 1904-1975]

Summary

Creators:

Lenzen, Victor Fritz, 1890-1975

Abstract:

Letters written to Lenzen and copies of letters by him; Mss. of books, papers, articles, speeches, lectures and problem sets; research notes on the figure of Dionysos on textiles and the lives and careers of Charles S. and Benjamin Peirce; physics and philosophy notebooks, including those he kept while attending Josiah Royce lectures in 1913; reprints; materials re various University of California clubs and committees; an article written and annotated by Albert Einstein; and personal materials.

Extent:

Number of containers: 5 cartons, 7 boxes and 1 oversize folder

Language:

English

Background

Biographical / historical:

Victor Fritz Lenzen was born December 14, 1890 in San Josi, California to Theodore W. and Kate (Schnoor) Lenzen. He attended Bay Area schools and graduated in 1909 from the California School of Mechanical Arts. He began his studies at tile University of California in engineering, but, more interested in pure theory, he changed his major to philosophy. He graduated in 1913 and was awarded a scholarship for graduate study at Harvard University where he received his Ph.D. in philosophy in 1916.

At Harvard, the lectures of Bertrand Russell and Josiah Royce and their emphasis on mathematical logic turned his interest towards physics. After a year of study in Europe and a year as an assistant in philosophy at Harvard, he enrolled in graduate studies in physics at the University of California in 1918. There he was appointed instructor in 1921 and professor of physics in 1939.

His special interest in physics was mathematical logic, as demonstrated in his lectures for his graduate course in advanced dynamics which he taught until his retirement in 1958.

Active in University affairs, he served on various academic senate committees and was for many years in charge of tile lower division office of the Physics Department. While serving on the University of California Press editorial committee in 1946, his investigation of a controversial paper on archeology led him to a study of the figure of Dionysos on textiles.

An inquiry in the 1960's about his meeting with Mrs. Charles S. Peirce in 1914, when as a graduate student he assisted in picking up C. S. Peirce's papers, launched him on a study of Charles S., his wife Juliette, and Benjamin Peirce, which he pursued until his death on July 18, 1975.

Physical location:

For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.

Related resources

Other descriptive data:

Part of the Lenzen collection came to The Bancroft Library as a gift of Professor Lenzen to the University Archives, which was transferred to the Manuscripts Division in 1966; the remainder came in 1976 as a gift of Mrs. Lenzen. It consists of five boxes of correspondence and six cartons of related papers, with one oversize folder of notes. It includes letters addressed to Lenzen; copies of letters written by him; manuscripts of books, papers, articles, speeches, lectures and problem sets; research notes on the figure of Dionysos on textiles and the lives and careers of Charles S., Juliette and Benjamin Peirce; physics and philosophy notebooks, including those he kept in 1913 while attending Josiah Royce's lectures; reprints; notes and materials on various University of California clubs and committees; an article written and annotated by Albert Einstein; and personal materials. Photographs have been removed to the Library's Pictorial Collection.

While the articles, papers, lectures and notebooks reflect the whole range of Lenzen's interests during his career, the correspondence and notes relate primarily to his research connected with the life and career of Charles S. Peirce and the figure of Dionysos.

The collection is described in greater detail in the Key to Arrangement which follows.

Location of this collection:

UC Berkeley, Bancroft Library

University of California, Berkeley, The Bancroft Library

Berkeley, CA 94720-6000, US

Contact:

510-642-6481

bancref-library@berkeley.edu

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