Converted to EAD3 : Encoded Archival Description (EAD), Version 3 : Release: 1.1.1 : Release Date: 2019-12-16. Validating against latest version of schema.
Contact information: https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/mss.contact
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/mm77044016
Collection material in English
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.
The papers of Oswald Veblen, mathematician, were given to the Library of Congress by his wife, Elizabeth Veblen, in 1963. An addition was given by the Mercer County (New Jersey) Division of Culture and Heritage in 2023.
The papers of Oswald Veblen were arranged and described between 1963-1964 by Manuscript Division staff with additional material incorporated into the collection in 1976-1977. The finding aid was revised in 2011. The 2023 Addition was processed and the finding aid revised by Rachel Telford in 2023.
A partial description of the Veblen Papers appears in
Copyright in the unpublished writings of Oswald Veblen in these papers and in other collections of papers in the custody of the Library of Congress has been dedicated to the public.
The papers of Oswald Veblen 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.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Container number, Oswald Veblen Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
The papers of Oswald Veblen (1880-1960) span the years 1881-1960, with the bulk of the material concentrated in the period 1920-1960. The papers relate to the upsurge of pure mathematics and mathematical physics in America, the careers of many scientists who played roles in this development, and various key institutions in the scientific and academic community at the time. The collection is organized into seven series: Diaries, General Correspondence, Subject File, Writings File, Miscellany, 2023 Addition, and Oversize series.
From 1932 until his death in 1960 Veblen was a professor at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, New Jersey. The papers reflect in detail that long association and reveal much about the founding and early years of the institute. There is also some early correspondence covering his years of graduate study, his early years at Princeton University, and later many letters and other material concerning the American Mathematical Society and the founding of
His exchange of letters and ideas with mathematicians and other scientists in both the United States and Europe represents a prominent part of the collection. Among his correspondents are Nobel Prize recipients Niels Bohr, P. A. M. Dirac, Albert Einstein, Robert Andrews Millikan, Linus Pauling, Owen Willans Richardson, and Bertrand Russell. Other major correspondents include James W. Alexander, George David Birkoff, Abraham Flexner, O. Neugebauer, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Roland George Dwight Richardson, Marshall H. Stone, Lewis L. Strauss, Dirk Jan Struik, John Von Neumann, Herman Weyl, John Henry Constantine Whitehead, Norbert Wiener, and Eugene Paul Wigner.
There is considerable material in the papers on Veblen's efforts to aid displaced German scholars and other refugees, including many distinguished scientists. There is also material on his interest in raising the standards of the American scientific community and in stimulating support for research not wedded to specific applied ends. Of particular interest is correspondence detailing the efforts of Veblen and his fellow scientists to raise money between World War I and World War II. The letters include frank comments on the attitudes of business and government toward supporting pure research.
The collection also includes diaries, manuscripts of some of Veblen's speeches and publications, and miscellaneous financial and personal material.
The 2023 Addition largely concerns the daily life and household activities of Veblen and his wife Elizabeth.
This collection is arranged in seven series:
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/mm77044016
Pocket diaries containing appointments and other brief notations.
Arranged chronologically.
Letters received and copies of letters sent.
Arranged alphabetically by correspondent and chronologically within each correspondent's file.
Correspondence, memoranda, recommendations, printed matter, and other material.
Arranged alphabetically by subject and then chronologically.
Articles, bibliography, book manuscripts and notes, and book reviews.
Arranged by type of writing, with articles organized chronologically.
Lecture notebooks and writings of others, biographical data, income tax and insurance data, memorabilia, pocket notebooks, photographs, printed matter, awards, and other material.
Arranged alphabetically by type of material.
The 2023 Addition largely concerns Veblen and his wife Elizabeth's daily life and household activities. The series includes receipts and other documentation of household goods and services, including clothing, groceries, utilities, automobile and home maintenance, and insurance. It also includes photographs of an unidentified wedding and tourist attractions in France and Italy, documentation of incoming and outgoing financial transactions, and incoming correspondence relating to household matters, banking, purchases of books and gifts, charitable donations, and fund raising appeals.
Material types include correspondence, receipts, printed matter, advertising pamphlets, and photographs.
Arranged alphabetically by topic or type of material.
Photographs, certificates, awards, and diplomas.
Arranged and described according to the series, containers, and folders from which the items were removed.