Conditions Governing Use

The materials from Washington and Lee University Special Collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used should be fully credited with the source. Permission for publication of this material, in part or in full, must be secured with the Head of Special Collections.

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation: [Identification of item], Stuart MacCorkle Collection, WLU Coll. 0550, Special Collections and Archives, James G. Leyburn Library, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA

In some cases the citation format may vary. Please contact Special Collections' staff to verify the appropriate format.

Biographical / Historical

Dr. Stuart MacCorkle was born in Murat, Virginia in 1903 and graduated in 1924 from Washington and Lee University. After completing a premedical track as an undergraduate, MacCorkle was admitted to University of Virginia for a Master's program in political science and later Johns Hopkins University for a doctorate in political science. Shortly after, MacCorkle accepted a position as a faculty member of the government department at the University of Texas. During World War II, he took leave and worked for the Division of Organizational Planning and then the Office of Civilian Defense. MacCorkle returned to the University of Texas in 1943 and began his career as a civil servant. His appointed positions included Chairman of the Governor's Tax Study Commission, Executive Director of the Texas Economy Commission, and a member of Austin's Planning and Zoning Commission. He later ran and attained a position in Austin's city hall for two consecutive terms (1949-1953). From 1958 to 1960, he lived and worked in Korea as an academic adviser at Seoul National University in a successful attempt to develop a program in public administration. In 1967, MacCorkle resigned his position at the University of Texas and shortly returned to Austin's city hall in the spring of 1969. Stuart MacCorkle has since passed away in April of 1982.

Scope and Contents

This small collection contains primarily a series of photographs of Dr. Stuart McCorkle throughout his adult life, ranging from informal prints to professionally made portraits. In addition, the collection originally included copies of books authored by McCorkle and have since been transferred within the Special Collections department. The financial material contains legal papers describing the gift left by both himself and his wife, now worth $1.9 million, to advance development of the politics department in particular. Of great note is the typescript of his autobiography, which provides in great detail, insight into his life and opinion of political matters such as city planning, bureaucracy, and local government.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Autobiography
• Banners
• Crests
• International Association of Rotary Clubs
• Photographs
• Records
• Washington and Lee University