Charles David Marx papers, 1873-1942

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Summary

Creators:
Marx, Charles David, and Marx, Charles David
Extent:
13.5 Linear Feet
Language:
Undetermined .
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Charles David Marx Papers, SC 161, Stanford University Archives, Stanford, Calif.

Background

Scope and content:

Marx's papers date from 1873 to 1942 and include correspondence, reports, research notes, manuscripts, drawings, financial records, clippings, minutes, reprints, and photographs. The papers primarily relate to engineering projects in which Marx was involved, largely dams and water systems in California, including projects at Stanford and Palo Alto. Other subjects include his years as student and lecturer at Cornell University; his civic work; and other professional activities.

Of note are minutes, correspondence, financial records, drawings, and reports of the Committee on Arch Dam Investigation of the Engineering Foundation, 1925-1933, which built an experimental single arch dam on the Stevenson Creek near Fresno, California; Marx was chairman of the Committee. Other persons represented in this series include H.W. Dennis, chief construction engineer of Southern California Edison Company, Fred A. Noetzli, construction engineer in charge of the dam, Willis A. Slater, engineer with the US Bureau of Standards, Alfred D. Flinn, director of the Engineering Foundation, and J.L. Savage of the US Dept. of the Interior.

The papers have been organized into the following series: I. Projects, II. Correspondence, III. Committee on Arch Dam Investigation, IV. Writings, V. Pipes and Pipe Flow, VI. Publications and Printed Matter, VII. Consultation Files, VIII. Other Professional Papers, and IX. Personal and Miscellaneous Papers.

Biographical / historical:

Charles David Marx was one of Stanford's original faculty, the Old Guard. He came to Stanford in 1891 as Professor of Civil Engineering and taught here until his retirement in 1923. He formed close friendships with his students and was affectionately known as Daddy Marx.

Marx was born in Ohio in 1857; during part of his youth he lived in Holland and Germany. He earned a bachelor's of civil engineering from Cornell University in 1878, after which he returned to Germany for further study. Before joining the Cornell faculty in 1884 he worked as an engineer on railroad and river projects in the eastern United States.

Marx's activities outside his Stanford work included serving on the Palo Alto Board of Trustees from 1896 to 1904 and 1908 to 1933; chairing the first State Water Commission after its organization in 1911; and serving as President of the American Society of Civil Engineers. After his retirement from teaching, Marx was a consultant on many hydraulic and sanitary engineering projects.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Materials are open for research use.

Terms of access:

Property rights reside with the repository. Literary rights reside with the creators of the documents or their heirs. To obtain permission to publish or reproduce, please contact the Public Services Librarian of the Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Charles David Marx Papers, SC 161, Stanford University Archives, Stanford, Calif.

Location of this collection:
Stanford University Archives, Green Library
557 Escondido Mall
Stanford, CA 94305-6064, US
Contact:
(650) 725-1022
specialcollections@stanford.edu
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