Collection Summary
Fairfield Osborn Papers
1924-1969
(bulk 1948-1968)
1924-1969
(bulk 1948-1968)
MSS51334
Osborn, Fairfield,
1887-1969
3,400
items
8 containers plus 5 oversize
3.6 linear feet
English
Collection material in
English
Manuscript Division, Library of
Congress
Washington, D.C.
Zoologist and
conservationist. General correspondence, writings, printed matter, and
miscellaneous material relating to Osborn's interest in population control,
soil conservation, forestry, public health, and natural resources.
Selected Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
People
Baruch, Bernard M. (Bernard Mannes), 1870-1965--Correspondence.
De Voto, Bernard, 1897-1955--Correspondence.
Eisenhower, Dwight D. (Dwight David), 1890-1969--Correspondence.
Huxley, Aldous, 1894-1963--Correspondence.
Huxley, Julian, 1887-1975--Correspondence.
Ickes, Harold L. (Harold LeClair), 1874-1952--Correspondence.
Lindbergh, Charles A. (Charles Augustus), 1902-1974--Correspondence.
Lindsay, John V. (John Vliet)--Correspondence.
Lippmann, Walter, 1889-1974--Correspondence.
Moore, Marianne, 1887-1972--Correspondence.
Mumford, Lewis, 1895-1990--Correspondence.
Osborn, Fairfield, 1887-1969.
Osborn, Fairfield, 1887-1969. Our plundered planet. 1948.
Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), 1882-1945--Correspondence.
Stevenson, Adlai E. (Adlai Ewing), 1900-1965--Correspondence.
Stokowski, Leopold, 1882-1977--Correspondence.
Thomas, Norman, 1884-1968--Correspondence.
Truman, Harry S., 1884-1972--Correspondence.
Subjects
Forests and forestry.
Natural resources.
Population policy.
Public health.
Soil conservation.
Occupations
Authors.
Conservationists.
Zoologists.
Provenance
The papers of Fairfield Osborn, zoologist and conservationist, were
given to the Library of Congress by Osborn in 1969.
Processing History
The papers of Fairfield Osborn were arranged and described in 1986.
The finding aid was revised in 2012.
Copyright Status
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of Fairfield
Osborn is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17,
U.S.C.).
Access and Restrictions
The papers of Fairfield Osborn are open to research. Researchers are
advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many
collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these
items for research use.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the
following information: Container number, Fairfield Osborn Papers, Manuscript
Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Biographical Note
Date
Event
1887, Jan. 15
Born, Princeton, N.J.
1909
A.B., Princeton University, Princeton, N.J.
1915
1917
Treasurer, Union Oil Co.
1917
1919
Served in U. S. Army during World War I
1919
1935
Partner, Redmond and Co. (investment bankers)
1923
1935
Trustee and member of executive board, New York Zoological
Society
1935
Retired from business
1935
1940
Secretary and board member, New York Zoological Society
1940
1969
President and board member, New York Zoological Society
1948
Helped establish Jackson Hole Wildlife Park in Wyoming
1948
Published
Our Plundered Planet.
Boston: Little, Brown
1948
1961
Cofounder and first president, Conservation Foundation
1950
1957
Member, conservation advisory committee of the Interior
Department .
1953
Published
The Limits of the Earth.
Boston: Little., Brown
1969, Sept. 16
Died, New York, N.Y
Scope and Content Note
The papers of Fairfield Osborn (1887-1969) span the years 1924-1969,
with the bulk of the material concentrated in the period 1948-1968. The
collection consists of general correspondence, articles, speeches, book
reviews, oversize scrapbooks, notes, clippings, and miscellaneous printed
matter. Major subjects in the articles and speeches include population control,
soil conservation, forestry, public health, and natural resources. The oversize
scrapbooks contain news clippings dealing primarily with Osborn's book,
Our Plundered Planet
(1948).
Correspondents include Bernard M. Baruch, Bernard Augustine De Voto,
Dwight D. Eisenhower, Aldous Huxley, Julian Huxley, Harold L. Ickes
(1874-1952), Charles A. Lindbergh, John V. Lindsay, Walter Lippmann, Marianne
Moore, Lewis Mumford, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Adlai Stevenson (1900-1965),
Leopold Stokowski, Norman Thomas, and Harry S. Truman.
Arrangement of the Papers
This collection is organized by type of material and therein
chronologically or alphabetically by name of subject or topic, with oversize
scrapbooks filed at the end.
Catalog Record: [https://lccn.loc.gov/mm77051334]
Container List
Container
Contents
1
General correspondence,
1924-1969, undated
1924-1969, undated
1
Speeches
1
Copies, drafts, and
notes
1
1946-1959
1946-1959
(4
folders)
2
1960-1966, undated
1960-1966, undated
2
Correspondence and notes,
including some copies of speeches
2
1946-1948
1946-1948
2
1948
1948
2
1948-1949
1948-1949
2
1949, Feb. 8, Carnegie Institution lecture
1949, Feb. 8, Carnegie Institution lecture
2
1948-1949
1948-1949
3
1949
1949
3
1949-1950
1949-1950
(2 folders)
3
1950
1950
3
1950, Oct. 30, Newcomen Society of England
1950, Oct. 30, Newcomen Society of England
3
1951
1951
4
1951-1952
1951-1952
4
1952-1953
1952-1953
4
1951-1953
1951-1953
4
1953-1954
1953-1954
4
1954
1954
4
1954-1955
1954-1955
5
1955
1955
5
1955-1956
1955-1956
5
1958-1960
1958-1960
5
1960-1961
1960-1961
5
1962
1962
5
1962-1963
1962-1963
5
1964-1965
1964-1965
(2
folders)
6
1965-1966
1965-1966
6
1967
1967
6
Undated, notes only
Undated, notes only
6
Writings
6
1946-1963
1946-1963
(3 folders)
7
1964-1967
1964-1967
7
Subject file
7
America's Town Meeting of the
Air
7
1948, Sept. 14
1948, Sept. 14
7
1950, 1950, May 30
1950, 1950, May 30
7
Chamber of Commerce of the United
States, 1949, May 4 Conference, “The Ethical Problems of the Scientist,”
Windsor Great Park, United Kingdom,
1953, July 3-6
1953, July 3-6
8
Eighteenth North American
Wildlife Conference,
1953
1953
8
Invitation refusal,
1966
1966
8
Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, Mid-Century Convocation,
1949, Mar. 31-Apr. 2
1949, Mar. 31-Apr. 2
8
National Conference on Land Use
Policy,
1948
1948
8
National Dairy Laboratories,
Inc., Dedication,
1950, June 2
1950, June 2
8
National Sportsmen's Show,
1950
1950
8
New York Zoological Society,
1947-1967, undated
1947-1967, undated
8
Organizational material
mentioning Osborn,
1948-1956
1948-1956
8
Thirteenth North American
Wildlife Conference,
1947-1948
1947-1948
8
Wenner-Gren Foundation
International Symposium,
1954-1955
1954-1955
8
Writings about Osborn,
1949-1966, undated
1949-1966, undated
OV 9
Oversize scrapbooks
OV 9
American serials and printed
matter
OV 9
1948, Mar.-Oct.
1948, Mar.-Oct.
OV 10
1948, Oct.-1949, Apr.
1948, Oct.-1949, Apr.
OV 11
1949, Mar.-Dec.
1949, Mar.-Dec.
OV 12
1950-1952, June
1950-1952, June
OV 13
Foreign serials and printed
matter,
1948, Nov.-1951, Apr.
1948, Nov.-1951, Apr.