Guide to the Henry Gordon Gale Papers 1889-1948


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Table of Contents

• Descriptive Summary
• Information on Use
• Access
• Citation
• Biographical Note
• Scope Note
• Related Resources
• Subject Headings
• INVENTORY
• Series I: Personal
• Series II: Correspondence
  • Subseries 1: Henry Gordon Gale
  • Subseries 2: Agnes Spofford Cook Gale
• Series III: Manuscripts and Reprints
  • Subseries 1: Notes
  • Subseries 2: Manuscripts
  • Subseries 3: Reprints
• Series IV: Visual and Oversize Materials

Descriptive Summary

Information on Use

Access

The collection is open for research.

Citation

When quoting material from this collection the preferred citation is:

Gale, Henry Gordon. Papers, [Box #, Folder #], Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library

Biographical Note

Henry Gordon Gale was born September 12, 1874 in Aurora, Illinois. His father, Eli Holbrook Gale, was a physician trained at University of Pennsylvania. Henry Gale's mother, Adelaide Parker Gale, died six weeks after his birth. He was then raised by his maternal grandparents in rural Illinois.

Gale received his A.B. degree from the University of Chicago in 1896. He continued on to a Ph.D. in Physics in 1899, joining the Faculty in the Department of Physics that same year. He obtained full professorship in 1916 and retired in 1940.

During his career at the University of Chicago, Gale held a number of administrative offices. He served as Dean of the Colleges from 1908 to1922, Dean of the Ogden Graduate School of Science from 1922 to1930, and Dean of the Division of the Physical Sciences from 1931 to 1940. Gale was Chairman of the Department of Physics from 1925 to 1940 and Editor of the Astrophysical Journal from 1912 to 1940. He held the office of president of the Physics Club of Chicago from 1931 until 1940, and was given honorary lifetime membership in the organization upon his retirement. Gale was widely published in the field of astrophysics; with Robert A. Millikan, he co-authored textbooks for high school and college physics courses.

While his career as an astrophysicist was centered at the University of Chicago, Gale also conducted research at Mount Wilson Solar Observatory in Pasadena, California. While working in Pasadena in 1909, Gale was involved in an electrical accident which left him badly burned; he was hospitalized for two months to undergo skin graft operations.

In addition to his career as a physicist, Gale served in the Army during World War I. He attained the rank of lieutenant colonel after serving in the United States and France, was cited for "especially meritorious and conspicuous service" by General Pershing, and received France's decoration of the Legion of Honor.

While a student at the University of Chicago, Gale met Agnes Spofford Cook, daughter of Dr. John W. Cook, educator and first President of Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. Agnes Cook had attended Wellesley College for one year before continuing her studies at the University of Chicago. The two married in 1901, and their daughter Beatrice was born in 1904. Agnes Gale published a number of poems and narratives for children, including an adaptation of Homer, Achilles and Hector: Iliad Stories Retold for Boys and Girls.

Henry Gordon Gale died November 16, 1942.

Scope Note

The Henry G. Gale Papers have been divided into four series: Series I: Personal Materials, Series II: Correspondence, Series III: Manuscripts and Reprints, and Series IV: Visual and Oversize Materials.

The concentration of material is from the years 1900 to 1929, constituting an incomplete record of Gale's career. Series I documents Gale's service in the Army during World War I, and also contains material related to the terms of his employment at University of Chicago. Series II contains Gale's correspondence, concentrated in 1928 to 1929. Agnes Gale's correspondence, most often from her husband and her family, is concentrated in the years 1900 to 1906. Series III contains notes from Gale's graduate study, a large amount of undated notes and manuscripts, and reprints of his articles published between 1910 to 1937, most often in the Astrophysical Journal. Series IV contains photographs, many of which are unidentified, and oversize material from Series I-III.

Related Resources

The following related resources are located in the Department of Special Collections:

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Subject Headings

• Gale, Henry Gordon
• Gale, Agnes Spofford Cook
• University of Chicago. Department of Physics
• University of Chicago. Division of the Physical Sciences
• Mount Wilson Solar Observatory
• World War, 1914-1918
• Physics

INVENTORY

This series contains personal and biographical materials of Henry G. Gale, and a small number of items belonging to his wife, Agnes Spofford Cook Gale. Included in this series is material related to Gale's Army service during World War I, a reprint of a biographical article appearing in Astrophysical Journal after Gale's death, publications of professional organizations to which Gale belonged, and newspaper and magazine clippings pertaining to Gale's work. Papers of Agnes Gale include unrelated periodical clippings, notes, and a small letter opener. Photographs and oversize materials, including Army service documents and newspaper clippings, are found in Series IV: Visual and Oversize Materials.

This series contains correspondence of Henry Gordon Gale and his wife, Agnes Spofford Cook Gale. Subseries 1, spanning the years 1895-1941, contains general correspondence of Henry Gale. This subseries includes material of both a professional and personal nature. Almost half of the correspondence dates from 1928-1929, while the remainder represents scattered points in his career. Subseries 2, spanning the years 1889-1948, contains personal correspondence written to Agnes Gale by Henry Gale, friends and members of the Cook family. This subseries also includes a small amount of correspondence pertaining to Agnes Gale's literary publications. Correspondence from Henry Gale often uses the nicknames "Bitty Wa" or "Wa Wa" for Agnes Gale, "Buck Wa" for himself, and "Bims" for their daughter, Beatrice. Each subseries is arranged chronologically, then alphabetically by name of correspondent. Oversize materials from this series are found in Series IV: Visual and Oversize Materials, Box 15.

Spanning the years 1896-1941, this series contains Gale's notes from lectures, reading, and research; manuscripts composed by Gale and others; and reprints of his publications, which were often produced in collaboration with one or more colleagues. Notes and notebooks generally pertain to Gale's graduate work at University of Chicago; a large amount of this material is undated. Typewritten manuscript material is also undated. Reprints are of articles appearing in scientific journals, most often the Astrophysical Journal. Materials from this series have been arranged into three subseries: Notes, Manuscripts, and Reprints. Each subseries has been organized chronologically.

This series contains photographs of organizations to which Gale belonged, and several individual portraits, many of which are unidentified. Also included in this series are periodical clippings and a WWI-era map of Northern France. Oversize materials from Series I-III are found in Box 15 of this series.