Elizabeth Maury Dean Papers

Elizabeth Maury Dean Papers, 1916-1966 (bulk 1925-1959)

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Dean, Elizabeth Maury, 1908-1997
Title: Elizabeth Maury Dean Papers
Dates: 1916-1966 (bulk 1925-1959) (inclusive)
19161966
Quantity: 2.2 linear feet
Collection Number: Mss 931
Summary: The Elizabeth Maury Dean collection is composed primarily of personal correspondence written between Dean and her parents, H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury, from 1925-1959. The Maurys were from Butte, Montana. Dean moved to Detroit in 1931 where she worked first in newspapers and then as a social worker.
Repository: University of Montana, Mansfield Library, Archives and Special Collections
Archives and Special Collections
Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library
University of Montana
32 Campus Dr. #9936
59812-9936
Missoula, MT
Telephone: 406-243-2053
library.archives@umontana.edu
Access Restrictions: Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of Archives and Special Collections, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, and The University of Montana-Missoula.
Languages: English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Elizabeth Maury was born on October 2, 1908 in Butte, Montana to Henry Lowndes Maury, a prominent attorney who practiced from 1899-1959, and Anne Henderson Maury. She was the fifth of seven children. Elizabeth studied journalism at the University of Montana from 1925-1930 where she was voted "most likely to become the best newspaperman" by her fellow students. After graduation, she moved to Wenatchee, Washington and, later, Glasgow, Montana to report for small-town newspapers such as the Glasgow Courier. As the Great Depression deepened, she moved to Detroit, Michigan in 1931 upon the recommendation of her eldest brother Reuben Maury, a Pulitzer-prize winning writer for the New York Daily News. There she eventually became the Women's Club Editor for the Detroit Free Press, a position she held until 1942. In the second phase of her career, she worked as a social worker in the Detroit metro area during the late 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s. After her retirement, she was named to the Wayne County Solid Waste Commission where she advocated for recycling programs. She was also active in the pro-choice movement and the Detroit Unitarian-Universalist Church.

Elizabeth married John Dean in 1933, and they had two children, John Maury and Josephine Blair. The couple remained married until John Dean's death in 1970. Elizabeth Maury Dean died in 1997 in Dearborn, Michigan.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The bulk of this collection consists of personal correspondence written between Elizabeth Maury Dean and her parents, H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury, from 1925-1959. The Maurys were a prominent family from Butte, Montana. The majority of Dean's letters to her parents were written in Detroit, Michigan, where she moved in 1931 for work in the newspaper industry. After her marriage and the birth of her children, Detroit became the settled home base for the Dean family. In addition, there is some correspondence between John Dean and his in-laws as well as letters sent between the Maury siblings.

Early letters reveal details about student life at the University of Montana in the mid- to late-1920s. Elizabeth Maury Dean's experiences during the Great Depression are prominently featured in her correspondence during the 1930s. Maury family views about WWII, Montana politics and politicians such as Burton K. Wheeler and Wesley A. D'Ewart, book recommendations, and discussion of H. Lowndes Maury's legal victories are expressed in letters written during the 1940s and 1950s. The primary topics covered in this collection concern the home lives and personal affairs of Dean and her immediate family as well as those of her parents and siblings.

In addition, the collection includes photographs of H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury on their 60th Anniversary and an undated portrait of H. Lowndes Maury done by Zubick Art Studio in Butte, Montana.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. and any other applicable statutes. Non-exclusive intellectual property rights are held by the University of Montana.

Preferred Citation

Elizabeth Maury Dean Papers, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana-Missoula.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

This collection has been arranged as a single series. Correspondence has been arranged chronologically by author.

Custodial History

Items within this collection were held by Elizabeth Maury Dean until her death.

Acquisition Information

Elizabeth Maury Dean's daughter, Josephine Blair Dean Cooter, donated this collection to the University of Montana, Mansfield Library, Archives and Special Collections in June of 2018.

Processing Note

Materials were organized chronologically and placed into folders during processing.

Related Materials

The Montana Historical Society holds the Henry Lowndes Maury Papers (MC 177). The University of Montana's Archives and Special Collections holds the Maury Family Papers (Mss 122) and the Lowdnes Maury Papers (Mss 456).

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box/Folder
1/1	Elizabeth Maury Dean, Grade School Language Project McKinley School in Butte, project about George Washington	1916
1/2	University of Montana Letter from UM registrar, UM application, deposit receipt for room	1925
1/3	Elizabeth Maury Dean to H.Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury Student life at UM, sorority life, journalism classes, Tanans (women's honorary organization)	1925-1926
1/4	Elizabeth Maury Dean to H.Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury Move to Detroit, description of newspaper assignments, differences between Montana and city life, Great Depression, work at the Children's Home	1931-1932
1/5	Elizabeth Maury Dean to H.Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury Detroit Free Press, marriage, birth control methods	1933
1/6	Elizabeth Maury Dean to H.Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury Great Depression	1934-1939
1/7	Elizabeth Maury Dean to H.Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury Montgomery Case, brother Lowndes Maury's marriage, views on WWII, Burton K. Wheeler	1940-1941
1/8	Elizabeth Maury Dean to H.Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury WWII, birth of son John Maury Dean, Darian Deal, Montgomery Case victory	1942-1943
1/9	Elizabeth Maury Dean to H.Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury Home life	1944
1/10	Elizabeth Maury Dean to H.Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury VE Day, Detroit factories (return to civilian products), return to unemployment for women, election of Wesley A. D'Ewart, VJ Day celebrations in Detroit, birth of daugher Josephine Blair Dean	1945
1/11	Elizabeth Maury Dean to H.Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury Better Schools Association, home life	1946-1949
1/12	Elizabeth Maury Dean to H.Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury H. Lowndes Maury's car accident, move to a new house	1950-1952
1/13	Elizabeth Maury Dean to H.Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury John Dean illness and hospitalization; Mowat Case victory	1953-1954
1/14	Elizabeth Maury Dean to H.Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury Return to work, social services	1955-1957
1/15	Elizabeth Maury Dean to H.Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury Maury family reunion, trip West, strike at GM plant	1958
2/1	Elizabeth Maury Dean to Anne Maury H. Lowndes Maury's death	1959
2/2	Elizabeth Maury Dean to Anne Maury	1960
2/3	Elizabeth Maury Dean to Anne Maury	1961
2/4	Elizabeth Maury Dean to Anne Maury	1962
2/5	Elizabeth Maury Dean to Anne Maury	1963
2/6	Elizabeth Maury Dean to Anne Maury	1964
2/7	Elizabeth Maury Dean to Anne Maury	1965
2/8	Elizabeth Maury Dean to Anne Maury	1966
2/9	H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean	1926-1927
2/10	H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean	1931
2/11	H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean	1932
3/1	H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean	January - July 1933
3/2	H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean	August - December 1933
3/3	H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean	1934
3/4	H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean	1935
3/5	H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean	1936
3/6	H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean	1937
3/7	H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean	1938
3/8	H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean	1939
3/9	H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean	1940
3/10	H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean	1941
4/1	H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean	January - July 1942
4/2	H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean	August - December 1942
4/3	H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean	1943
4/4	H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean	1944
4/5	H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean	1945-1947
4/6	H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean	1948-1949
4/7	H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean	1951-1952
4/8	H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean	1953
4/9	H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean	January - July 1954
4/10	H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean	August - December 1954
4/11	H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean	1955
5/1	H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean	1956
5/2	H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean	1957
5/3	H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean	1958
5/4	Photograph of H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury 60th Anniversary	undated
5/5	Portrait Photograph of H. Lowndes Maury Zubick Art Studio	undated

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

Depressions
Depressions--1929--Montana--Personal narratives
Manners and customs
Women journalists--United States
Women journalists--United States

Personal Names

Dean, Elizabeth Maury, 1908-1997--Archives
Maury, Anne Henderson
Maury, Henry Lowndes, 1875-1959

Corporate Names

State University of Montana (Missoula, Mont.)
State University of Montana (Missoula, Mont.)--Students

Family Names

Dean family
Dean family--Correspondence
Maury family
Maury family--Correspondence

Geographical Names

Butte (Mont.)--Social life and customs--20th century
Detroit (Mich.)--Social life and customs
Michigan--Detroit
Montana
Montana--Butte
United States

Form or Genre Terms

Family papers
Photographs

Archives West Finding Aid

Table of Contents