Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
E. Raymond Attebery Papers, 1913-1979
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Attebery, E. Raymond (Edgar Raymond), 1895-1944
- Title
- E. Raymond Attebery Papers
- Dates
- 1913-1979 (inclusive)19131979
- Quantity
- 1.55 cubic ft. (4 boxes)
- Collection Number
- 3176
- Summary
- Papers of a Seattle clergyman and civic leader documenting activities as a civic leader, soldier and military chaplain
- Repository
-
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu - Access Restrictions
-
The collection is open to all users.
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was partially provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Edgar Raymond Attebery was born in Missouri on Sept. 11, 1895. After graduating from Everett High School he attended Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, until his studies were interrupted by World War I. In 1917 he joined the Oregon National Guard and served for two years, including 14 months in France. After the war, he earned his B.A. from the University of Washington in 1921, attended Oxford University on a Rhodes Scholarship, and received his bachelor of theology degree from Harvard Divinity School in 1925.
In Sept. 1925 Attebery became pastor of Grace Methodist Episcopal Church in Seattle (renamed Grace Methodist Church ca. 1939). He would serve in that post the rest of his life. In addition to his work in the ministry, Attebery was active in a number of civic causes. In 1929 he played an active role in the effort to free Industrial Workers of the World members jailed after the 1919 Armistice Day clash between workers and veterans in Centralia. He was also a vocal advocate of Prohibition and a critic of American isolationism.
Attebery joined the Washington National Guard as a chaplain in 1929. He was called to active duty in September 1940, and sent overseas the following year. He died while landing with his division on Biak Island, New Guinea, in May 1944.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The E. Raymond Attebery Papers document the Seattle pastor's activities as a civic leader, soldier, and military chaplain.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
Organized into 2 accessions.
- Accession No. 3176-001, E. Raymond Attebery papers, 1918-1944
- Accession No. 3176-002, E. Raymond Attebery papers, 1919-1943
Acquisition Information
Accession 3176-1 was donated by Rev. Attebery's widow, Miriam, in 1980. She donated the materials in Accession 3176-2 in 1989.
Separated Materials
Eighteen photographs, largely taken during Attebery's service in World War II, were transferred to the E. Raymond Attebery Photograph Collection in the division in 2004.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Accession No. 3176-001: E. Raymond Attebery papers, 1918-1944Return to Top
Scope and Content: Accession 3176-001 includes correspondence with his family. The bulk of the letters are to his wife, Miriam, written while Attebery was serving as a chaplain during World War II. There are also letters to his children, Eliot, Jerry, Edgar, and Gay. (Edgar also served in World War II and would be killed in action just months after his father's death.) Letters to his mother, Betty, date largely from his time in France during World War I. A scrapbook containing letters and clippings documents Attebery's career from the early 1930s. The Class Notes were made while Attebery was attending Harvard Divinity School.
Restrictions on Access: The collection is open to all users.
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box/Folder | Accession | ||
1/1 | 3176-001 | Incoming Letters |
1936-1943 |
Outgoing Letters
to |
|||
Box/Folder | Accession | ||
1/2 | 3176-001 | Attebery, Bettie L. |
1918, 1944 |
1/3-13 | 3176-001 | Attebery, Miriam |
1939-1944 |
1/14 | 3176-001 | Attebery, Eliot |
1942 |
1/15 | 3176-001 | Attebery, Gerald |
1943 |
1/16 | 3176-001 | Miscellaneous |
1943 |
General Correspondence |
|||
Box/Folder | Accession | ||
1/17 | 3176-001 | Attebery, Edgar R. |
1942-1943 |
1/18 | 3176-001 | Attebery, Gay |
1943 |
Box/Folder | Accession | ||
2/1 | 3176-001 | Correspondence Regarding
Application for Rhodes Scholarship |
1919-1920 |
2/2 | 3176-001 | Correspondence to Miriam
Attebery Regarding E. Raymond Attebery |
1942, 1944 |
2/3 | 3176-001 | Speeches and
Writings |
1922-1944 |
2/4-5 | 3176-001 | Class Notes |
1922-1924 |
2/6 | 3176-001 | Appointment
Book |
1937 |
2/7 | 3176-001 | Legal
Documents |
1919-1927 |
2/8 | 3176-001 | Diplomas and
Honors |
1921-1944 |
Box | |||
3 | 3176-001 | Scrapbook |
1919-1979 |
Box/Folder | |||
2/9 | 3176-001 | Clippings |
1943-1979, n.d. |
2/10 | 3176-001 | Ephemera |
n.d. |
Accession No. 3176-002: E. Raymond Attebery papers, 1919-1943Return to Top
Scope and Content: Accession 3176-2 includes additional personal and church-related correspondence. Of note is a letter from President Franklin D. Roosevelt asking for Attebery's comments on local social conditions. His stance on Prohibition is outlined in the Writing file. The Friends of City Light subgroup includes correspondence and minutes of the organization, which was formed to support municipal ownership of Seattle's electric utility. The Committee on the Centralia Armistice Day Tragedy subgroup documents the efforts of Washington State church groups and individuals to exonerate International Workers of the World members imprisoned after the 1919 confrontation. The committee was established by the Puget Sound Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1929 to investigate the Centralia shootings and was part of a local movement that eventually led to a joint investigation by several national religious organizations. Attebery served as secretary of that special committee. The correspondence files document Attebery's requests to national organizations to join the effort. The report issued by the national groups in 1930 is also found in this subgroup.
Restrictions on Access: The collection is open to all users.
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Personal
Papers |
|||
Box/Folder | Accession | ||
1/1 | 3176-002 | Biographical |
|
1/2-3 | 3176-002 | Incoming Correspondence |
1928-1944 |
1/4 | 3176-002 | Outgoing Correspondence |
1938-1944 |
1/5 | 3176-002 | General Correspondence |
1940-1941 |
1/6 | 3176-002 | Writing |
n.d. |
1/7 | 3176-002 | Clipping |
n.d. |
1/8 | 3176-002 | Scrapbook |
1937-1942 |
1/9 | 3176-002 | Ephemera |
1913-1944 |
Friends of City
Light |
1913-1979 | ||
Box/Folder | Accession | ||
1/10 | 3176-002 | Incoming Correspondence |
1936-1933 |
1/11 | 3176-002 | Outgoing Correspondence |
1932-1939 |
1/12 | 3176-002 | Minutes |
1936-1939 |
1/13 | 3176-002 | Transcript - City Council - Department
Efficiency Committee Meeting |
1937 |
1/14 | 3176-002 | Financial Documents |
1936-1939 |
1/15 | 3176-002 | Ephemera |
1935-1937 |
Methodist Episcopal
Church, Puget Sound Conference, Committee on the Centralia Armistice Day
Tragedy |
|||
Box/Folder | Accession | ||
1/16 | 3176-002 | Incoming Correspondence |
1929-1930 |
1/17 | 3176-002 | Outgoing Correspondence |
1929-1930 |
1/18 | 3176-002 | Reports - Conclusions of Committee |
1930 |
1/19 | 3176-002 | Writing |
n.d. |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Centralia Massacre, Centralia, Wash., 1919
- Centralia Tragedy, Centralia, Wash., 1919
- Chaplains, Military--Methodist Church--Archives
- Chaplains, Military--United States--Archives
- Civic leaders--Washington (State)--Seattle--Archives
- Personal Papers/Corporate Records (University of Washington)
- Public utilities--Washington (State)--Seattle
- Soldiers--Correspondence
- World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American
Personal Names
- Attebery, Bettie L
- Attebery, E. Raymond (Edgar Raymond), 1895-1944--Archives
- Attebery, Gay
- Attebery, Miriam
Corporate Names
- Friends of City Light
- Grace Methodist Church (Seattle, Wash.)
- Grace Methodist Episcopal Church (Seattle, Wash.)
- Industrial Workers of the World
- Methodist Episcopal Church. Puget Sound Conference. Committee on the Centralia Armistice Day Tragedy