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Montana State College, Office of the President Records, 1881-1939
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Montana State College. Office of the President
- Title
- Montana State College, Office of the President Records
- Dates
- 1881-193918811939
(bulk 1894-1919)18941919 - Quantity
- 4.8 linear feet
- Collection Number
- Accession 74001, MtBC, us (accession)
- Summary
- The Montana State College President's Office Records consist of correspondence, reports, budgets, and other papers dealing with the operation of the institution. Matters documented in the files range from the routine hiring of employees such as custodians, to student instruction, state and federal agency regulations, and college departmental reports. The records say much about the wide ranging duties of the early presidents of the institution and the slow relinquishment of some activities as the faculty and administrative infrastructure grew.
- Repository
-
Montana State University Library, Merrill G. Burlingame Special Collections
Montana State University-Bozeman Library
Merrill G Burlingame Special Collections
P.O. Box 173320
Bozeman, MT
59717-3320
Telephone: 4069944242
Fax: 4069942851
- Access Restrictions
-
Folders containing the academic ranking, grades, and discipline of individual identified students are restricted from research until 2020. These folders have been marked with (R) in this inventory.
- Languages
- English
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Montana State University (MSU) was founded in 1893 as the state's land-grant college, and named the Agricultural College of the State of Montana. Later renamed the Montana College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, by the 1920s it was commonly referred to as Montana State College (MSC). The college was initially overseen by a local executive board which hired the president and faculty, but as time passed the board became much more peripheral in the operations of the school. The first president hired was Augustus M. Ryon, who led the college from its inception to 1894 when the executive board replaced him with James Reid. In 1904, James M. Hamilton, a former superintendent of public schools in Missoula, was chosen as president, and he remained in the office until 1919. In 1913, the Montana state legislature passed a bill that consolidated the all of the state's colleges into one system under the administration of a chancellor. Hamilton resigned the presidency, but was not allowed to actually vacate the office until 1919. Alfred Atkinson was MSC's next president, and Hamilton was appointed Dean of Men and resumed teaching in the newly-formed department of economics.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The Montana State College President's Office records consist of correspondence, reports, budgets, and other papers dealing with the operation of the institution. Matters documented in the files range from the routine hiring of employees such as custodians, to student instruction, state and federal agency regulations, and college departmental reports. The records say much about the wide ranging duties of the early presidents of the institution and the slow relinquishment of some activities as the faculty and administrative infrastructure grew. These records have been arranged into four series. The first encompasses the administrations of Augustus M. Ryon and James Reid, 1894-1904. At one time when library personnel attempted to order the files these records were labeled as "PR-2," and it is assumed that "PR-1" had been intended to encompass any of Ryon's papers created during his brief tenure as president from April 1893 to the appointment of Reid in 1894. Ryon's records apparently were never discovered. The second series is the largest, consisting of files identified as "PR-3" and pertains to the administration of James M. Hamilton who served as president from 1904 to 1919. A relatively small group of additional papers retained in this accession have been designated as series three and four. Series three contains a few files kept by Hamilton as he served as Dean of Men and a professor of economics after he resigned from the presidency. Series four is entirely composed of Hamilton's personal papers and memorabilia which encompass his early teaching career, family letters, speeches and manuscripts. Overall the records of this accession have been arranged in topically labeled folders, and little attempt has been made to rearrange the several different sorting operations conducted by a succession of university library employees assigned to the task from 1966 to 1974. The result of the sorting operations has obscured whatever original order had been present among the records.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
Series 1 Augustus M. Ryon and James Reid Administrations, 1894-1904
Series 2 James M. Hamilton Administration, 1904-1919
Series 3 James M. Hamilton, Dean of Men and Professor of Economics Files, 1919-1939
Series 4 James M. Hamilton Personal Papers, 1881-1927
Acquisition Information
Correspondence, reports, financial statements and other records created or maintained by the office of the Montana State College president's office were gathered from different campus locations. Several open cartons found on the fourth floor of Roberts Hall sometime prior to 1966 were combined with three units of small drawer cabinets from the Registrar's office in Montana Hall. The cabinets had been apparently been forgotten when President James M. Hamilton's office was enlarged earlier in the twentieth century and contained Hamilton's personal papers along with some of the records he created while serving as the Dean of Men after his presidency. During the summer of 1966 the contents of the cartons were removed and flattened before their placement in manila envelopes, but aside from separating printed materials there was no further attempt to logically sort the material. Additional files found in the old telephone office of Montana Hall in 1958 were also added to the mix in the 1960s. The combined papers were recorded as a separate accession in 1974 with a rough arrangement identifying files pertaining to the administration of James Reid, president from 1894-1904 as "PR-2" and the files pertaining to Hamilton's tenure from 1904-1919 as "PR 3."
Processing Note
This collection was processed 2013 May 16
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Series 1: Augustus M. Ryon and James Reid Administrations, 1894-1904Return to Top
These reports and letters are the earliest records of Montana State Unviersity and encompass the presidency of Augustus M. Ryon and James Reid, from 1894 to 1904. The files contain reports created or recieved by the president's office and general correspondence. Not all years are represented in each named file, but wherever possible all reports known to exist have been included. The reports and correspondence of this series deal with both the instructional activities of the college and the operation of the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station. Some of the early faculty were involved with both activities as well. Reports and other documents are interfiled with correspondence pertaining to the folder subject title. The earliest records of the college created or maintained by Ryon are for the most part absent from this series, although from the preliminary arrangment strategy it is obvious they were intended to be part of this grouping.
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
1/1 | Departments-Agriculture |
|
1/2 | Departments-Agriculture and irrigation
engineering |
|
1/3 | Departments-Art |
|
1/4 | Departments-Biology |
|
1/5 | Departments-Botany and
bacteriology |
|
1/6 | Departments-Business |
|
1/7 | Departments-Chemistry |
|
1/8 | Departments-Domestic Science |
|
1/9 | Departments-Electrical
engineering |
|
1/10 | Departments-Engineering (historical
summary |
to 1911) |
1/11 | Departments-English, Latin,
History |
|
1/12 | Departments-Horticulture |
|
1/13 | Departments-Library |
|
1/14 | Departments-Mathematics |
|
1/15 | Departments-Mechanical Engineering and
Mathematics |
|
1/16 | Departments-Modern Language |
|
1/17 | Departments-Music |
|
1/18 | Departments-Physics |
|
1/19 | Departments-Prep School |
|
1/20 | Departments-Veterinary Science and
Zoology |
|
1/21 | Executive Board |
November 28, 1894 |
1/22 | Executive Board |
May 21, 1895 |
1/23 | Executive Board |
May 27-December 4, 1896 |
1/24 | Executive Board |
May 20-December 24, 1897 |
1/25 | Executive Board |
May 21, 1900 |
1/26 | Executive Board |
May 31, 1902 |
1/27 | Executive Board |
May 29, 1903 |
1/28 | Experiment Station |
|
1/29-30 | Treasurer's Report |
|
1/31 | U.S. Department of the
Interior |
1893-1895 |
1/32 | U.S. Department of the
Interior |
1896-1898 |
1/33 | U.S. Department of the
Interior |
1899-1901 |
1/34 | U.S. Department of the
Interior |
1902-1904 |
Series 2: James M. Hamilton Administration, 1904-1919Return to Top
Topically labeled folders of correspondence and reports, alphabetically arranged. Most of these files pertain to the routine operation of the college, interactions with federal and state officials, and especially the office of the Chancellor of the Montana University System. Again, the activities of the Montana Agriculture Experiment station are especially prominent, but the reports of the president to the local executive board change over time to ones submitted to the state Board of Education. For the most part correspondence pertaining to the folder's topical label has been retained with the related reports, but a stalled attempt by library personnel was made in the late 1960s to separate the president's correspondence by alphabetical and/or chronological order regardless of the topic. These folders, numbered 4-31 in box 5, have not been disrupted and retain their preliminary sorting order. Folders containing student academic or disciplinary information are restricted and marked with (R).
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
2/1 | American Council on Education |
|
2/2 | Association of American Agricultural
Colleges and Experiment Stations |
|
2/3 | Budget |
1904-1905 |
2/4 | Budget |
1909 |
2/5 | Budget |
1914-1915 |
2/6 | Budget |
1916-1919 |
2/7 | Budget |
1917-1919 |
2/8 | Budget |
1917-1918 |
2/9 | Budget |
1918-1919 |
2/10 | Budget |
1919-1920 |
2/11 | Buildings-Barracks |
|
2/12 | Buildings-Chemistry II |
|
2/13 | Buildings-Engineering (Roberts
Hall) |
|
2/14 | Buildings-Engineering,
temporary |
|
2/15 | Buildings-Hamilton Hall |
|
2/16 | Business Office-Miscellaneous
letters |
|
2/17 | Claims |
|
2/18 | Committees-Buildings and
Grounds |
|
2/19 | Committees-General |
|
2/20 | Consolidation of the University
System |
|
2/21 | Consolidation of the University
System-clippings |
|
2/22 | Departments-Agricultural
Engineering |
|
2/23 | Departments-Agronomy |
|
2/24 | Departments-Animal Husbandry |
|
2/25 | Departments-Applied Art |
|
2/26 | Departments-Art |
|
2/27 | Departments-Athletics |
|
2/28 | Departments-Biology |
|
2/29 | Departments-Botany and
Bacteriology |
|
2/30 | Departments-Business |
|
2/31 | Departments-Chemical
Engineering |
|
2/32 | Departments-Chemistry |
|
2/33 | Departments-Dairying |
|
2/34 | Departments-Engineering, Civil |
|
2/35 | Departments-Engineering,
Electrical |
|
2/36 | Departments-Engineering,
Mechanical |
|
2/37 | Departments-English and Latin |
|
2/38 | Departments-Entomology |
|
2/39 | Departments-History and Latin |
|
2/40 | Departments-Home Economics |
|
2/41 | Departments-Horticulture |
|
2/42 | Departments-Library |
|
2/43 | Departments-Mathematics |
|
2/44 | Departments-Military |
|
2/45 | Departments-Modern Language |
|
2/46 | Departments-Music |
|
2/47 | Departments-Pharmacy |
|
2/48 | Departments-Physical Education |
|
2/49 | Departments-Physics |
|
2/50 | Departments-Poultry |
|
2/51 | Departments-Preparatory School |
|
2/52 | Departments-Zoology |
|
2/53 | Divisions-Agriculture |
|
2/54 | Divisions-Applied Science |
|
2/55-56 | Division-Engineering |
|
3/1 | Emergency Food Production |
|
3/2 | Executive Board reports |
|
3/3 | Experiment Station reports |
1904 |
3/4 | Experiment Station reports |
1906 |
3/5 | Experiment Station reports |
1907 |
3/6 | Experiment Station reports |
1909 |
3/7 | Experiment Station reports |
1910 |
3/8 | Experiment Station reports |
1911 |
3/9 | Experiment Station reports |
1912 |
3/10 | Experiment Station reports |
1913 |
3/11 | Experiment Station reports |
1914 |
3/12 | Experiment Station reports |
1915 |
3/13 | Experiment Station reports |
1916 |
3/14 | Experiment Station reports |
1917 |
3/15 | Experiment Station reports |
1918 |
3/16 | Experiment Station reports |
1919 |
3/17 | Experiment Station reports |
undated |
3/18 | Extension service |
|
3/19 | Faculty-Abbey, M. J. |
|
3/20 | Faculty-Absences |
|
3/21 | Faculty-Herrick, Una |
|
3/22 | Faculty-Holst, J. H. |
|
3/23 | Faculty-Letters of appointment |
|
3/24 | Faculty-Lists |
1893-1917 |
3/25 | Faculty-Problems |
|
3/26 | Faculty-Salaries |
|
3/27 | Faculty-Suggestions and
regulations |
|
3/28 | Farmer's Institutes |
March 22, 1909 |
3/29 | Farmer's Institutes |
1908-1910 |
3/30 | Farmer's Institutes |
February 28, 1911 |
3/31 | Farmer's Institutes |
February 29, 1912; October 1, 1912 |
6/32 | Farmer's Institutes |
February 28, 1913 |
3/33 | Farmer's Institutes |
February 28, 1914 |
3/34 | Farmer's Institutes |
March 1914 |
3/35 | Farmer's Institutes |
September 1, 1914 |
3/36 | Farmer's Institutes |
February 28, 1915 |
3/37 | Farmer's Institutes |
February 29, 1916 |
3/38 | Farmer's Institutes |
February 28, 1918 |
3/39 | Farmer's Institutes |
November 27, 1918 |
3/40 | Farmer's Institutes |
June 15, 1919 |
3/41 | Farmer's National Defense |
|
3/42 | Financial estimate |
1911-1916 |
3/43 | Financial statement |
1905 |
3/44 | Fort Ellis cannon |
|
3/45 | Health Services |
|
3/46 | High school course of study |
|
3/47 | Insurance |
|
3/48 | Inventories of departments |
|
3/49 | Montana. Attorney General |
|
3/50 | Montana. Board of Education |
|
3/51 | Montana. Board of Examiners |
|
3/52 | Montana. Department of Public
Instruction |
|
3/53 | Montana. Governor |
|
3/54 | Montana. Legislature |
|
3/55 | Montana. State Normal College |
|
3/56 | Montana. Treasurer |
|
3/57 | National Education Association |
|
3/58 | Payroll |
|
3/59 | President's report to Governor |
1912 |
3/60 | President's report to Executive
Board |
1905 |
3/61 | President's report to Executive
Board |
1906 |
3/62 | President's report to Executive
Board |
1907 |
3/63 | President's report to Executive
Board |
1908 |
3/64 | President's report to State Board of
Education |
1909 |
3/65 | President's report to State Board of
Education |
1910 |
3/66 | President's report to State Board of
Education |
1911 |
3/67 | President's report to State Board of
Education |
1912 |
3/68 | President's report to State Board of
Education |
1913 |
3/69 | President's report to State Board of
Education |
1914 |
4/1-2 | Registrar-summaries |
|
4/3 | Registrar-grade reports
(R)
|
1914 |
4/4 | Registrar-grade reports
(R)
|
1915 |
4/5 | Registrar-grade reports
(R)
|
1916 |
4/6 | Registrar-grade reports
(R)
|
1917 |
4/7 | Reorganization of Montana State
College |
1915-1916 |
4/8 | Students-activity fees |
|
4/9 | Students-discipline
(R)
|
|
4/10 | Students-petitions |
|
4/11 | Students-regulations |
|
4/12 | Students-statistics |
|
4/13 | Students-World War I questions |
|
4/14 | Summer sessions |
|
4/15 | Textbooks |
|
4/16 | Trial balances |
1909-1915 |
4/17 | Treasurer's reports |
|
4/18 | United States. Bureau of
Education |
|
4/19 | United States. Department of
Agriculture |
|
4/20 | United States. Department of the
Interior |
1904-1907 |
4/21 | United States. Department of the
Interior |
1908-1910 |
4/22 | United States. Department of the
Interior |
1911-1913 |
4/23 | United States. Department of the
Interior |
1914-1916 |
4/24 | United States. Department of the
Interior |
1917-1919 |
4/25 | United States. Forest Service |
|
4/26-30 | United States. War Department |
|
4/31-32 | United States. University Code |
|
4/33 | University of Montana. Chancellor's
Office-administrative memos |
|
4/34 | University of Montana. Chancellor's
Office-athletics |
|
4/35 | University of Montana. Chancellor's
Office-buildings |
|
4/36 | University of Montana. Chancellor's
Office-calendar |
|
4/37 | University of Montana. Chancellor's
Office-financial statements |
|
4/38 | University of Montana. Chancellor's
Office-legislative memorandum |
|
4/39 | University of Montana. Chancellor's
Office-MSC correspondence |
|
4/40 | University of Montana. Chancellor's
Office-MSC property |
|
4/41 | University of Montana. Chancellor's
Office-president's conference |
|
4/42 | University of Montana. Chancellor's
Office-students |
|
4/43 | University of Montana. Chancellor's
Office-war correspondence |
|
4/44 | University of Montana. President's
Office |
|
5/1-3 | Vocational education |
|
5/4 | President's correspondence,
general |
1904 |
5/5 | President's correspondence, general,
"B" |
1907-1908 |
5/6 | President's correspondence, general,
"C" |
1907-1908 |
5/7 | President's correspondence, general,
"D" |
1907-1908 |
5/8 | President's correspondence, general,
"E" |
1907-1908 |
5/9 | President's correspondence, general,
"F-H" |
1907-1908 |
5/10 | President's correspondence, general,
"I-L" |
1907-1908 |
5/11 | President's correspondence, general,
"M-R" |
1907-1908 |
5/12 | President's correspondence, general,
"S-U" |
1907-1908 |
5/13 | President's correspondence, general, "W-Z,
fragments" |
1907-1908 |
5/14 | President's correspondence,
general |
1909 |
5/15 | President's correspondence, general,
"A" |
1910-1911 |
5/16 | President's correspondence, general,
"B" |
1910-1911 |
5/17 | President's correspondence, general,
"C" |
1910-1911 |
5/18 | President's correspondence, general,
"D" |
1910-1911 |
5/19 | President's correspondence, general,
"E-F" |
1910-1911 |
5/20 | President's correspondence, general,
"G" |
1910-1911 |
5/21 | President's correspondence, general,
"H-J" |
1910-1911 |
5/22 | President's correspondence, general,
"K-L" |
1910-1911 |
5/23 | President's correspondence, general,
"M" |
1910-1911 |
5/24 | President's correspondence, general,
"N" |
1910-1911 |
5/25 | President's correspondence, general,
"O-P" |
1910-1911 |
5/26 | President's correspondence, general,
"Q-R" |
1910-1911 |
5/27 | President's correspondence, general,
"S" |
1910-1911 |
5/28 | President's correspondence, general,
"T" |
1910-1911 |
5/29 | President's correspondence, general,
"W" |
1910-1911 |
5/30 | President's correspondence,
general |
1914-1916 |
5/31 | President's correspondence,
general |
1917-1919 |
Series 3: James M. Hamilton, Dean of Men and Professor of Economics Files, 1919-1927Return to Top
Reports, papers, correspondence and other records collected or created by Hamilton in the years following his tenure as president of Montana State University. These files may have been part of a larger record group pertaining to the Dean of Men's office but were placed in this collection by the time it was formally accessioned in 1974. As the Dean of Men, Hamilton had much to do with the administration of student affairs, including the registration and regulation of campus organizations and activities. At the same time, Hamilton also functioned as a professor of economics, taking an active role in the planning and establishment of the academic department starting in 1919. The records of both offices have been interfiled in this series and alphabetically arranged.
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
5/32 | Budget |
1921-1930 |
5/33 | Budget |
1930-1939 |
5/34 | Committee reports |
|
5/35 | Correspondence, general |
|
5/36 | Correspondence, President Atkinson's
office |
|
5/37 | Dean of Men, annual reports |
1927-1929 |
5/38 | Department of Economics, annual reports,
outline |
|
5/39-51 | Department of Economics, annual
reports |
|
5/52 | Department of Economics, planning, course
syllabi |
1919-1920 |
5/53 | Faculty union |
|
5/54 | Purchases |
|
5/55 | Purnell Act research |
1915 |
5/56 | "Social Study of Ravalli County," MSC
Bulletin 160 |
|
5/57 | Students-chaperon policy for
women |
|
5/58-61 | Students-fraternities |
|
5/62 | Students-independents |
|
5/63 | Students-loans |
|
5/64 | Students-marriages |
|
5/65-66 | Students-organizations |
|
5/67 | Students-senior class memorial
committee |
|
5/68 | Students-strike |
November 17, 1930 |
5/69 | Students-study habits,
scholarship |
Series 4: ames M. Hamilton Personal Papers, 1881-1927Return to Top
Personal letters, programs, memorabilia and other items marginally related to Hamilton's professional career. The material in this series may have been discovered as a run of separate folders or, more likely, sorted into their present arrangement by library personnel in the 1960s. Included are materials pertaining to Hamilton's early education in Illinois, his student years at the Union Christian College at Merom, Indiana, and his stint as a teacher and school superintendent in Illinois and Missoula, Montana. The files have been arranged in three broad groupings; folders 1-8 are biographical material such as programs, certificates, clippings, and other memorabilia. Folders 9-26 consist of correspondence. Most of these letters are personal in nature, although a few are congratulatory notes sent to Hamilton by friends and colleagues for his various career appointments, especially the presidency of Montana State College in 1904. The final group of folders, numbers 27-34, are manuscript speeches and essays on educational and historical topics of interest to Hamilton.
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
6/1 | Biographical-biographical
sketches |
|
6/2 | Biographical-certificates, tickets, other
ephemera |
|
6/3 | Biographical-clippings |
|
6/4 | Biographical-Missoula Public
Schools |
|
6/5 | Biographical-photographs |
|
6/6 | Biographical-sketch book created by
Hamilton when he was a boy |
|
6/7 | Biographical-Sumner, Illinois Public
Schools |
|
6/8 | Biographical-Union Christian
College |
|
6/9 | Correspondence |
1891-1894 |
6/10 | Correspondence |
1895 |
6/11 | Correspondence |
1896-1898 |
6/12 | Correspondence |
1901 |
6/13 | Correspondence |
1902 |
6/14 | Correspondence |
1904 |
6/15 | Correspondence |
1907 |
6/16 | Correspondence |
1908 |
6/17 | Correspondence |
1909 |
6/18 | Correspondence |
1910 |
6/19 | Correspondence |
1911 |
6/20 | Correspondence |
1912 |
6/21 | Correspondence |
1913 |
6/22 | Correspondence |
1914 |
6/23 | Correspondence |
1915 |
6/24 | Correspondence |
1916 |
6/25 | Correspondence |
1917-1919 |
6/26 | Correspondence-to Emma S.
Hamilton |
|
6/27 | Speeches and essays-"Blind Alleys in
Education" |
|
6/28 | Speeches and essays-"Education and
Democracy" |
|
6/29 | Speeches and essays-"Every community must
possess the resources..." |
|
6/30 | Speeches and essays-"David
Demuth" |
|
6/31 | Speeches and essays-[Missoula school
regulations] |
|
6/32 | Speeches and essays-"Opportunities...in
Agricultural Science Work" |
|
6/33 | Speeches and essays-"State System of Free
Public Schools" |
|
6/34 | Speeches and essays-"Some Evidences of
Education" |
|
6/35 | Speeches and essays-"Stevens
Expedition" |
|
6/36 | Speeches and essays-"Vocational
Guidance" |
|
6/37 | Speeches and essays-"What
Next?" |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Education, Higher--Montana
- Education--Montana
- Schools--Montana
Personal Names
- Hamilton, James McClellan, 1861-1940
- Reid, James R., 1849-1937
- Ryon, Agustus M.
Corporate Names
- Montana State College--Administration
- Montana State College--Presidents
- Montana State College--Students
- Montana State University (Bozeman, Mont.)--Administration
- Montana State University (Bozeman, Mont.)--Presidents
- Montana State University--Students
- State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (Mont.)--Administration
- State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (Mont.)--Presidents
- State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (Mont.)--Students
Form or Genre Terms
- Annual reports--Montana--Bozeman
Occupations
- College presidents--Montana--Bozeman
Other Creators
-
Personal Names
- Hamilton, James McClellan, 1861-1940
Corporate Names
- Montana State Umiversity (Bozeman, Mont.). Office of the President