Correspondence with colleagues, friends, former students, etc.; MSS of his writings (books and articles) primarily on Chinese history and civilization; some related notes; biographical information and personalia; notes for course lectures and seminars.

Joseph R. Levenson was born on June 10, 1920, in Boston, Massachusetts. He attended Boston Latin School (1931-1937) and Harvard University, graduating magna cum laude in June 1941. In September he became a graduate student in Harvard's History Department, but with U.S. entrance into World War II, Levenson spent the next five years in the Navy. In 1946 he returned to Harvard and was awarded his A.M. in 1947 and his Ph.D. two years later, having written his dissertation on Liang Ch'i-ch'ao under the direction of John K. Fairbank. After spending three years as a Junior Fellow of Harvard's Society of Fellows (1948-1951), he accepted an assistant professorship at the University of California, Berkeley, where he remained the rest of his distinguished career. In 1965 he was appointed Sather Professor of History. Levenson died in a boating accident on April 6, 1969.

Number of containers: 5 boxes, 2 cartons

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Collection is open for research.