© The contents of this finding aid are the copyright of the University of Chicago Library
© 2012 University of Chicago Library
The collection is open for research.
When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: University of Chicago. Office of the President. Scrapbooks, Box #, Folder #], Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library.
On September 18, 1890, William Rainey Harper was elected by the Board of Trustees as the first President of the University of Chicago. President Harper assumed office on July 1, 1891. The University has had 13 presidents in total:
• William Rainey Harper – 1891-1906
• Harry Pratt Judson – 1907-1923
• Ernest DeWitt Burton – 1923-1925
• Max Mason – 1925-1928
• Robert Maynard Hutchins – 1929-1951
• Lawrence Kimpton – 1951-1960
• George W. Beadle – 1961-1968
• Edward Hirsch Levi – 1968-1975
• John Todd Wilson – 1975-1978
• Hanna Holborn Gray – 1978-1993
• Hugo F. Sonnenschein – 1993-2000
• Don Michael Randel – 2000-2006
• Robert J. Zimmer – 2006-present
The collection is divided into two series.
Series I, News Clippings, contains scrapbooks full of clippings of newspaper articles about the founding and development of the university, its beginnings, its faculty and administrators, its affiliates (e.g. Yerkes Observatory), its funding, athletic and cultural events, and scholarly findings and reports. Many articles are duplicates pulled from multiple newspapers. Of particular interest are articles on the Foster controversy, women at the university, and university scientists' research.
Series II, Communications, contains scrapbooks of pieces of official written communication from the Office of the President. Included are invitations to formal events, announcements and memos to faculty and students, death and funeral notices, commencement materials, event programs, blank cards and forms, and other official bulletins. There is also one book of undated stationary samples. The collection does not contain correspondence with particular individuals. Both series of scrapbooks are ordered chronologically.
The following related resources are located in the Department of Special Collections:
This series contains 15 scrapbooks of news clippings, arranged chronologically.
This series contains 20 scrapbooks of mailings and announcements, arranged chronologically.