Clarence A. Barbour papers, 1923-1937

John Hay Library , Special Collections
Box A
Brown University
Providence, RI 02912
Tel: 401-863-2146
email: hay@brown.edu

Published in 2012

Collection Overview

Title:	Clarence A. Barbour papers
Date range:	1923-1937
Creator:	Barbour, Clarence A. (Clarence Augustus), 1867-1937
Extent:	0.25 Linear feet
Abstract:	The Clarence A. Barbour papers contain many letters relating to Barbour’s nomination as President of Brown University and his nine-month trip to Asia in 1931 and 1932. Also included are letters and poems written by Florence Newell Barbour about her experiences in Asia with her husband.
Language of materials:	English
Repository:	John Hay Library , Special Collections
Collection number:	MS.1C.10

Scope & content

The Clarence A. Barbour papers primarily contain letters to and from Barbour, with some letters from his wife, Florence Newell Barbour. A large group of letters to and from Barbour in 1928 and 1929 relay thanks and congratulations upon his nomination to and acceptance of the presidency of Brown University. In 1931 and 1932, Barbour and his wife traveled to Asia, and continuously wrote letters to his secretary, Miss Leonard, and form letters to be sent to friends and family. These letters provide descriptions of his mission with the Laymen's Foreign Mission Inquiry as part of the Appraisal Commission, as well as the sites seen and experiences had in Asia. Letters by Florence Newell Barbour contain the same type of information. Newell Barbour also wrote a number of poems, included in this collection, mainly about her experience in China. Other letters in the collection pertain to Barbour’s functions as President of Brown, including four letters fomr Calvin Coolidge. Series 2 contains one, undated manuscript by Barbour entitled, "The Overflow of Personality." Finally, Series 3 contains letters and information surrounding the death and funeral of Clarence A. Barbour.

Access Points

Subject Names

• Barbour, Clarence A. (Clarence Augustus), 1867-1937
• Barbour, Florence Newell, 1866-1946
• Coolidge, Calvin, 1872-1933

Subject Organizations

• Brown University--Presidents
• Laymen’s Foreign Missions Inquiry. Commission of Appraisal

Subject Topics

• Asia--Description and travel
• Missions--East Asia

Occupations

• College presidents
• Ministers (Clergy)
• Professors

Document Types

• Correspondence
• Poems

Subject Topics

• Education

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into the following series:

• Series 1. Correspondence
• Series 2. Writings
• Series 3. Condolence Letters
• Series 4. Writings and Correspondence by Florence Newell Barbour

Series 1. (Correspondence, 1923-1937) includes letters to and from Barbour arranged both alphabetically and chronologically.

Series 2. (Writings) contains one manuscript written by Barbour.

Series 3. (Condolence Letters, 1937) contains letters, telegrams, and programs arranged chronologically.

Series 4. (Writings and Correspondence by Florence Newell Barbour, 1932-1932, 1936) is a grouping of poems and letters written by Florence Newell Barbour arranged chronologically.

Biographical Note

Clarence Augustus Barbour was born in Hartford, Connecticut on April 21, 1867 to Judge Humphrey and Myra Barker Barbour. After attending Hartford High School, Barbour entered Brown University in 1882. While a student at Brown, Barbour taught courses in the Providence Evening School, and in his senior year, became the principal of the Richmond Street Evening School. He was also very active in clubs and was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon. Following his graduation in 1888, Barbour moved on to attend Rochester Theological Seminary in Rochester, New York. Upon his graduation from seminary in 1891, Barbour became the pastor for the Lake Avenue Baptist Church in Rochester, where he stayed until 1909.

While working as a pastor, Barbour also became a leader in working for better schools and against political corruption. When he left the Lake Avenue Baptist Church in 1909, Barbour became the associate secretary of the Religious Work Department of the International Committee of the Young Men’s Christian Association. In 1915, Barbour was named the Wyckoff Professor of Homiletics and president of the Rochester Theological Seminary. As president of the seminary, Barbour was instrumental in the merging of Colgate Theological Seminary and Rochester Theological Seminary to form the Colgate Rochester Divinity School in 1928, now known as Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School.

By unanimous vote, Barbour was elected president of Brown University in October of 1928. As president, Barbour was very active in reaching out to alumnae, churches, professional associations and many other groups to help build the endowment and reputation of Brown University. In September of 1931, Barbour and his wife, Florence Newell Barbour, left on a nine month trip to Asia as part of the Laymen’s Committee on Foreign Missions supported by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. The Commission was to appraise the activities and effect of missions in Japan, China, Burma and India.

Though Barbour attempted to grow and change Brown, the Great Depression made it difficult to achieve these goals. Instead, Barbour served to simply maintain Brown, and keep the school healthy through the crisis of the Depression. In 1935, Barbour suffered a nervous breakdown. Then, in 1936, Barbour suffered an attack of appendicitis and never fully recovered. He died on January 16, 1937.

(Information from the Encyclopedia Brunonia was included in this biographical note)

Access & Use

Access to the collection:	There are no restrictions on access.
Use of the materials:	Although Brown University has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim literary rights. Researchers should note that compliance with copyright law is their responsibility. Researchers must determine the owners of the literary rights and obtain any necessary permissions from them.
Preferred citation:	Clarence A. Barbour papers, MS-1C-10, Brown University Archives.
Contact information:	John Hay Library , Special Collections Box A Brown University Providence, RI 02912 Tel: 401-863-2146 email: hay@brown.edu

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION
Acquisition:	The acquisition information for this collection is unavailable.
Accruals:	No further materials are anticipated for this collection.
ABOUT THE FINDING AID
Author:	Finding aid prepared by Amy Greer and Archives staff.
Encoding:	This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2012-12-10
Descriptive rules:	Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Additional Information

Related material:	Brown University Archives, Biographical Files Collection.Clarence A. Barbour letters, 1933-1934, Providence, R.I., to Philip D. Sherman, Oberlin, OhioClarence Augusts Barbour has other materials held at Brown University that are cataloged separately. They can be found under the following search entry: Barbour, Clarence A.
Other information:	Brown University catalog record for this collection: Clarence A. Barbour papers

Inventory

---