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/mm76075797
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 Joseph Pulitzer, newspaper editor and publisher, were given to the Library of Congress by his widow, Elizabeth Edgar Pulitzer, in 1974.
The papers of Joseph Pulitzer were described and arranged in 1977 by Grover Batts with the assistance of Paul Colton. The finding aid was revised in 2011. The finding aid was updated in 2023 by Maria Farmer as part of a division-wide remediation project by the Inclusive Description Working Group.
Related material in the Manuscript Division includes the papers of Pulitzer's father, Joseph Pulitzer (1849-1911) .
Copyright in the unpublished writings of Joseph Pulitzer in these papers and in other collections of papers in the custody of the Library of Congress has been dedicated to the public.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 Joseph Pulitzer 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.
A microfilm edition of these papers is available on 163 reels. Consult a reference librarian in the Manuscript Division concerning availability for purchase or interlibrary loan. To promote preservation of the originals, researchers are required to consult the microfilm edition.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Container or reel number, Joseph Pulitzer Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
The papers of Joseph Pulitzer (1885-1955) span the years 1897-1958, with the bulk of the material dated between 1925 and 1955. The collection consists of family and general correspondence, subject and business files, and personal financial records relating primarily to Pulitzer's editorship of the
The Family Correspondence features Pulitzer's letters to his children, Joseph (1913-1993), Michael, Elinor, and Kate Davis. His sons followed him to St. Mark's School in Southborough, Massachusetts, and he maintained close interest in their educational, habits, extracurricular activities, and the character of their friends. Equal concern is shown in his letters to his daughters, Elinor at Stuart School of Art in Boston, and Kate Davis at Foxcroft School in Middleburg, Virginia. The correspondence continues throughout the adult lives of his children. This series also contains a large number of letters pertaining to the settlement of the estate of his father, Joseph Pulitzer (1847-1911).
The General Correspondence series contains letters between Pulitzer and leaders in government and journalism. Many are of a routine nature, but those of interest, such as with Pulitzer's friend, Bernard M. Baruch, discuss divergent topics on national and international affairs, business trends, and hunting and fishing. Correspondence with publishers includes Arthur Hays Sulzberger, Adolph S. Ochs, Agnes Elizabeth Ernst Meyer, Eugene Meyer, Joseph Medill Patterson, and Norman Chandler. This group of papers also contains letters from Sumner Welles, Herbert Bayard Swope, and Stuart Symington, among others.
The Business File focuses on the attention Pulitzer bestowed on all phases of his newspaper's production. Memoranda to staff of the
Although Pulitzer was absent from the
The Business File also includes information on special issues Pulitzer pursued, such as his opposition to President Franklin D. Roosevelt's court-packing plan in 1937, the symposium he organized during World War II on the subject “What We Are Fighting For,” and the series of articles he wrote during an inspection of Nazi concentration camps. The papers also reveal the pride Pulitzer took in the visual aspect of his newspaper, his attention to the appropriateness of typefaces, and his use of advanced rotogravure processes at the
The Subject File contains papers concerning the Pulitzer Prizes instituted by his father, including records relating to nominations, meetings of the advisory board, and the presentation of the awards. Treated also are the management of Pulitzer's principal residence at Clayton, Missouri, and his summer home at Bar Harbor, Maine. There are extensive files on hunting and fishing, replete with records of his catches and descriptions of the types of equipment used, and records of his charitable contributions to individuals and institutions.
The Financial Papers series includes records of Pulitzer's investments in stocks and bonds as well as material relating to estates and trusts set up by Pulitzer and his father.
The collection is arranged in five series:
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/mm76075797
Available on microfilm. Shelf no. 17,256
Letters sent and received by family members.
Arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent and grouped by year where there are large numbers of letters.
Letters sent and received.
Arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent and grouped by year where there are large numbers of letters.
Papers relating to the
Arranged alphabetically and grouped by year where there are large numbers of papers.
Correspondence and related material.
Arranged alphabetically by title of subject matter and grouped by year where there are large numbers of papers.
Papers relating to the creation of trusts and estates, as well as material on insurance, taxes, and investments.
Arranged alphabetically by type of material and grouped by year where there are large numbers of papers.