Collection Summary
Richard Sharpe Patterson Papers
1776-1998
1857-1983
1776-1998
1857-1983
MSS57612
Patterson, Richard Sharpe, 1908-1976
8,175 items
45 containers plus 1 oversize
18.2 linear feet
English
Collection material in English
Manuscript Division, Library of Congress
Washington, D.C.
Historian and author. Correspondence,
writings, notes, research material, clippings, printed matter, photographs, wax
impressions of seals, and other papers relating primarily to Patterson's research
and writing on the Great Seal of the United States. Also contains material
concerning treaties of the United States, buildings of the State Department, and
portraits of secretaries of state.
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
Dougall, Richardson, 1917-2002. Eagle and the shield : a history of the
great seal of the United States. 1976.
Patterson, Richard Sharpe, 1908-1976.
Patterson, Richard Sharpe, 1908-1976. Eagle and the shield : a history of
the great seal of the United States. 1976.
Organizations
United States. Department of State--Buildings.
Subjects
Cabinet officers--United States--Portraits.
Emblems, National--United States.
Places
United States--Foreign relations--Treaties.
United States--Seal.
Occupations
Authors.
Historians.
Acquisition Information
The papers of Richard Sharpe Patterson, historian and author, were given to the
Library of Congress by Richardson Dougall in 1977. Additional material was
transferred from the Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs, Department
of State, via Frederick Aandahl, in 1978. Dougall donated two additions in 2000.
Processing History
The papers of Richard Sharpe Patterson were organized by Paul Colton and Leonard
Hawley in 1978. The finding aid was revised in 2013. An addition was processed and
the finding aid revised by Rachel McNellis in 2023.
Copyright Status
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of Richard Sharpe Patterson is
governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.).
Access and Restrictions
The papers of Richard Sharpe Patterson 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, Richard Sharpe Patterson Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of
Congress, Washington, D.C.
Biographical Note
Richard Sharpe Patterson was born February 24, 1908, in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
From about 1944 to his retirement in 1965, he was employed by the Department of
State (DOS) and, during part of his tenure, worked closely with DOS officer and
treaty expert David Hunter Miller (1875-1961). An expert on the Great Seal of the
United States, Patterson coauthored The Eagle and the Shield:
A History of the Great Seal of the United States (DOS, 1976) with
Richardson Dougall. Patterson also wrote The Secretaries of
State: Portraits and Biographical Sketches (DOS, 1956) and several
articles in the DOS newsletter State. Patterson married
Mary Peanette Mueller on May 6, 1955. He died in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania,
October 13, 1976.
Scope and Content Note
The papers of Richard Sharpe Patterson (1908-1976) span the years 1776-1998, with the
bulk of the material concentrated in the period 1857-1976. The collection consists
of correspondence, writings, notes, research material, clippings, printed matter,
photographs, wax impressions of seals, and other papers relating primarily to
Patterson's research and writing on the Great Seal of the United States. Included is
material pertaining to
The Eagle and the Shield: A History of the Great Seal of the United
States
(1976) written by Patterson and Richardson Dougall. The collection also
includes documentation concerning treaties of the United States, buildings of the
State Department, portraits of secretaries of state, and Department of State
statistical material.
Arrangement of the Collection
This collection is organized by type of material followed by an addition.
Container List
Container
Contents
1
Correspondence
1
Incoming and outgoing
1
1973
1973
2
1974
1974
3
Incoming, 1975
1975
3
Outgoing, 1975-1976
1975-1976
4
Dougall, Richardson, 1976
1976
5
State Department history, 1776-1965,
undated
1776-1965, undated
5
General reference material, 1953
1953
6
Homes of the Department of State,
1776-1965
1776-1965
7
Miscellany, 1900-1954, undated
1900-1954, undated
8
Reports, 1950-1961
1950-1961
9
Treaties
9
Chronological file
9
1857-1868
1857-1868
10
1868-1874
1868-1874
11
1879-1889
1879-1889
12
1890-1900
1890-1900
13
1900-1911
1900-1911
14-21
Unperfected treaties, undated
undated
22
The Great Seal
22
Correspondence, 1875-1976
1875-1976
23-31
Drafts and notes
32-38
Unused research material
39-43
Galley proofs
44
Microfilm and seals
OV 45
Photographs used as illustrations
46
2023 Addition
46
Clippings,
1964-1996
1964-1996
46
Correspondence, 1977-1998,
undated
1977-1998, undated
(2 folders)
46
Photographs,
undated
undated
46
Printed matter, circa 1945-1982,
1994
1945-1982, 1994
(2 folders)