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)
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.

Request at UW

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

Restrictions on Use

There are no restrictions on the use of the collection.

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

1.13 cubic ft. (3 boxes)

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

.42 cubic ft. (1 box)

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