A Guide to the Papers of Edward E. Younger, 1937-1979 Younger, Edward E., Papers 12742

A Guide to the Papers of Edward E. Younger, 1937-1979

A Collection in
Special Collections
The University of Virginia Library
Accession Number 12742


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Processed by: Special Collections Staff

Repository
Special Collections, University of Virginia Library
Accession number
12742
Title
Papers of Edward E. Younger 1937-1979
Physical Characteristics
This collection consists of ca. 38,500 items (77 Hollinger boxes, 32 shelf feet).
Language
English

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Access restrictions apply to Boxes 67-77 under the terms of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (F.E.R.P.A.).

Use Restrictions

See the University of Virginia Library’s use policy.

Preferred Citation

Papers of Edward E. Younger, Accession #12742, Special Collections, University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.

Acquisition Information

The Younger Papers were a gift of the Estate of Edward E. Younger on 10 September 1979 and 17 January 1980.

Biographical/Historical Information

Dr. Edward E. Younger, a distinguished member of the University of Virginia, faculty for over thirty years, was born in Pindall, Arkansas on 29 June 1909. He received his B.A. degree from Arkansas State Teachers College, an M.A. from Oklahoma State University, and a Ph.D. from George Washington University.

He taught in public schools in Arkansas and Oklahoma and at Oklahoma State University, George Washington University, Turner's Diplomatic School, the United States Naval War College, Allahabad University (India), and the University of Virginia, where he was appointed assistant professor in 1946, associate professor in 1949, full professor in 1956, and professor emeritus in 1974. During the Second World War he served with the United States Navy as a lieutenant commander in the aviation branch.

In 1957-1958, he was Fulbright Professor of American History and Politics at Allahabad University in India. In addition to teaching classes there, he travelled and lectured extensively in India on American history and foreign policy. During this period of eleven weeks, he travelled thirteen thousand miles in India and Nepal and addressed seventy-six different audiences.

One of his books, John A. Kasson: Politics and Diplomacy from Lincoln to McKinley , a biography of an American diplomat, won the Phi Beta Kappa prize in 1955. Another book, Inside the Confederate Government , the diary of the head of the Confederate Bureau of War, was selected as the Book-of-the-Month by the Civil War Book Club in May 1957.

At the University of Virginia, in addition to being professor of history, chairman of the department, director of Student Aid and Placement, foreign student advisor, chairman of the Wilson Gee Institute for Faculty Research in the Social Sciences, Director of Graduate Studies for the History Department, dean of the Graduate School, and director of numerous graduate dissertations and theses, Younger did much by way of department building. He was responsible for the development of the department's responsibilities for the field of U.S. History since 1861. As a means of providing outlets and contacts for graduate students, he led the movement to organize the History Club, initiated the alumni party and breakfast held yearly at the meeting of the Southern Historical Association, launched the student-edited Essays in History . As department chairman, Younger procured $250,000 from the Danforth Foundation for a four-year Ph.D. program; $150,000 from the Ford Foundation to develop Asian studies in Virginia colleges and universities; numerous Woodrow Wilson Fellowships; several NDEA Fellowships; and NEDA Summer Institutes for Teachers. Within five years the graduate enrollment in history had increased from fifty-five to some two hundred students. During the same time Younger enlarged the history faculty from twelve to twenty-two full time persons with professional rank. This expansion, (which by 1976 had produced a faculty of forty-five), was well advanced when Younger was appointed dean of the Graduate School.

In addition to these administrative duties, Younger directed some 130 M.A. theses and approximately sixty-five dissertations. Almost one-third of the dissertations have been published as full-length books. Many of these studies dealt with aspects of Virginia history since 1861, and Younger came to be recognized as the leading scholar of Virginia history since 1865, a reputation honored by the Virginia Historical Society when it conferred upon him in 1973 on Honorary Life Membership.

Throughout his career at the University of Virginia, Younger kept professionally active, attending history meetings, participating in scholarly programs, serving on committees and as an officer in professional associations, publishing articles, and reviewing books. Younger believed he made his greatest scholarly contribution through the influences he exerted upon his students. Within the University of Virginia he was conspicuously effective as a leader of students and as a builder of the strong, contemporary History Department.

Scope and Content Information

The Edward E. Younger papers consist of ca. 38,500 items (77 Hollinger boxes, 32 shelf feet) covering the years 1937-1979. The collection is divided into the following nine series: 1) Younger manuscripts and related material, 2) personal papers, 3) general correspondence, 4) history department papers, 5) papers relating to the University of Virginia, 6) student academic papers, 7) photographs, 8) student subject files, and 9) tape recordings. There is also a folder of oversize material. The first two series reflect Younger's personal research, his memberships in professional organizations, and his work in India and at the Naval War College. The remaining series deal chiefly with his roles as professor of history, chairman of the history department, dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and member of various committees at the University of Virginia. Information on Younger's career can be found in the folder of "Biographical and Professional Information" in box 17.

The first series (16 Hollinger boxes) consists of typed and holograph manuscripts, page proofs of Younger's books, correspondence concerning these projects, articles, book reviews, lectures, and research notes. Younger's first book was John A. Kasson: Politics and Diplomacy from Lincoln to McKinley , published by the Iowa State Historical Society in 1955. This biography was an expansion of Younger's 1942 doctoral dissertation at George Washington University, The Early Diplomatic Career of John A. Kasson, 1863-1885 . This dissertation and three articles which resulted from Younger's research into Kasson's life are also included in the collection. One of these is an article describing the research process. The Kasson biography won the Phi Beta Kappa Prize at the University of Virginia. Younger's second book, Inside the Confederate Government: The Diary of Robert Garlick Hill Kean, Head of the Bureau of War , was published by Oxford University Press in 1957 and was a Civil War Book Club selection. The collection includes a typed transcript of Kean's diary in addition to the final manuscript of Inside the Confederate Government , edited and with an introduction by Younger. The original Kean diary is the property of Jefferson Randolph Kean, II, and is on loan in the Manuscripts Department of the University of Virginia Library.

Younger's files on lecture dates (1940-1978) consist chiefly of correspondence, and only occasionally include the full text of a lecture. Where the title of the lecture is unknown, these files are identified by the year and place in which the lecture was given. Texts of additional lectures can be found under "India" and "Naval War College" in the second series of the collection.

Material relating to two projects of which Younger was coordinator or chief editor have also been included in this series. The first of these is the Albemarle County history project, undertaken by the Albemarle County Historical Society in 1972 as a contribution to the U.S. Bicentennial. The Society's Book Committee, chaired by Younger, engaged John H. Moore to write the history. Moore's book, Albemarle: Jefferson's County , was published in 1976 by the University Press of Virginia, and it won the Award of Merit of the American Association of State and Local History. The collection includes typed manuscripts and galley proofs (oversized) for the book, as well as correspondence, readers' comments, and reviews. Additional material relating to the Albemarle County Historical Society of the collection. Beginning around 1967, Younger proposed that he edit a comprehensive history of Virginia since 1865, with chapters written by various students whose graduate research he had directed. This project was set aside around 1970. The collection includes correspondence with contributors, drafts of proposed chapters, grant applications, and financial papers.

The research material in the manuscripts series consists of note cards compiled by Younger for many of the above projects, including the Kasson biography and Moore's Albemarle history.

The second series in this collection consists of seven Hollinger boxes of Younger's personal papers. These have been arranged in four sub-series: 1) papers re Younger's career,, 2) papers re his year in India, 3) papers re his year at the Naval War College, and 4) files on professional organizations.

The papers on Younger's career consist of biographical information in the form of vitae, résumés, and publicity. There are also files of material on the major events in Younger's academic career, including his doctorate, his appointment as Alumni Professor of History (1974) and his retirement (1978). In 1957-58, Younger was a Fulbright Scholar at Allahabad University in India, and in 1960-61 he held the Ernest J. King Chair of Maritime History at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. Material on these two subjects consists mainly of correspondence, lectures, and printed material. The files on professional organizations are chiefly correspondence concerning the meetings of historical organizations to which Younger belonged.

The third series consists of five Hollinger boxes of general correspondence covering the years 1944-1979. There are some personal letters, but most of the correspondence is related to Younger's positions at the University of Virginia. These letters include recommendations for and correspondence with former students and graduate students, answers to inquiries concerning the University or the History Department, and letters from colleagues.

The fourth series is comprised of eleven Hollinger boxes of papers relating to the Department of History at the University of Virginia. Much of the correspondence (1951-1963) is that of Thomas Perkins Abernethy and Oron J. Hale, who were chairmen of the department before Younger assumed that post in 1962. As in the general correspondence series, much of this correspondence is with former graduate students concerning their subsequent careers. The remainder of the series is arranged alphabetically by topic, and includes alumni correspondence, files on Younger's courses, faculty recruiting and promotions, fellowships, graduate student jobs, and files on visiting lecturers. There is one Hollinger box of material relating to the N.D.E.A. Institute in American History, held at the University of Virginia in 1965.

The fifth series consists of nine Hollinger boxes of papers relating to Younger's positions at the University of Virginia outside of the History Department. Most of these papers are from Younger's period as dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, while the remainder reflect the various institutes he directed and committees of which he was a member. Topics covered include Asian Studies, Commencement, the Community College Teachers' Fellowship Program which Younger directed in 1969-1971, the Graduate School Lecture Series, and the Special Master's Degree Program which Younger directed in 1962-1967.

Series six consists of nineteen Hollinger boxes of student academic papers. Most of these are copies of papers written by students for Younger's courses. This series has been divided into three sub-series: 1) papers on Virginia History, 2) historiography and bibliography, and 3) papers on miscellaneous subjects. Many of the papers on Virginia history are based on original research and reflect Younger's special interest in this subject.

The seventh series is made up of 1/2 Hollinger box of photographs: pictures of John A. Kasson for Younger's biography; pictures of the History Department faculty and the Naval War College staff; and pictures selected for, but not used in, John H. Moore's Albemarle: Jefferson's County .

Series eight is Younger's file on individual students, including correspondence and letters of recommendation. Access to this series is restricted according to the terms of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

The tape recordings in series nine are chiefly Younger lectures. They include lectures on U.S. foreign policy and on the role of the historian in contemporary society which Younger gave in India in 1958 and 1963, a lecture on "Neutralism" given before the Air War College in 1963, and a lecture entitled "Background of U.S. Global Strategic Commitments" which was given before the Naval War College in 1961. Texts and related correspondence for some of these lectures can be found in the "Papers re India," the "Papers re Naval War College," and the "Lectures" listed below.

The oversize material consists of additional research material for the biography of Kasson and of galley proofs of Albemarle: Jefferson's County , and a Certificate of Recognition awarded to Younger in 1978 by Governor John N. Dalton.

Organization

The collection has been divided into nine series: 1) Younger manuscripts and related materials, 2) personal papers, 3) general correspondence, 4) History Department papers, 5) papers relating to the University of Virginia, 6) student academic papers, 7) photographs, 8) student subject files, and 9) tape recordings. There is also a folder of oversize material.

Series one is divided into four sub-series: 1) books, articles, and book reviews; 2) lectures; 3) editorial projects; and 4) research material. Material is arranged chronologically within the first three of these sub-series.

The second series is divided into four sub-series: 1) papers re Younger's career, 2) papers re India, 3) papers re Naval War College, and 4) files on professional organizations. Sub-series one is arranged chronologically; sub-series four is arranged alphabetically by the name of the organization.

Series three, general correspondence, is arranged chronologically.

The history department papers in series four begin with correspondence, arranged chronologically. The rest of the series is arranged alphabetically by topic. Series five, papers relating to the University of Virginia, is also arranged alphabetically by topic.

The sixth series, student papers, has been divided into three sub-series: 1) papers on Virginia history, 2) historiography and bibliography, and 3) papers on miscellaneous subjects. The first and third of these sub-series are arranged alphabetically by subject.

The seventh series is arranged chronologically; the eighth series is arranged alphabetically by subject.

Contents List

I. Manuscripts and Related Material
II. Personal Papers
III. General Correspondence
IV. History Department Papers
V. Papers re University of Virginia
VI. Student Papers- Virginia History
VII. Photographs
VIII. Student Subject Files
Oversize Items
Tape Recordings
16 mm Motion Picture Film