Harlan Henthorne Hatcher Papers, 1837-1998 (majority within 1891-1986)

Summary

Creator:

Hatcher, Harlan Henthorne, 1898-

Abstract:

Harlan Henthorne Hatcher (1898-1998) was president of the University of Michigan from 1951 to 1967. The papers span the years 1837-1998 and document Dr. Hatcher's University of Michigan presidency, Ohio State University career, literary career, organizational involvement, personal life, and family history. Includes correspondence, newspaper clippings, manuscripts, speeches, yearly datebooks, oral history interview transcripts, magnetic audio tape recordings, an audiocassette recording, and photographs.

Extent:

72 linear feet
1 oversize folder
1.1 GB (online)

Language:

English.

Call Number:

851647 Aa 2 Ac

Authors:

Finding aid prepared by: Michigan Historical Collections Staff and Amy K. Watia (1999 accession)

Background

Scope and Content:

The Harlan Henthorne Hatcher Papers document his University of Michigan presidency, Ohio State University career, literary career, organizational involvement, personal life, and family history. The collection spans the years 1837-1998, with the bulk of the materials covering 1891-1986. It includes correspondence, newspaper clippings, manuscripts, speeches, yearly datebooks, oral history interview transcripts, magnetic audio tape recordings, an audiocassette recording, and photographs. The collection is strongest in its documentation of Dr. Hatcher's presidency at the University of Michigan, especially in correspondence and speeches. Documentation is weakest on the subjects of his Ohio State University career before 1944 and organizational involvement before 1967. The collection may be useful to researchers interested in the history of the University of Michigan from 1951-1967, the duties of university administrators and their spouses, authors of the 1920's to 1950's, and environmental activism in Michigan in the 1970's and 1980's.

The Harlan Hatcher collection has been divided into two subgroups of files: those which were created or accumulated from his tenure as president of the University of Michigan (1951-1967) and those materials (mainly personal) dated either prior to or subsequent to Hatcher's presidential years.

The library, as archives of the University of Michigan, is the repository for all of the files of its presidents. For historic reasons, all of the papers of presidents up to and including Harlan Hatcher have been treated as personal collections and cataloged under the name of the president. Beginning with Hatcher's successor - Robben Fleming - and continuing to the present, the files of individuals occupying the president's office have been considered both personal and institutional. Records created from an individual's responsibility as president, usually materials from the years when he was president, are treated as office files and have been cataloged as part of the University of Michigan President's Office record group. Materials from either before or after an individual's tenure as president have been treated separately and have been cataloged under that president's name.

Biographical / Historical:

Harlan Henthorne Hatcher was best known in his roles as author, educator, and university administrator. He published over seventeen books, numerous short stories, and many essays. At Ohio State University he served as an English Instructor, Assistant Professor of English, Professor of English, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and Vice-President. Hatcher served as President of the University of Michigan from 1951 to 1967.

Dr. Hatcher was born on September 9, 1898 to Robert E. Hatcher and Malinda B. (Leslie) Hatcher of Ironton, Ohio. He attended Ohio State University from 1919-1927, receiving his bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in American Literature. In 1925 he completed post-doctoral work at the University of Chicago. Later, Dr. Hatcher spent a year in Italy, France, and England studying the Renaissance.

Harlan Hatcher spent much of his career at Ohio State University. He was an English instructor from 1922-1928, Assistant Professor of English from 1928 to 1932, Professor of English from 1932-1944, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences from 1944 to 1948, and Vice-President of Ohio State University from 1948 to 1951.

In addition, Dr. Hatcher had an active professional life outside of the university. He wrote over seventeen books about the people, the history, and the geology of Michigan, Ohio, and Kentucky in addition to the subject of English Literature. Several of his short stories and essays were published in journals. In 1937 and 1938 Dr. Hatcher directed the Ohio branch of the Federal Writers Project, and he was the editor of their final product, The Ohio Guide. From 1938 to 1944 he wrote a weekly book critic column in the Columbus Citizen. He was the Editorial Advisor for College English from 1938 to1948, and was guest editor for several other publications. Dr. Hatcher was also involved in the military. He was a U.S. Army Private in 1918 and a Naval Reserve Lieutenant from 1942 to 1944. He served as a V-5 Instructor at the Pre-Flight School in Chapel Hill, North Carolina in 1944.

In 1951 Harlan Hatcher became president of the University of Michigan, a position he held until 1967. Under his leadership, enrollment more than doubled and the budget nearly quadrupled. He oversaw the development of North Campus and the regional campuses in Flint and Dearborn. He revolutionized the university's library system with the establishment of the Undergraduate Library, which was open long hours and had open-shelf access to books.

Dr. Hatcher was an active participator in organizations. His Faculty Personnel Record for the University of Michigan names membership or involvement in over eighty-five organizations through the 1960s. He dedicated his retirement to the problems of pollution and urbanization of the Great Lakes. He was president of the Developing Great Lakes Megalopolis Research Project (DGLMRP), he was on the board of directors for the Center for the Great Lakes (CFGL), and he was a trustee of the Great Lakes Foundation.

Dr. Hatcher's first wife, Frank (Dot) Wilson Colfax, predeceased him. He married Anne Gregory Vance in 1942. They had two children, Robert Leslie and Anne Linda. Harlan Hatcher died in 1998, at the age of ninety-nine.

Acquisition Information:

The papers were transferred from the President's Office (donor no. 343 ) and from Harlan and Anne Hatcher and their family (donor no. 4589 ).

Arrangement:

Summary Contents List

1. University of Michigan Presidency, 1951-1967 [Boxes 1-59]
   • Yearly Correspondence File, 1951-1967 (arranged by academic year) [Boxes 1-48]
   • Organizational Responsibilities/Special Activities as President, 1953-1967 [Boxes 48-54]
     • Michigan Council of State College Presidents, 1958-1964 [Boxes 48-49]
     • Midwestern University Research Association, 1954-1962 [Boxes 49-50]
     • Sesquicentennial Celebration of the University of Michigan [Boxes 50-51]
     • Commission on the Education of Women (American Council on Education) [Box 51]
     • Institute for Defense Analyses [Box 52]
     • Association of American Universities [Box 52]
     • Citizens Committee on Higher Education [Box 52]
     • Council for Financial Aid to Education [Box 53]
     • Joint Office of Institutional Research [Box 53]
     • Michigan State University (Change of Name) [Box 53]
     • National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges [Boxes 53-54]
   • Ceremonial/Public Role as President, 1951-1967 [Boxes 54-58]
     • Inauguration, November 27, 1951 [Box 54]
     • Engagements - Invitations - accepted (correspondence) [Box 55]
     • Speeches [Boxes 56-57]
     • International Travel [Box 58]
   • Topical Files, 1951-1967 (arranged alphabetically) [Box 59]

1. Pre- and Post-Presidential Files [Boxes 60-72]
   • Personal/Biographical, 1837-1997 [Boxes 60-62]
     • Miscellaneous [Box 60]
     • Yearly Datebooks [Box 60]
     • Interviews [Box 60]
     • Autobiographical Writings [Box 60]
     • Family [Boxes 61-62]
   • Writings, 1918-1991 [Boxes 62-64]
     • Coursework [Box 62]
     • Poetry [Box 62]
     • Books [Boxes 62-63]
     • Essays and Short Stories [Box 64]
     • Book Reviews by Harlan Hatcher [Box 64]
     • Miscellaneous [Box 64]
   • Ohio State University, 1919-1951 [Boxes 64-69]
     • Teaching Materials [Box 64]
     • Clippings [Box 65]
     • Correspondence [Box 65]
     • Organizations [Box 65]
     • Speeches [Box 66]
     • Dean's Personal and Professional File [Boxes 66-68]
     • Vice President's Personal and Professional File [Boxes 68-69]
   • U.S. Military, 1942-1944 [Box 70]
   • Retirement, 1968-1998 [Boxes 70-72]
     • Clippings [Box 70]
     • Correspondence [Box 70]
     • Organizations [Boxes 70-71]
     • Speeches [Boxes 71-72]
     • Travels [Box 72]
   • Audio and Visual Materials [Box 72]
     • Photographs [Box 72]
     • Audio Recordings of Speeches [Box 72]

Related

Alternative Form Available:

Digitization: The Library has undertaken the digitization of a number of sound recordings within this collection. The resulting audio files are available for playback only in the Bentley Library Reading Room. Links to item images and additional information are available within this finding aid. Original sound recordings are only available for staff use.

Subjects

Click on terms below to find any related finding aids on this site.

Subjects:

Academic freedom.
Authors, American -- Michigan.
Demonstrations -- Michigan -- Ann Arbor.
Disarmament.
Draft.
Education -- Michigan -- Ann Arbor.
Great Lakes Region -- Research.
Greek letter societies -- Michigan -- Ann Arbor.
The Michigan Daily.
Poliomyelitis.
Radicalism -- Michigan -- Ann Arbor.
Vietnamese Conflict, 1961-1975.

Formats:

Photographs.

Names:

Center for the Great Lakes (Chicago, Ill.)
Cinema Guild (Ann Arbor, Mich.)
Developing Great Lakes Megalopolis Research Project.
Michigan Historical Collections.
Michigan Memorial Phoenix Project.
Michigan Union.
Ohio State University.
United States. Army. Reserve Officers' Training Corps.
United States. Congress. House. Committee on Un-American Activities.
University of Michigan -- Administration.
University of Michigan -- Alumni and alumnae.
University of Michigan -- Anniversaries, etc.
University of Michigan. Board in Control of Intercollegiate Athletics.
University of Michigan. Board in Control of Student Publications.
University of Michigan.
University of Michigan. Dept. of Military Science and Tactics.
University of Michigan -- Faculty.
University of Michigan -- Football.
North Campus (University of Michigan)
University of Michigan -- Sports.
University of Michigan -- Students -- Societies, etc.
University of Michigan. President.
University of Michigan. Sesquicentennial Office.
University of Michigan -- Students -- Political activity.
University of Michigan -- Students -- Social life and customs -- 1951-1960.
University of Michigan -- Students -- Social life and customs -- 1961-1970.
William L. Clements Library.
Writers' Program (Ohio)
Hill Auditorium (University of Michigan)
University of Michigan. Board of Regents.
University of Michigan -- Buildings.
American Council on Education.
Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Council of Ten.
Economic Club of Detroit.
Ford Foundation.
Institute of International Education (New York, N.Y.)
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (U.S.)
Hatcher family.
Hatcher, Harlan, 1898-1998.
Salk, Jonas, 1914-1995.
Chiang, Kai-Shek, 1887-1975.
Ford, Gerald R., 1913-2006.
Johnson, Lyndon B. (Lyndon Baines), 1908-1973.
Nu, U.
Soekarno, 1901-1970.
Baits, Vera Burridge, 1892-1963.
Bentley, Alvin M. (Alvin Morell), 1918-1969.
Bonisteel, Roscoe O. (Roscoe Osmond), 1888-
Bunche, Ralph J. (Ralph Johnson), 1904-1971.
Cohen, Wilbur J. (Wilbur Joseph), 1913-1987.
Connable, Alfred B. (Alfred Barnes), 1904-
Cutler, Richard Loyd, 1925-
Dewey, Thomas E. (Thomas Edmund), 1902-1971.
Doan, Leland Ira, 1894-1974.
Douglas, William O. (William Orville), 1898-1980.
Edmonson, James Bartlett, 1882-1954.
Eisenhower, Dwight D. (Dwight David), 1890-1969.
Eisenhower, Milton Stover, 1899-1985.
Ford, Henry, 1917-1987.
Hannah, John A., 1902-1991.
Hart, Philip A. (Philip Aloysius), 1912-1976.
Herbert, J. Joseph, 1894-1956.
Hilberry, Clarence Beverly, 1902-
Kennedy, Charles Stuart, 1887-1966.
Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963.
Lawton, James Frederick, 1888-1969.
Matthaei, Frederick C. (Frederick Carl), 1892-1973.
Meader, George, 1907-1994.
Niehuss, Marvin Lemmon, 1903-2003.
Ormandy, Eugene, 1899-1985.
Osborn, Stellanova, 1894-1988.
Oswald, Marina, 1941-
Pierpoint, Wilbur K., 1914-
Power, Eugene B., 1905-
Roosevelt, Eleanor, 1884-1962.
Ruthven, Alexander Grant, 1882-1971.
Salisbury, Harrison E. (Harrison Evans), 1908-1993.
Sawyer, Ralph A. (Ralph Alanson), 1895-1978.
Shriver, Sargent, 1915-2011.
Smith, Allan Frederick, 1911-
Swainson, John B. (John Burley), 1925-1994.
Thant, U, 1909-1974.
Warren, Earl, 1891-1974.
Williams, G. Mennen, 1911-1988.

Places:

Panama Canal (Panama)