UAI 15.894Eliot, Charles William, 1834-1926. Papers of Charles William Eliot : an inventory
Harvard University Archives
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Harvard University
©President and Fellows of Harvard College, 2008
Repository: Harvard University Archives
Call No.: UAI 15.894
Creator: Eliot, Charles William, 1834-1926.
Title: Papers of Charles William Eliot, 1807-1945.
Quantity: 40 cubic feet (99 document boxes, 22 portfolio boxes)
Abstract: Charles William Eliot (1834-1926) was President of Harvard University from March 12, 1869 to May 19, 1909. He also taught mathematics and chemistry at Harvard University (1858-1863) and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1865-1869). Eliot was one of the most influential educators of his day and the innovations he introduced at Harvard University influenced higher education throughout the United States.
Note: This document last updated 2009 March 18.
Most of the Papers of Charles William Eliot were donated by Eliot to the Harvard University Archives in the 1920s. Additional materials were acquired through donation or purchase. Whenever possible the archivist noted the terms of acquisition in the folder lists below.
The acquisitions are as follows:
1920s, Charles William Eliot
1932, James Ford
1939, G.P. Gardner, Jr.
1960, Harvard Medical Library
1973, Paul Weiss
Accession number: 12530; 1992 August 20
Accession number: 14319; 2001 June 6
The Papers of Charles William Eliot were first classified and described in the Harvard University shelflist prior to 1980 in two collections, the Papers of Charles William Eliot, UAI 15.894 and the Records of the President of Harvard University, President Charles W. Eliot, 1869-1925, UAI 5.150. In 2006, Dominic P. Grandinetti re-processed these papers.
Re-processing included the identification and removal of all non-University materials from both UAI 15.894 and UAI 5.150. These materials were then collated and integrated into this collection. Re-processing also included the rearrangement and rehousing of material into the appropriate containers, the elimination of old box numbers and folders, the renaming of folder titles if necessary, and the establishment of this finding aid.
Researchers should note that Eliot’s initial donation of material has been re-arranged several times since the 1920s and that the original arrangement of his donation has long since been lost. Consequently, during the 2006 re-processing, the archivist attempted to maintain the order of the papers as found with minimal re-arrangement. Exceptions are noted in the series descriptions.
As part of this finding aid, the archivist created a map to old call numbers, box numbers, and folders that were eradicated. This map is located at the end of this finding aid.
For more information about the early acquisition and processing of these papers see the Librarians' Files, 1897-1937, W.C. Lane, General Correspondence File, 1897-1928, Edw-EW, Box 16, UA III 50.8.10.2.
Permission of the University Archives is required for access to the Papers of Charles William Eliot. Please consult the reference staff for further details. Additional restrictions may apply.
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See Records of the Harvard Corporation for additional records dating from Eliot's presidency (UAI 5, UAI 15, UAI 20).
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Records of the President of Harvard University, President Charles W. Eliot, 1869-1925 (UAI 5.150).
- Eliot, Charles W. General folder (HUG 1359)
- Eliot, Samuel A. Papers of Samuel Atkins Eliot (HUG 1359.2xx)
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Villard, Oswald Garrison, 1872-1949. Correspondence. Houghton Library. Harvard College Library. Letters addressed to Oswald Garrison Villard from Charles W. Eliot, 1897-1919, Folder 1016.
- Search HOLLIS (Harvard's online library system) for works by and about Charles William Eliot.
- Biographical Materials
- Birthday Greetings
- Boston Public Latin School
- Committees and Clubs
- Ephemera
- Honors conferred upon Charles W. Eliot
- Letters concerning the writing of Eliot's biography by Henry James
- Letters received by Eliot on his selection as President of Harvard University and the death of his wife
- Photograph of Eliot and his family during Christmas in Bermuda
- Dwelling-house Construction
- Writings about Charles W. Eliot
- Papers of Samuel Eliot and Samuel Atkins Eliot
- Correspondence
- General Correspondence Group 1
- General Correspondence Group 2
- General Correspondence Group 3
- Family Correspondence
- Invitations
- Writings
- College Themes
- A survey of mineral collections at the Paris Exposition of 1867
- Literary Society Materials
- Account of a journey through Nova Scotia
- Teaching Career
- Teaching Materials
- Career and Administrative Files
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1834 March 20
- Charles William Eliot is born in Boston, Massachusetts.
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1849
- Eliot graduates from Boston Public Latin School; enters Harvard College
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1853
- Eliot graduates from Harvard, second scholar in his class.
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1854
- Eliot becomes a tutor in mathematics at Harvard
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1857
- The Eliot family suffers severe financial losses
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1858 October 27
- Eliot marries Ellen Derby Peabody
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1858
- Eliot becomes Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Chemistry
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1859 November 1
- Ellen Derby Peabody Eliot gives birth to son, Charles
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1861
- Eliot takes charge of the Chemical Laboratory at the Lawrence Scientific School (Harvard University)
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1862 August 24
- Ellen Derby Peabody Eliot gives birth to a second son, Samuel
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1863
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1863
- Eliot declines a commission as Lieutenant Colonel of the Cavalry from Governor Andrews of Massachusetts
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1863-1865
- Eliot spends two years in Europe with his family
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1865
- Eliot declines an offer to become superintendent of Merrimac Mills, Lowell, Massachusetts
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1865 September
- Eliot returns to Boston to become Professor of Chemistry in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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1867-1868
- Eliot spends winter in Europe
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1869
- Eliot publishes articles in the Atlantic Monthly on "The New Education : its Organization"
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1869 March 12
- The Harvard Corporation elects Eliot as President of Harvard University
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1869 March 13
- Ellen Derby Peabody Eliot dies
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1869 October 19
- Eliots' inauguration as President of Harvard University
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1871
- Eliot buys a cruising yacht and begins spending summers on the coast of Maine
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1877 October 30
- Eliot marries Grace Mellen Hopkinson
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1881
- Eliot builds a summer cottage at Northeast Harbor, Maine
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1894
- Harvard faculties commemorate Eliot's twenty-fifth anniversary as president
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1897 March 24
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1904 March 20
- Harvard honors Eliot on his seventieth birthday
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1908 October 26
- Eliot sends in his resignation from the Harvard University presidency
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1909 May 19
- Eliot's resignation takes effect
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1909
- Eliot accepts a proposal from P.F. Collier and Son to edit the Harvard Classics
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1911-1912
- Eliot travels around the world as an emissary of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (November 5, 1911 to August 10, 1912)
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1912
- Eliot urges the election of Woodrow Wilson as President of the United States
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1914
- Eliot supports the United States policy of neutrality in World War I, but urges the complete defeat of Germany
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1919
- Eliot advocates the adoption of the Treaty of Versailles and United States entrance into the League of Nations
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1924 March 20
- Harvard commemorates Eliot's ninetieth birthday
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1924 August 16
- Grace Mellen Hopkinson Eliot dies
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1926 August 22
- Charles William Eliot dies at Northeast Harbor, Maine
Introduction
Charles William Eliot (1834-1926) was President of Harvard University from March 12, 1869 to May 19, 1909. He also taught mathematics and chemistry at Harvard University (1858-1863) and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1865-1869).
Eliot was one of the most influential educators of his day and the innovations he introduced at Harvard University influenced higher education throughout the United States.
Eliot oversaw the transformation of Harvard from a regional institution to a world-class university.
Early Life and Career
Charles W. Eliot was born into a prominent Boston family with strong ties to Harvard University. His grandfather, Samuel Eliot (1739-1820), amassed the family's fortune in the trans-Atlantic trade. When he died he gave twenty thousand dollars to Harvard University to establish a Greek professorship. His father, Samuel Atkins Eliot (1798-1862), was a Harvard graduate (A.B. 1817), and Treasurer of the University from 1842 to 1853. Eliot's mother, Mary Lyman (1802-1875) came from a wealthy family of traders and textile mill owners.
A bright student, Eliot attended the Boston Public Latin School. At 15 he entered Harvard University with particular interests in English, mathematics, and science.
Immediately after graduation in 1853, Eliot became a Tutor in Mathematics (1854-1858).
Later he became an Assistant Professor of Mathematics (1858-1861) and Assistant Professor of Chemistry (1858-1863).
Eliot's organizational abilities and administrative skills were evident when he was placed in charge of the Lawrence Scientific School. Here Eliot introduced the first written exams given at Harvard University, emphasized laboratory instruction and exercises, and introduced the beginnings of and elective system of instruction.
When Eliot was denied re-appointment in 1863, he left the United States for two years to study in Europe. Traveling throughout the major capitals of the continent, Eliot studied and surveyed the organization of French and German universities. While on his trip abroad, Eliot was offered the position of the superintendent of Merrimack Mills in Lowell, Massachusetts. After some deliberation, Eliot turned down the opportunity to enter the business world and decided to return to academia with the acceptance of a Professorship of Chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1865-1869).
Harvard Presidency
Widely regarded as a strong administrator and recognized for his innovative educational philosophy, Eliot was selected as Harvard University’s twenty-second president after the resignation of President Thomas Hill in 1869. Under Eliot's forty-year stewardship, Harvard University made the transition from a small college to a modern university.
Eliot's presidency was marked by several major innovations at Harvard University. Among these were
- the development of graduate schools(medicine, law, and arts and sciences)
- the broadening of religious training at the Unitarian divinity school to include many other religious denominations,
- the promotion of the "Harvard Annex" which offered women, who were not allowed to earn Harvard degrees, college-level educational opportunities and later, in 1894, chartering Radcliffe College as a degree-granting institution for women,
- the establishment of exchange professorships with French and German universities,
- and the improvement of the administration of athletics with the introduction of stricter intercollegiate eligibility rules.
- Finally, Eliot championed the introduction and expansion of the elective system at Harvard University, by which students were allowed to choose from a wide range of subjects, thereby enlarging liberal arts study.
Eliot retired from Harvard University in 1909 as one of the most recognized and influential leaders in education in the United States. Not willing to spend his retirement years quietly, Eliot took an active interest in the social reform movements of his day, lending his name, time, and administrative talents too many organizations. He joined the General Education Board to promote various American educational reforms, served as a board member of the National Education Association, joined the Rockefeller Foundation, was a member of the International Health Board, and was a trustee for the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
As a Vice-President for the National Committee on Mental Hygiene, Eliot took an active interest in promoting preventive medicine. He worked on a wide variety of organizations helping to combat venereal diseases, including the American Social Hygiene Committee of which he was the founding President. As an exponent of the arts, Eliot served as a trustee for the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and became the chairman of the Museum's Special Advisory Committee on Education.Civil Service reform was one of his earliest favorite reform efforts. He became one of the National Civil Service Reform League's vice-presidents and later assumed the position of president.
Eliot spent his retirement years in active service to more than 200 leagues, associations, and committees dedicated to reform and the improvement of society. Each of them involved correspondence of some kind and in many cases Eliot was called upon to contribute an address, publication, or printed statement.
Conclusion
Eliot was one of the most eminent university and college presidents in the United States, reforming and forever changing the most prominent university in the country, Harvard University. He was distinguished by his pioneering leadership in the field of education, his many reform activities, and most importantly, his interest in his fellow man.
Family
Charles William Eliot married Ellen Peabody Eliot (1836-1869) on October 27, 1858. They had four children: Charles (1859), Francis (1861), Samuel Atkins (1862), and Robert (1866). After Ellen’s death in 1869, Eliot married Grace Mellen Hopkinson on October 30, 1877. Grace died on August 16, 1924.
References:
- Cotton, Edward H.The Life of Charles W. Eliot.Boston:Small, Maynard, and Company1926.
- James, Henry.Charles W. Eliot, President of Harvard University, 1869-1909.Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company,1930.
- Perry, Ralph Barton. "Charles William Eliot". In Dictionary of American Biography, Vol. VI. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons,1933.
Below is a list of the members of the Charles William Eliot Family. Each is preceded by their relationship to him.
Parents and Siblings
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Father: Samuel Atkins Eliot (1798-1862)
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Mother: Mary Lyman Eliot (1802-1875)
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Sister: Mary Lyman Eliot (1827-1924); married Charles Eliot Guild in 1854.
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Sister: Elizabeth Lyman Eliot (1831-1895); married Stephen H. Bullard in 1859.
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Sister: Catherine Atkins Eliot (1836-1882); married Francis H. Storer in 1871.
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Sister: Frances Anne Eliot (1838-1897); married by Henry Wilder Foote in 1863.
Spouses and children
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Wife: Ellen Derby Peabody (1836-1869)
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Wife: Grace Hopkinson Eliot (1846-1924)
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Son: Charles (1859-1897)
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Son: Francis (b.1861)
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Son: Samuel Atkins (1862-1950)
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Son: Robert (1866-1867)
In-laws
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Father-in-law: Ephraim Peabody (1807-1856)
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Mother-in-law: Mary Jane Derby Peabody (1807-1892)
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Brother-in-law: Francis Greenwood Peabody (1847-1936)
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Brother-in-law: Robert Swain Peabody (1845-1917)
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Sister-in-law: Anna Huidekoper Peabody (b.1838)
The Papers of Charles William Eliot document his personal and professional life. They date principally from his birth to 1869, omit the years of his Harvard Presidency, and resume from 1909 until his death. Materials related to Eliot's official activities as President of Harvard University (1869-1909) will not be found in these papers, nor will Eliot's later writings (1869 to 1926). Both of these form part of the Records of the President of Harvard University, President Charles W. Eliot (UAI 5.150).
These papers are comprised of materials recounting Eliot’s student days, his teaching career, and his early writings (up to 1869). It documents his travels around the world and provides an account of the many honors, awards, and accolades that Eliot received over his lifetime. A considerable part of these papers concern the extensive social reform activities of Eliot's retirement years. In addition, these papers include materials highlighting Eliot’s relationship with his family and close friends.
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Series: Correspondence, 1829-1926 25 cubic feet (72 document boxes)
Processing Information: Charles W. Eliot's correspondence was arranged in a variety of ways by library staff upon its accession in the 1920s and re-arranged at various times in subsequent years. These different types of arrangement schemes are reflected in this series. In all cases during the 2006 re-processing, the archivist attempted to maintain the original order and integrity of the material. Processing and arrangement details for each subseries are noted below.
Arrangement: The Correspondence series has five subseries:
- General Correspondence Group 1
- General Correspondence Group 2
- General Correspondence Group 3
- Family Correspondence
- Invitations
Scope and Content: The letters preserved in the General Correspondence subseries' (Groups 1, 2, and 3) document Eliot's involvement in social reform and philanthropic activities. A prolific correspondent, these letters shed light on Eliot’s opinions on a wide variety of topics. These topics include: health and hygiene, trade and commerce, the nature of war and peace, the relationship of business, capital, and labor, American education, international relations and foreign affairs, immigration and citizenship, prohibition, religion, civil service reform, race relations, child labor, woman's suffrage, the causes of poverty and crime, and sports.
It should be noted that many of the topics discussed in the General Correspondence subseries' are also referred to in the Subject Files series.
Family correspondence is included in the Family Correspondence subseries.
Eliot's acceptances and regrets for speaking engagements are in the Invitations subseries.
Researchers should note that this series does not document Eliot's activities as President of Harvard University.
This series contains incoming and outgoing correspondence and includes telegrams, articles, news clippings, reports, meeting minutes, invitations, flyers, business cards, resolutions, photographs, brochures, and post cards.
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General Correspondence Group 1, 1909-1926 8 cubic feet (22 document boxes)
Processing Information: This subseries was formerly known as the Second Chronological Correspondence File in the Records of the President of Harvard University, President Charles W. Eliot, 1869-1926, UAI 5.150. It was renamed in 2006.
Arrangement: The correspondence in this subseries was presumably arranged by library staff upon its accession in the 1920s. Correspondence is arranged chronologically in A-Z letter files. The letters in each folder are alphabetically arranged by correspondent name or organization.
Researchers should note that during the earlier arrangement of these letters, staff removed and segregated the more "interesting" letters into specially marked folders. This action may have been taken to help Henry James in the writing of his Eliot biography. These "interesting" letters were probably considered to be of more importance to James's research.
The arrangement order of this correspondence was maintained by the archivist during the 2006 reprocessing of this collection.
Scope and Content: This subseries contains Eliot's regular and continuous correspondence with friends, colleagues, acquaintances, and associates. It illustrates the wide variety of interests and opinions held by Eliot regarding contemporary current events during his retirement years.
This subseries includes letters, telegrams, articles, news clippings, reports, and meeting minutes.
- A-L ["interesting"], 1909 Box 17
- M-Z ["interesting"], 1909 Box 17
- A-O, 1909 (4 folders) Box 17
- P-Z, 1909 (2 folders) Box 18
- A-H ["interesting"], 1910 Box 18
- I-Z ["interesting"], 1910 Box 18
- A-K, 1910 (2 folders) Box 18
- L-Z, 1910 (2 folders) Box 19
- A-Z, 1911 (5 folders) Box 19
- A-Z ["interesting"], 1911 Box 20
- A-Z ["interesting"], 1912 Box 20
- A-Z, 1912 (5 folders) Box 20
- Trip to the Far East for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1911-1912 (10 folders) Box 21
Related Material: See the Subject Files series, Box 91, for more Carnegie Foundation material.
Arrangement: In all likelihood this correspondence was segregated and arranged upon its original acquisition.
Scope and Content: The correspondence in these folders documents Eliot's journey around the world on behalf of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in 1911-1912. They include Eliot's observations about the Far East and describe some of his activities.
- A-L ["interesting"], 1913 Box 22
- M-Z ["interesting"], 1913 Box 22
- A-Z, 1913 (5 folders) Box 22
- A-C ["interesting"], 1914 Box 23
- D-G ["interesting"], 1914 Box 23
- H-P ["interesting"], 1914 Box 23
- R-Z ["interesting"], 1914 Box 23
- A-C, 1914 (2 folders) Box 23
- D-M, 1914 (7 folders) Box 24
- O-Z, 1914 (3 folders) Box 25
- War Correspondence, 1914-1916 (4 folders) Box 25
Related Material: See the Subject Files series, Box 101, for material related to war societies.
Arrangement: In all likelihood this correspondence was segregated and arranged upon its original acquisition.
Scope and Content: The correspondence in these folders includes Eliot's opinions and observations about World War I in Europe.
- Factory Employment of Women, 1915-1916 Box 26
Arrangement: In all likelihood this correspondence was segregated and arranged upon its original acquisition.
Scope and Content: This folder contains correspondence related to Eliot's research on the effects of factory employment on women, particularly in shoe factories.
- A-G ["interesting"], 1915 Box 26
- H-L ["interesting"], 1915 Box 26
- O-Z ["interesting"], 1915 Box 26
- A-N, 1915 (4 folders) Box 26
- A-L ["interesting"], 1916 Box 27
- M-Z ["interesting"], 1916 Box 27
- A-F, 1916 (2 folders) Box 27
- G-Z, 1916 (5 folders) Box 28
- A-L ["interesting"], 1917 Box 28
- M-Z ["interesting"], 1917 Box 28
- A-L, 1917 (6 folders) Box 29
- M-Z, 1917 (4 folders) Box 30
- A-L ["interesting"], 1918 Box 30
- M-Z ["interesting"], 1918 Box 30
- A-M, 1918 (6 folders) Box 31
- N-Z, 1918 (4 folders) Box 32
- A-L ["interesting"], 1919 Box 32
- M-Z ["interesting"], 1919 Box 32
- C-S, 1919 (7 folders) Box 33
- A-L ["interesting"], 1920 Box 34
- M-Z ["interesting"], 1920 Box 34
- A-J, 1920 (4 folders) Box 34
- K-Z, 1920 (4 folders) Box 35
- A-Z, 1921 (3 folders) Box 35
- A-Z, 1922 (2 folders) Box 36
- A-Z ["interesting"], 1923 Box 36
- A-Z, 1923 (2 folders) Box 36
- A-Z ["interesting"], 1924 Box 36
- A-N, 1924 (7 folders) Box 37
- O-Z, 1924 (3 folders) Box 38
- A-Z ["interesting"], 1925 Box 38
- A-Z, 1925 (3 folders) Box 38
- A-Z ["interesting"], 1926 Box 38
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General Correspondence Group 2, 1909-1925 13 cubic feet (38 document boxes)
Processing Information: This subseries was formerly known as the Third Chronological Correspondence File (less important letters) in the Records of the President of Harvard University, President Charles W. Eliot, 1869-1926, UAI 5.150. It was renamed in 2006.
Arrangement: The correspondence in this subseries was most likely arranged by library staff upon its accession in the 1920s. Letters designated as "less important" were placed in this subseries.
Correspondence is arranged chronologically in A-Z letter files. The letters in each folder are alphabetically arranged by correspondent name or organization. The arrangement order of this correspondence was maintained by the archivist during the 2006 reprocessing of this collection.
Scope and Content: Many of the letters in this subseries consist of single exchanges with persons or organizations revealing Eliot's opinions on a wide variety of topics. These letters also include requests for information, solicitations of advice, fan mail, invitations to meetings and events, membership requests, and reports on the activities of various committees.
Researchers should note that the correspondence for the years 1913 and 1922 is missing from this subseries.
This subseries contains news clippings, invitations, flyers, reports, business cards, articles, post cards, telegrams, and resolutions.
- A-J, 1909 (10 folders) Box 39
- K-Z, 1909 (13 folders) Box 40
- A-I, 1910 (9 folders) Box 41
- J-Y, 1910 (14 folders) Box 42
- A-E, 1910-1911 (6 folders) Box 43
Scope and Content: Boxes 43, 44, and 45 contain predominately 1910 correspondence. Folder "D" contains a photograph of Sullivan High School from Sullivan Maine, 1910.
- F-O, 1910-1911 (10 folders) Box 44
- P-Z, 1910-1911 (10 folders) Box 45
- H-O, 1910-1911 (10 folders) Box 47
- P-Y, 1910-1911 (11 folders) Box 48
- A-K, 1912 (11 folders) Box 49
- L-Z, 1912 (13 folders) Box 50
- A-F, 1914 (8 folders) Box 51
- G-N, 1914 (10 folders) Box 52
- O-Y, 1914 (11 folders) Box 53
- A-C, 1915 (6 folders) Box 54
- D-G, 1915 (5 folders) Box 55
- H-L, 1915 (8 folders) Box 56
- M-Q, 1915 (7 folders) Box 57
- R-Z, 1915 (10 folders) Box 58
- A-F, 1916 (6 folders) Box 59
- G-M, 1916 (7 folders) Box 60
- N-Y, 1916 (11 folders) Box 61
- A-G, 1917 (8 folders) Box 62
- H-O, 1917 (8 folders) Box 63
- P-Y, 1917 (8 folders) Box 64
- A-K, 1918 (11 folders) Box 65
- L-Z, 1918 (13 folders) Box 66
- A-K, 1919 (12 folders) Box 67
- L-Z, 1919 (13 folders) Box 68
- A-K, 1920 (11 folders) Box 69
- L-Z, 1920 (14 folders) Box 70
- A-Y, 1921 (22 folders) Box 71
- A-H, 1923 (8 folders) Box 72
- I-Z, 1923 (16 folders) Box 73
- A-H, 1924 (8 folders) Box 74
- I-Y, 1924 (15 folders) Box 75
- A-Z, 1925 (24 folders) Box 76
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General Correspondence Group 3, 1921-1925, bulk 1921-1923 .35 cubic foot (16 folders in 1 document box) Box 77
Related Material: For a discussion of Charles W. Eliot's views towards the restrictive admissions policy of President Abbot Lawrence Lowell see:
Synnott, Marcia Graham." Portraits and Philosophies of Two Harvard Presidents:
Charles W. Eliot and A. Lawrence Lowell." In The Half-Opened Door:
Discrimination and Admissions at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, 1900-1970.Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1979.
Processing Information: This small group of correspondence was found in no discernible order. Material was
gathered together by the archivist and arranged in during the 2006 re-processing.
Arrangement: The arrangement is alphabetical, in letters B-W, by the correspondent's personal or organizational name.
Scope and Content: The letters in this subseries were written by Eliot during his stay at his summer residence in Asticou, Maine. Many of them offer Eliot's opinions regarding the exclusion of Jews and African-Americans from Harvard University, the methods of student selection for admission, and his comments regarding President Abbot Lawrence Lowell's policy of restrictive admissions at Harvard University. Other topics referred to in this subseries are arms limitation and disarmament, farm conditions, hygiene, national park development, and the English language and spelling.
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Invitations, 1909-1925 3 cubic feet (9 document boxes)
Processing Information: This subseries was formerly known as Invitations to make Addresses and Replies in the Records of the President of Harvard University, President Charles W. Eliot, 1869-1926, UAI 5.150. It was renamed in 2006.
Arrangement: The correspondence in this subseries was presumably arranged by library staff upon its accession in the 1920s. Staff removed letters referring to Eliot's acceptances and regrets for speaking engagements from his larger correspondence files, arranging these letters chronologically by year. The arrangement order of this material was maintained during the 2006 reprocessing of this collection.
Scope and Content: The correspondence in this subseries illustrates Eliot's high demand as a public speaker on a variety of subjects and the value placed upon his opinions. The letters in this subseries include invitations to speak at dinners, public events, and meetings. In addition this subseries contains invitations asking Eliot to serve on committees, to publish, to comment on legislation, and to subscribe to various memberships.
Researchers should note that the correspondence for 1922 is missing from this subseries.
This subseries consists of letters, telegrams, news clippings, invitations, brochures, and flyers.
- Regrets, 1909-1911 (3 folders) Box 80
- Regrets, 1912 (2 folders) Box 80
- Acceptances, 1913 (2 folders) Box 80
- Regrets, 1913 (3 folders) Box 81
- Acceptances, 1914 (3 folders) Box 81
- Regrets, 1914 (3 folders) Box 82
- Regrets, 1915 (3 folders) Box 83
- Regrets, 1916 (2 folders) Box 83
- Regrets, 1917 (2 folders) Box 84
- Acceptances, 1918 (2 folders) Box 84
- Regrets, 1918 (2 folders) Box 85
- Acceptances, 1919 (3 folders) Box 85
- Regrets, 1919 (3 folders) Box 86
- Acceptances, 1920 (2 folders) Box 86
- Regrets, 1920 (2 folders) Box 86
- Acceptances, 1923 (2 folders) Box 87
- Regrets, 1924 (2 folders) Box 87
- Acceptances, 1924 (3 folders) Box 88
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Series: Subject Files, 1855, 1882-1926 5.3 cubic feet (13 document boxes)
Related Material: Researchers should note that many of the subjects referred to in the Subject Files series are also discussed in the General Correspondence.
Processing Information: The subject files in this series were gathered together and arranged alphabetically by the archivist in 2006. The bulk of the material was previously categorized as "Special Subjects, 1909-1925" in the Records of Charles W. Eliot (UAI 5.150), but these post-date Eliot's presidency.
Scope and Content: This series documents Eliot's connections and contributions to many philanthropic foundations and reform associations. It illustrates his services as an active officer of these organizations and also of those that he lent his name to in their service.
This series contains letters, reports, news clippings, lists, articles, brochures, flyers, speeches, and telegrams.
- Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1911-1915 (5 folders) Box 91
Related Material: See General Correspondence Group I, Box 21, for material regarding Eliot's trip to the Far East on behalf of the Carnegie Foundation.
Biographical Note: Eliot served as a trustee to the Carnegie Foundation from 1910-1919.
- Civil Service Reform Memorabilia, 1882-1892 Box 92
- Committee of One Hundred on National Health, 1909-1910 Box 92
- Conservation, National and Washington associations, 1909-1913 (6 folders) Box 92
- Harvard Medical School of China, 1911-1914 (4 folders) Box 93
Biographical Note: The Harvard Medical School of China operated in Shanghai from 1911 to 1916. Eliot was one of its first presidents.
Scope and Content: Folder 1 contains a photograph of the medical school building.
- Harvard Medical School of China, 1914-1926 (5 folders) Box 94
Scope and Content: Folder 5 contains four photographs of the medical school:
- In-patients getting fresh air treatment.
- Out-patient department.
- Students taking patient histories.
- Main waiting hall of the out-patient polyclinic.
- Harvard Train 1881, 1921 Box 94
Related Material: H. Eliot’s speech is in HUD 281.40.3, Box 215. Elliott, H. Harvard Train 1881. Remarks at the 40th Anniversary Dinner.
Scope and Content: This folder contains correspondence between C.W. Eliot and Howard Eliot regarding the latter's speech to his classmates on their fortieth anniversary entitled Harvard Train 1881. H. Eliot addresses the question of socialist and radical teachers in colleges. Letters from J.B. Greene to Howard Eliot are included in this folder.
- Lafayette National Park, 1914-1924 Box 95
- National Civil Service Reform League, 1913-1926 (8 folders) Box 97
- National Education Association, 1913 Box 98
- Profit Sharing, 1913-1916 (4 folders) Box 98
- Sex Hygiene, 1910-1916, 1920 (10 folders) Box 99
- Social Hygiene, 1915-1925 (2 folders) Box 99
- War Societies, 1915-1918 (9 folders) Box 101
Related Material: See General Correspondence Group I, Box 25, for additional Eliot World War I correspondence.
Biographical Note: Eliot served on many World War I relief committees.
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Series: Writings, 1848-1868 and undated .8 cubic foot (3 document boxes)
Related Material: Eliot's later writings are all among the Records of the President of Harvard University, President Charles W. Eliot, 1869-1926, (UAI 5.150).
Processing Information: Processing and arrangement details for each subseries are noted below.
Arrangement: The Writing series has four subseries:
- College Themes
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A survey of the mineral collections at the Paris Exposition of 1867
- Literary Society Materials
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Account of a journey through Nova Scotia
Scope and Content: This series contains a Eliot's pre-1869 writings, a small portion compared to his overall written output.
This series consists of handwritten manuscripts of essays, a poem, and a ballad.
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College Themes, 1848-1853 and undated .35 cubic foot (1 document box)
Processing Information: Since most of the compositions in this subseries were undated and the titles were posed as questions or statements, the archivist arranged the material alphabetically after determining the subject matter of each composition. Subject headers are bracketed, followed by composition title.
Scope and Content: This subseries contains short dissertations composed by Eliot as a student at Harvard University. The subjects of the written exercises were on prescribed topics and many of them were intended to present one side or the other of a given question. These student compositions offer an early insight into Eliot's expressions of thought and a glimpse into the nature of the education of Harvard University students in the early nineteenth-century.
- [Adventures in California] My Dear Cousin, 1848 Box 102
- [Americans a practical people] The Americans, a practical people. How far is this character true, and how far is it justly a reproach?, 1853 Box 102
- [Ancient Classics] Whether the study of the ancient Classics as conducted at present in a course of liberal education is unfavorable to Christian morals?, undated Box 102
- [Athens] With what propriety are the ancient Athenians called civilized, in contrast with other contemporary nations, or in comparison with modern England?, 1853 Box 102
- [Belief] Whether we have more to fear from believing to little, or from believing too much?, undated Box 102
- [Calamitous times] The advantages of living in periods commonly considered calamitous, 1853 Box 102
- [Cato Uticensis] It was said that Cato Uticensis that his life was rather admirable than amiable. Apply the remark to conduct and character, undated Box 102
- [Character of college students] Dr. Arnold’s opinion that the public spirit of large schools is that of the worst of the members, 1853 Box 102
- [Civilized Man] Which is the happiest, the barbarous, or the civilized man, undated Box 102
- [Classics and Mathematics] The value of the respective benefits of the two principal branches of our education, classics and mathematics, undated Box 102
- [Colonialism] Whether a colony has a right to shake off its allegiance to the mother country, though the government has not shown itself either incompetent or offensive, undated Box 102
- [Congress of Nations] Whether the proposed Congress of Nations is a feasible scheme for putting an end to war, undated Box 102
- [Conscience] Whether conscientious scruples ought always to be held paramount to the law of the land, undated Box 102
- [Copernicus] The Last Days of Copernicus, undated Box 102
- [Country School] Letter from a Country School Master, undated Box 102
- [Cromwell, Oliver] Whether Cromwell was a hypocrite?, undated Box 102
- [Decline of human intelligence and morality] The possibility of a return to barbarism, 1853 Box 102
- [Education] Is emulation advantageous in education, undated Box 102
- [Education] Whether education should aim to develop all the faculties equally, or to foster individual peculiarities of taste and intellect, undated Box 102
- [English poets] Inquire, whether English poets generally have not been friends of freedom. Whom of these do you regard as courtier’s poets?, 1853 Box 102
- [Franklin, Benjamin] Is Dr. Franklin a good model of character?, undated Box 102
- [French Revolution] Burke, in his reflections on the French Revolution, says of the refined and courtly manners of the noblesse that "vice itself lost half its wit by losing all its grossness." Is this true?, undated Box 102
- [Friendship] I have outgrown the age for forming friendships, undated Box 102
- [Gaming] Gaming regarded merely as an amusement is not worthy of the practice of rational overtures, undated Box 102
- [Gun Powder] The invention of GP has wrought a great change in the condition of man by the effect it has had on the art of war. Has that change been for good or for evil?, undated Box 102
- [Habits of thought and action] There is no better or easier way to appear well-versed in things, than by acquiring a real knowledge of them, 1853 Box 102
- [Happiness] The value of commonplace topics of conversation, 1853 Box 102
- [Hercules] Metrical version of Hercules Furens [The Madness of Hercules], undated Box 102
- [Human Knowledge] The Limits of Human Knowledge, undated Box 102
- [Invention and Improvement] So rapid is the progress of inventions and improvements in the useful arts, that I am afraid to adopt a new one lest it should be supplanted by a better, undated Box 102
- [Knowledge] The Limits of Knowledge, undated Box 102
- [The London Punch] The London Punch, its services to Philanthropy and Liberty, 1853 Box 102
- [Macbeth and Richard III] How do you explain the strong sympathy we feel for such characters as Macbeth and Richard III?, 1853 Box 102
- [Mary, Queen of Scots] Whether Mary, Queen of Scots, was accessory to the murder of Darnley?, undated Box 102
- [Morals and Education] Whether the morals and education of a people are more promoted by their concentration in cities and large towns, or by their diffusion, as agriculturalists, over the country, undated Box 102
- [New England] New England, the land of liberty, the land of our forefathers, our native country, is the subject of our theme, undated Box 102
- [Phrenologists] Have phrenologists succeeded in proving that the brain is a congeries of organs, acting independently of each other?, undated Box 102
- [Printing Press and Steam Engine] Which has done the greatest service to mankind, the printing press or the steam engine, undated Box 102
- [Printing Press and Steam Engine] The greatest causes of our mental, moral, and physical improvement, undated Box 102
- [Qualities for the enjoyment of riches] An Adventurer returning from California, undated Box 102
- [Reason and Knowledge] Great wits to madness sure as near allied, And thin partitions do their bounds divide, 1853 Box 102
- [Regulus, Attilius] Whether duty required Regulus to return to Carthage after his unsuccessful mission to Rome, undated Box 102
- [Russia] An opinion prevails in Russia that it will one day conquer the world, 1853 Box 102
- [Self-Sacrifice] No man can at the same time court applause, and demand a place among the generous and devoted benefactors of his race, undated Box 102
- [Shakespeare, William] Suppose Shakespeare to visit a modern theatre, undated Box 102
- [Skepticism] Whether more is to be feared from active or from passive skepticism?, undated Box 102
- [Syllogism] Logical Praxis, undated Box 102
- [Third Parties] Whether the organization of what are called third parties tends to lessen the amount of political corruption?, undated Box 102
- [Truth and Knowledge] General scholars please themselves most; but those, who prosecute one particular subject, do most service to the world, 1853 Box 102
- [Ulysses] Selections from the Odyssey, undated Box 102
- [Women] Iphigenia in Tauris complains that the condition of woman is lamentable. How much has the condition been improved in two thousand years? How much remains to be done? And how far will Iphigenia’s complaint always remain true?, 1853 Box 102
- [The Wicked] Thoughts suggested by observing that the wicked are as zealous and persevering in accomplishing their objects as the good, undated Box 102
- [Youth and Vanity] We were young, full of ardor, which science in its first freshness inspires, exceedingly united and little known, a blessing, which we did not estimate as its full value, undated Box 102
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A survey of the mineral collections at the Paris Exposition of 1867, ca.1867-1868 .26 cubic foot (1 document box)
Scope and Content: This Eliot manuscript may have been written during or shortly after his trip to Europe in 1867-1868. It includes Eliot's observations and descriptions of the mineral collections presented at the Paris Exposition of 1867. In this manuscript, Eliot critiques the international mineral collections submitted to the exposition and comments about the importance and value of such expositions. This manuscript also includes Eliot's discussion of the distribution of minerals in Europe and their important place in the industrial development of nations.
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Literary Society Materials, ca. 1850s .15 cubic foot (5 folders)
Processing Information: The material in this subseries was originally found in a bundle labeled, "The Papers of December twentieth, Charles W. Eliot, editor." The archivist deconstructed the bundle and arranged the material alphabetically.
Biographical Note: Literary societies were established in colleges to help students train themselves to think, write, and speak effectively. Alpha Delta Phi was founded in 1832 at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York by Samuel Eells (1810-1842). The Harvard University chapter was established in 1837 by the editors of the College monthly, Harvardiana. The Society provided its members with a reading room, library of publications, and a place where students could write and criticize literary exercises. Charles W. Eliot became the President of Alpha Delta Phi in 1853.
Scope and Content: The documents in this subseries are presumed to have been written by members of the Alpha Delta Phi Literary Society, for a Society publication, of which Eliot was the editor.
The title of this publication is unknown.
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A Chapter from the New Book of Chronicles, undated Box 104
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Genealogy, undated Box 104
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A Model Fast Man by J. Winsor, undated Box 104
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Ye Ballade antique of Chevie Chase, undated Box 104
- [Oxford Caps, undated] Box 104
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Account of a journey through Nova Scotia,ca. 1850s (1 folder)
Biographical Note: Long walking journeys in the summer were a valuable part of Eliot's training from 1851 to 1855. He walked through various parts of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick,Massachusetts, New Hampshire,Vermont, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, observing the mineralogy,mining,metallurgy,geography, and landscape during his travels.
Scope and Content: This subseries contains a handwritten manuscript in which Eliot describes a trip through Nova Scotia.
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Series: Teaching Career, 1853-1865 1 cubic foot (3 document boxes)
Processing Information: Processing and arrangement details for each subseries are noted below.
Arrangement: The Teaching Career series has two subseries:
- Teaching Materials
- Career and Administrative Files
Scope and Content: The Teaching Career series documents Eliot's teaching activities in the classroom and his role as a part-time school administrator.
This series consists of lists, grade sheets, exams, notes, notebooks, drawings, charts, reports, and letters.
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Teaching Materials, 1853-1865 .7 cubic foot (2 document boxes)
Processing Information: During the processing of this subseries, the archivist deconstructed several folders and arranged the material alphabetically.
Scope and Content: The documents in this subseries illustrate some of Eliot's teaching activities as a tutor and professor at Harvard University and the Lawrence Scientific School. This subseries does not contain any teaching material from Eliot's tenure as a Professor of Chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Some of the earlier lecture notes in this subseries may be those he accumulated as a student. This subseries also contains Eliot's lecture notes from his student days at Marburg University in Germany and those he took as a visiting student in Europe from 1863 to 1864.
- Class lists and grades for the Class of 1857, 1855-1860 Box 105
- Class lists and grades for the Class of 1859, 1855-1857 Box 105
- Class lists and grades for the Class of 1860, 1858-1859 Box 105
- Class lists and grades for the Class of 1861, 1857-1859 Box 105
- Examinations, ca. 1850s-1860s Box 105
- Laboratory notebook, 1859 Box 105
- Lecture on the Greek Revolution of 1821-1831, ca. 1850s Box 106
- Lecture on the Zinc Ore V Paint, ca. 1850s Box 106
- Lecture notes, chemistry and metals, ca. 1850s Box 106
- Lectures on experiments, ca. 1850s Box 106
- Lecture notes on Mechanics and Calculus, 1853 Box 106
- Lectures before the Medical School, 1856 Box 106
- Lectures on Analytical Chemistry, 1857 Box 106
- Lecture notes on technology and the monometric system, 1863 Box 106
- Notes on lectures and readings in Europe, 1863 (2 folders) Box 106
- Notes on lectures and readings in Europe, permissions, 1864 Box 106
- Notes on observations on the Bible, 1853 Box 106
- Record of pupils in Chemical Department of the Lawrence Scientific School, 1861-1863 Box 106
- Redfield's Theory, ca. 1850s Box 106
Biographical Note: In 1821 American meteorologist William C. Redfield observed that the traveling systems of tropical storms move counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.
Scope and Content: This folder contains a sketch illustrating Redfield's tropical storm observations.
- University of Marburg, Germany, lecture notes, 1864-1865 Box 106
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