The University of Chicago Library > The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center > Finding Aids > Guide to the Thomas Vernor Smith Papers 1934-1945
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| Title: | Smith, Thomas Vernor. Papers |
|---|---|
| Dates: | 1934-1945 |
| Size: | 6.75 linear feet (14 boxes) |
| Repository: |
Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center |
| Abstract: | Thomas Vernor Smith (1890-1964) Professor of Philosophy at the University of Chicago, Illinois State Senator (1936-1938), Congressional Representative, (1938-1940). This collection includes letters from the years of Smith's political activity, 1934-1941. Among the other papers are reprints of some of his publications and speeches, and many mimeographed items relating to military government and problems of post-war education in the occupied countries. |
This collection is open for research.
When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: Smith, Thomas Vernor. Papers, [Box #, Folder #], Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library
Thomas Vernor Smith (1890-1964) wrote under the name T.V. Smith and was active academically and politically in Chicago. A native of Texas, he received a B.A. from the University of Texas in 1915 and an M.A. in 1916. He taught at the University of Texas from 1919 to 1921. In 1922, he received a PhD from the University of Chicago, where he served as Professor of Philosophy, and later dean, until 1948. Smith was among the producers and moderators of the University's Round Table radio program.
During the 1930's, Smith interested himself in politics, and ran successfully for State Senator in 1935. His next campaign was in 1938, when he was elected Congressman-at-large for Illinois. He gained national recognition when he engaged Senator Robert A. Taft in a series of radio debates which were later published as Foundations of Democracy. In the 1940 congressional election, he was defeated. During the war, Smith was made Lieutenant Colonel (1943-1945), and conducted courses on military government for the Army. He also participated in experimental programs for re-educating German prisoners of war. In 1946, he was a member of the United States Educational Commission in Japan and Germany. Smith left Army service as a Colonel.
In 1948, Smith became the Maxwell Professor of Citizenship and Philosophy at the University of Syracuse, where he served until his retirement in 1959. He held visiting and lecture positions at numerous universities and published widely on philosophy, politics and public service.
Smith and his wife, Nannie Stewart, had two children, a son Gayle and a daughter Nancy. He died in 1964 in Hyattsville, Maryland.
Series I, Correspondence, contains letters from the years of Smith's political activity, 1934-1941. Arranged alphabetically, the letters contain a great deal of material on the history of the Democratic Party in the Chicago area during the period and reflect the concerns of constituents and political and community groups like the Hyde Park Protective Agency and the ACLU. Among Smith's correspondents are: Baker Brownell, Paul and Ruby Darrow, Thurman Arnold, James T. Farrell, Robert M. Hutchins, Harold Ickes, Ed. Kelly, Frank Knox, Robert A. Taft, Chicago Mayor Edward Kelly Illinois Governor Henry Horner, and Paul Douglass.
Series II, Miscellaneous, contains material collected through Smith’s academic and political career. This includes handwritten notes, calling cards, annotated articles, a copy of a letter from Thomas Jefferson to John Breckinridge, speech notes, invitations, programs and newspaper clippings.
Series III, Political Material, contains legislation, correspondence and ephemera from Smith’s time in the Illinois State Senate and as Congressmen-at-Large. This includes newsletters, organization resolutions, correspondence with politicians, information from various committees, pamphlets and campaign materials.
Series IV, Military, contains material on Military Government and Education in post-war Europe, including lectures by Smith in Army courses on military government for occupation army personnel; material prepared by him for re-educating Germans, some of which is translated into German; survey studies of the postwar situation with regard to German education; weekly bulletins of the Allied Control Commission, with reports on opinion in the occupied territory; and drafts of constitutions for different areas in Germany. The series is organized by area of interest: Germany, Japan and Italy.
Series I: Correspondence |
| Box 1 Folder 1 | Ab-Ak |
| Box 1 Folder 2 | Al-Armo |
| Box 1 Folder 3 | Arms-Ay |
| Box 1 Folder 4 | B-Ba |
| Box 1 Folder 5 | Be-Bl |
| Box 1 Folder 6 | Bo-Bram |
| Box 2 Folder 1 | Bran-Bry |
| Box 2 Folder 2 | Bu-By |
| Box 2 Folder 3 | C-Ca |
| Box 2 Folder 4 | Ce-Cl |
| Box 2 Folder 5 | Co |
| Box 2 Folder 6 | Cr-Cz |
| Box 3 Folder 1 | Darrow, Paul & Ruby 1939-1940 |
| Box 3 Folder 2 | Douglas, Paul, 1938-1941 |
| Box 3 Folder 3 | Da |
| Box 3 Folder 4 | De-Do |
| Box 3 Folder 5 | Dr-Dy |
| Box 3 Folder 6 | E-Ei |
| Box 3 Folder 7 | El-Er |
| Box 3 Folder 8 | Es-Ev |
| Box 3 Folder 9 | Fa-Fin |
| Box 4 Folder 1 | Fis-Fo |
| Box 4 Folder 2 | Fr-Fu |
| Box 4 Folder 3 | G-Gen |
| Box 4 Folder 4 | Geo-Gra |
| Box 4 Folder 5 | Gree-Grey |
| Box 4 Folder 6 | Gri-Gu |
| Box 4 Folder 7 | Horner, Henry, 1934-1941 |
| Box 4 Folder 8 | Ha |
| Box 4 Folder 9 | Hea-Her |
| Box 5 Folder 1 | Hes-Hi |
| Box 5 Folder 2 | Ho |
| Box 5 Folder 3 | Hu-Hy |
| Box 5 Folder 4 | I |
| Box 5 Folder 5 | Jaqua, William, 1939-1941 |
| Box 5 Folder 6 | Ja-Jan |
| Box 5 Folder 7 | Jaq-Johns |
| Box 5 Folder 8 | Johnson-Ju |
| Box 5 Folder 9 | Ka-Ker |
| Box 6 Folder 1 | Kes-Kn |
| Box 6 Folder 2 | Ko-Ku |
| Box 6 Folder 3 | L-Lev |
| Box 6 Folder 4 | Lew-Low |
| Box 6 Folder 5 | Lu-Ly |
| Box 6 Folder 6 | Mitchell, Arthur, 1934-1938 |
| Box 6 Folder 7 | Monroe, James, 1934-1938 |
| Box 6 Folder 8 | M-Ma |
| Box 6 Folder 9 | McA-McCo |
| Box 7 Folder 1 | McCu-McK |
| Box 7 Folder 2 | McL-McS |
| Box 7 Folder 3 | Me |
| Box 7 Folder 4 | Mi |
| Box 7 Folder 5 | Mo |
| Box 7 Folder 6 | Mu-My |
| Box 7 Folder 7 | Negley, Glenn R. |
| Box 7 Folder 8 | Na-Nel |
| Box 7 Folder 9 | Nes-Nu |
| Box 7 Folder 10 | Oa-Ol |
| Box 7 Folder 11 | On-Osm |
| Box 7 Folder 12 | Ost-Oy |
| Box 8 Folder 1 | Pa-Peters |
| Box 8 Folder 2 | Perterson-Pl |
| Box 8 Folder 3 | Po-Pu |
| Box 8 Folder 4 | Q |
| Box 8 Folder 5 | Rankin, Thomas Vernon, 1938-1941 |
| Box 8 Folder 6 | R-Rob |
| Box 8 Folder 7 | Roc-Rosenberg |
| Box 8 Folder 8 | Rosenthal-Ry |
| Box 8 Folder 9 | Secretaries, 1939 |
| Box 8 Folder 10 | Secretaries, 1940 |
| Box 8 Folder 11 | Secretaries, undated |
| Box 8 Folder 12 | S-Sc |
| Box 9 Folder 1 | Se-Sh |
| Box 9 Folder 2 | Si-So |
| Box 9 Folder 3 | Sp-Sti |
| Box 9 Folder 4 | Sto-Sw |
| Box 9 Folder 5 | Toll, Henry, 1934-1938 |
| Box 9 Folder 6 | T-Ta |
| Box 10 Folder 1 | Te-Tw |
| Box 10 Folder 2 | U |
| Box 10 Folder 3 | V |
| Box 10 Folder 4 | W-Web |
| Box 10 Folder 5 | Wec-Wh |
| Box 10 Folder 6 | Wi |
| Box 10 Folder 7 | Wo-Wr |
| Box 10 Folder 8 | Y |
| Box 10 Folder 9 | Z |
| Box 10 Folder 10 | Anonymous Letters |
| Box 10 Folder 11 | Letter Blanks |
| Box 10 Folder 12 | Requests for Speeches |
| Box 11 Folder 1 | Requests for Lincoln Speech, Cooper Union, NY, February 11, 1940 |
Series II: Miscellaneous Materials |
| Box 11 Folder 2 | Misc. writings by T.V. Smith; including, "The Tragic realm of truth, letter to T.V. Smith from "Stewart" |
| Box 11 Folder 3 | Two poems and collected quotes |
| Box 11 Folder 4 | News clippings, including "What is a University," speech of R.M. Hutchins, President of the University of Chicago, 18 April 1935 |
| Box 11 Folder 5 | Newspaper Clippings |
| Box 11 Folder 6 | Miscellaneous |
Series III: Political Materials |
| Box 11 Folder 7 | Bulletins & Bills |
| Box 11 Folder 8 | Legislative Material |
| Box 11 Folder 9 | Finance |
| Box 11 Folder 10 | Organization Resolutions |
| Box 11 Folder 11 | Speeches, Statements and Addresses |
| Box 11 Folder 12 | Political Pamphlets |
| Box 11 Folder 13 | Campaign, 1935 |
| Box 11 Folder 14 | Adverts and Campaign Material |
| Box 11 Folder 15 | Newsletters |
| Box 12 Folder 1 | House of Rep., West Point and Naval Academy Nominations, 1940 |
| Box 12 Folder 2 | House of Rep., West Point and Naval Academy Nominations, examinations, 1940 |
| Box 12 Folder 3 | Campaign, 1940 |
| Box 12 Folder 4 | City Manager Bill Support |
| Box 12 Folder 5 | Columbia Lecture Bureau |
| Box 12 Folder 6 | Lists of Precinct Captains |
| Box 12 Folder 7 | Political Lists and Petitions |
| Box 12 Folder 8 | Professional Lists |
| Box 12 Folder 9 | Census |
| Box 12 Folder 10 | Illinois Legislative Council, correspondence, October 1937- February 1938 |
| Box 12 Folder 11 | Illinois Legislative Council, undated |
| Box 12 Folder 12 | DeKalb Normal Case (Democratic Patronage) |
| Box 12 Folder 13 | T.V. Smith publications, 1923-1946 |
| Box 12 Folder 14 | T.V. Smith Political Printed Material |
Series IV: Military |
| Box 12 Folder 15 | T.V. Smith, Military Printed Material |
| Box 12 Folder 16 | German Prisoners of War |
| Box 13 Folder 1 | Lt. Col. T.V. Smith, Materials of Instruction, course on Military Government, May 17-June 29, 1945, Ft. Kearney, R.I. |
| Box 13 Folder 2 | Course in Military Government |
| Box 13 Folder 3 | Papers from the War Department Regarding Travel and Student Interchange |
| Box 13 Folder 4 | “American History and Institutions” |
| Box 13 Folder 5 | "The Constitution" memo |
| Box 13 Folder 6 | "The Midas Myth touched with Diabolism." Manuscript, in German with some chapters translated into English, Preface, and Chapter I-II. |
| Box 13 Folder 7 | "The Midas Myth," Chapter III-V |
| Box 13 Folder 8 | "The Midas Myth," Chapter VI-VIII |
| Box 13 Folder 9 | “The Midas Myth,” Chapter IX-XIII |
| Box 13 Folder 10 | "The Midas Myth," Appendixes, including Appendix A, An address by TVS at the opening of the University of Catania, 4 Nov 1943 |
| Box 13 Folder 11 | "America from the Inside” |
| Box 13 Folder 12 | Papers regarding Office of Military Government for Germany |
| Box 13 Folder 13 | Denazification |
| Box 13 Folder 14 | Allied Control Commission, Public Relations Branch, weekly bulletin, July-October 1944 |
| Box 14 Folder 1 | Allied Control Commission Education Sub-commission, Education Reports |
| Box 14 Folder 2 | Public Education in Germany |
| Box 14 Folder 3 | Draft Constitutions for Wurttemberg-Baden, Bavaria, Hessen, and Berlin |
| Box 14 Folder 4 | Willard E. Givens, "Tokyo and Return" |
| Box 14 Folder 5 | Books for Japan Mission |
| Box 14 Folder 6 | Education in Italy |