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Thomas Vaughan papers, circa 1854-2012
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Vaughan, Thomas, 1924-2013
- Title
- Thomas Vaughan papers
- Dates
- circa
1854-2012 (inclusive)18542012
1948-2012 (bulk)19482012 - Quantity
- 7.26 cubic feet, (6 record cartons and 1 document case)
- Collection Number
- Coll 600
- Summary
- Papers and ephemera relating to the career of Thomas Vaughan.
- Repository
-
Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org - Access Restrictions
-
The collection is open to the public.
Access to folders titled "OHS Imbroglio" (7/1) or "Tramposch Controversy" (7/2-7/9) is restricted. To be reviewed 2028.
- Languages
- English
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Thomas Vaughan was born on October 13, 1924 in Seattle, Washington, to Daniel and Katherine Vaughan. After serving in the Marine Corps during World War II, he attended Yale, and then the University of Wisconsin. While in Wisconsin, he met Elizabeth Ann Perpetua (“Sherry”) Crownhart (1929-2011), who he married in 1951, and headed the Rock County Historical Society.
In 1954, he and his wife moved to Portland, Oregon, after he had been chosen to direct the Oregon Historical Society. At the time, the Society was located in cramped offices in the Civic Auditorium, and had only five employees. Over the next 35 years, Vaughan transformed the Society, dramatically increasing its staff, funding, number of publications, and prominence. He moved the Society to its current location on the South Park Blocks in downtown Portland, in a building opened on September 23, 1966. During his tenure, Vaughan oversaw several exhibits that gained widespread attention, including the Captain James Cook exhibit loaned from the British National Maritime Museum in 1974, and a display of one of the few original copies of the Magna Carta in 1986.
In 1989, Vaughan retired from his position at the Oregon Historical Society. The Society had a tumultuous period in the following years, as it faced financial difficulties, and Vaughan’s successor, William J. Tramposch, clashed with staff members during his tenure, which ended in 1991. The Society’s North Pacific Studies Center, which Vaughan had opened in 1988 with a federal grant secured with help from Senator Mark Hatfield and Representive Les AuCoin, and was helmed by Vaughan’s wife Elizabeth Crownhart-Vaughan, closed in 1991 after additional federal funding failed to come through.
Vaughan traveled widely in his life and received a number of accolades, including being named a commander of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II. He was known for his magnetic personality and baritone voice. He authored a number of books, as did his wife Elizabeth, who became known as a scholar of Siberia and Russian America. The two had three daughters and one son. Thomas Vaughan died in Portland, Oregon on December 6, 2013, two years after his wife’s passing.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The collection consists of papers relating to the life and career of Thomas Vaughan. The bulk of the collection’s contents relate to Vaughan’s long tenure as Executive Director of the Oregon Historical Society, and to projects he undertook in conjunction with the Society, such as the short-lived North Pacific Studies Center. The collection also contains correspondence concerning the controversial tenure of Vaughan’s successor, William J. Tramposch. Additional materials include correspondence with figures including Victor Atiyeh, Les AuCoin, and Mark Hatfield, materials about various honors and awards bestowed upon Vaughan, and papers relating to travels which Vaughan undertook. The collection also houses materials relating to Vaughan’s wife, Elizabeth ("Sherry") Crownhart-Vaughn, including reviews of books she wrote about Siberia and Russian America.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
The Oregon Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the Research Library prior to any use of reproductions. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use of reproductions may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright holders.
Preferred Citation
Thomas Vaughan papers, Coll 600, Oregon Historical Society Research Library
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in the following series:
- Series 1: General subjects
- Series 2: Elizabeth Vaughan materials
- Series 3: General correspondence
- Series 4: North Pacific Study Center
- Series 5: Siberia, etc. studies
- Series 6: Photographs
Collection materials arranged based on Vaughan's original order.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Series 1 : General subjects , circa 1854-2010 , (bulk circa 1948-2010 ) Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/1 | American Committee on U.S. - Soviet Relations
|
|
| 1/2 | Athabasca Pass Trip |
1978 |
| 1/3 | Awards and Memberships |
|
| 1/4 | British Empire Honor to Thomas Vaughan |
1975 |
| 1/5 | Captain Cook Material |
|
| 1/6 | Colonial Wheat Culture and Trade (paper) |
|
| 1/7 | Columbia River Bicentennial |
|
| 1/8 | Columbia River Gorge Commission |
|
| 1/9 | Columbia River Maritime Museum |
|
| 1/10 | English Speaking Union |
|
| 1/11 | Eulogies |
1989 |
| 1/12 | An Evening Honoring Tom Vaughan |
|
| 1/13 | Falconry |
|
Subseries 1 : Films
Documents relating to films which were among Vaughan's
effects.
|
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/14 | Admiral George Dewey |
|
| 1/15 | Crimean War |
|
| 1/15 | Crimean War documentary |
|
| 1/16 | Crimean War documentary - shooting script
|
|
| 1/17 | Crimean War documentary - film timing sheets
|
|
| 1/18 | Crimean War documentary - research re Petropavlosk
Harbor |
|
| 1/19 | Crimean War documentary - procured materials
(etchings, pamphlets, etc.) |
|
| 1/20 | Crimean War documentary - Copies of documents re
Russian naval operations |
|
| 1/21-1/23 | Crimean War documentary - "Crimea music listing"
records |
|
| 1/24 | Crimean War documentary - Miscellaneous records
|
|
| 1/25 | Duke of Wellington |
|
| 1/26 | Wellington's Last Parade |
|
| 1/27 | George Catlin Material |
|
| 1/28 | Russo Japanese War |
|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/29 | Fishing Lodges |
|
| 1/30 | Gifts and Donations of Thomas Vaughan |
|
| 1/31 | Guest Lists of the Vaughans |
1990 |
| 1/32 | Haiku |
1990 |
| 1/33 | Hatfield Dinner |
|
| 1/34 | Hatfield Election Campaign |
|
| 1/35 | Incredible Lies (book) |
|
| 1/36 | Interview re Edmund Hayes |
|
| 1/37 | Invitations |
1973 |
| 1/38 | John D'Wolf Article |
|
| 1/39 | Kodiak, AK, Visit |
|
| 2/1 | Land Use in Oregon |
|
| 2/2 | Lahaina Print Sellers |
|
| 2/3 | Lewis and Clark |
|
| 2/4 | The Library Foundation |
|
| 2/5 | Lighting Portland Bridges |
|
| 2/6 | Lindsley Hall |
|
| 2/7 | Logging in Wisconsin
Probably a thesis paper.
|
|
| 2/8 | U.S. Marines Service |
|
| 2/9 | Memberships and Clubs |
|
| 2/10 | Note Fragments |
|
| 2/11 | Notes (Misc.) |
|
| 2/12 | Older Adult Service and Information System (O.A.S.I.S.)
|
|
| 2/13 | Oregon Council for the Humanities |
|
| 2/14 | Oregon Episcopal School Commencement Address
|
|
| 2/15 | Oregon Garden |
|
| 7/1 | OHS Imbroglio |
|
| 2/16 | OHS Issues |
|
| 2/17 | Oregon Historian Laureate |
|
| 2/18 | Politicians' File |
|
| 2/19 | Press Articles |
|
| 2/20 | Radio Scripts: Wisconsin Radio |
|
| 2/21 | Radio Script: Voice of America |
|
| 2/22 | River of the West (article) |
|
| 2/23 | Robert A. Long High School Reunions |
|
| 2/24 | Royal Geographic Society Fellow |
|
| 2/25 | Salar Enterprises |
|
Subseries 2 : Sir Francis Drake material |
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 2/26 | General Material |
|
| 2/27 | 400th Anniversary |
|
| 2/28 | Documentary |
|
| 2/29 | Bob Ward
Materials relating to Ward, an an amateur historian who
argued that Drake spent the summer of 1579 at Whale Cove near Depoe Bay.
|
|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 2/30 | Soft Gold Lectures |
|
| 3/1-3/3 | Speeches |
|
| 3/4 | Speeches |
circa 1981 |
| 3/5 | Speeches, Recollections and Interviews |
|
| 3/6 | Stewart Holbrook |
|
| 7/2 | Tramposch controversy |
1989 |
| 7/3 | Tramposch controversy |
1990 January-April |
| 7/4 | Tramposch controversy |
1990 May-June |
| 7/5 | Tramposch controversy |
1990 July-August |
| 7/6 | Tramposch controversy |
1990 September |
| 7/7 | Tramposch controversy |
1990 October |
| 7/8 | Tramposch controversy |
1990 Novemer-December |
| 7/9 | Tramposch controversy |
1991 |
| 3/7 | Travel |
1973 |
| 3/8 | Travel |
1980 |
| 3/9 | Tom Vaughan Biographical |
|
| 3/10 | Vaughan Family Records |
|
| 3/11 | Vaughan Genealogy |
|
| 3/12 | Willard R. Espy Literary Foundation |
|
| 3/13 | Yale University Papers |
Series 2 : Elizabeth Vaughan materials , circa 1950-2010 Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 3/14 | Correspondence |
circa 1983-1990 |
| 3/15 | Correspondence |
1965-2000 |
| 3/16 | Metropolitan Youth Commission |
|
| 3/17 | Future Project Planning Committee |
|
| 3/18 | Short Stories (English Comp.) |
1949 |
| 3/19 | Siberian Seminar, UK |
1988 |
| 3/20 | Speeches and Papers |
|
| 3/21 | Vaughan (Sherry) Information |
|
| 3/22 | Wisconsin Memoribilia |
circa 1950 |
Series 3 : General correspondence , 1948-2012 Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 3/23 | Correspondence |
1948-1963 |
| 3/24 | Correspondence |
1961 |
| 3/25 | Correspondence |
1971-1974 |
| 3/26 | Correspondence |
1975 |
| 4/1 | Correspondence |
1976 |
| 4/2 | Correspondence |
1977 |
| 4/3 | Correspondence |
1978 |
| 4/4 | Correspondence |
1979 |
| 4/5 | Correspondence |
1980 |
| 4/6 | Correspondence |
1981 |
| 4/7 | Correspondence |
1982 |
| 4/8 | Correspondence |
1983 |
| 4/9 | Correspondence |
1984-1985 |
| 4/10 | Correspondence |
1986-1987 |
| 4/11 | Correspondence |
1988 |
| 4/12 | Correspondence |
1989 |
| 4/13 | Correspondence |
1990 |
| 4/14 | Correspondence |
1990-1999 |
| 4/15 | Correspondence |
2000-2012 |
| 4/16 | Correspondence - Governor Victor Atiyeh |
circa 1980-1989 |
| 4/17 | Correspondence - Andrew David |
|
| 4/18 | Correspondence - David Davies |
|
| 4/19 | Correspondence, G-I |
|
| 4/20 | Correspondence - James Gibson |
|
| 4/21 | Correspondence - Grigorii, Bishop of Sitka and Alaska
|
|
| 4/22 | Correspondence - Helsinki |
|
| 4/23 | Correspondence, J-L |
|
| 5/1 | Correspondence - Kushnareva |
|
| 5/2 | Correspondence, M-O |
|
| 5/3 | Correspondence, P-R |
|
| 5/4 | Correspondence - Sister Bernetta Quinn |
|
| 5/5 | Correspondence, S-U |
|
| 5/6 | Correspondence - University of Hawaii |
|
| 5/7 | Correspondence, V-Z |
|
| 5/8 | Unsorted Correspondence |
|
| 5/9 | Miscellaneous Correspondence |
Series 4 : North Pacific Studies Center , 1985-1990 Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 5/10 | Book Reviews |
|
| 5/11 | Correspondence |
1988-1989 |
| 5/12 | Correspondence |
1990 |
| 5/13 | Correspondence - Hatfield and AuCoin |
1989-1990 |
| 5/14 | Correspondence - USSR |
1989-1990 |
| 5/15 | Elizabeth Vaughan's resignation from the North Pacific
Study Center |
1990 |
| 5/16 | North Pacific Study Center |
1989 |
| 5/17 | North Pacific Study Center |
1990 |
| 5/18 | North Pacific Study Center Day Book |
1988 |
| 5/19 | Notes on opening |
|
| 5/20 | Report of an intercontinental journey |
1989 |
| 5/21 | Siberica Transfer
Journal.
|
|
| 5/22 | To Siberia and Russian America |
|
| 5/23 | Travel |
1985-1989 |
| 5/24 | Travel |
1988 |
| 5/25 | Tufts University North Pacific Program |
Series 5 : Siberia, etc. studies , 1968-1990 Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 5/26 | Book reviews for Civil and Savage Encounters
|
|
| 5/27 | Colloque International sur La Siberia |
1983 |
| 5/28 | Colonial Russian America: Khlebnikov (Reviews)
|
1977 |
| 5/29 | Colonial Russian American Dames (Speech) |
|
| 5/30 | Correspondence |
1968-1970 |
| 5/31 | Correspondence |
1972-1986 |
| 6/1 | Correspondence: Bibliotheque Nationale |
|
| 6/2 | Correspondence: Vikto Astal'tsev |
1974 |
| 6/3 | Correspondence: Library of Congress |
1971-1983 |
| 6/4 | Eighteenth Century Russian Scientific Expeditions to
the North Pacific Ocean (SV) (paper) |
1985 |
| 6/5 | The End of Russia America (Reviews) |
1981 |
| 6/6 | Explorations of Kamchatka (Reviews) |
1972 |
| 6/7 | George Vancouver Grant (NIH) |
1976 |
| 6/8 | Irkutsk Trips |
1968-1972 |
| 6/9 | Kamchatka Play Script |
|
| 6/10 | Leningrad - Ethnography |
1982 |
| 6/11 | Leonid Shar |
1970-1979 |
| 6/12 | Moscow - Lenin Library |
|
| 6/13 | Native & Cossack Uprisings in Early 18th century
Kamchatka |
|
| 6/14 | Novosibirsk |
1982 |
| 6/15 | Speech - OHS and North Pacific Interest |
|
| 6/16 | Paper - Russian, British, French and American Incursion
into the "Spanish Lake" |
|
| 6/17 | Russian Desk (OHS) |
|
| 6/18 | Russian Visitrors to OHS |
1972-1973 |
| 6/19 | Siberia Trip and Lecture |
1974 |
| 6/20 | Spain Trip |
1977 |
| 6/21 | To Siberia and Russian America Grant (NEH) |
1978 |
| 6/22 | To Siberia and Russian America Grant, 3 vols. (Reviews)
|
1990 |
| 6/23 | Spanish, English, French and American Responses to
Russian Activities in the North Pacific (Paper) |
1985 |
| 6/24 | USSR Trip |
1978 |
| 6/25 | Vladivostok - Pacific Institute of Geography
|
|
| 6/26 | The Voyages and Travels of John D'Wolf ((Paper)
|
1974 |
| 6/27 | Voyages of Enlightenment: Malaspina (Reviews)
|
1977 |
| 6/28 | Women of Russian America (Speech) |
Series 6 : Photographs , circa 1935-1990 Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 6/29-6/30 | Family photographs |
circa 1935-1990 |
| 6/31 | Color stereo images |
1953-1956 |
| 6/32 | Color stereo images and related negative |
1957-1959 |
| 6/33 | Slides - trips to Russia and elsewhere in Europe
|
1968-1970 |
| 6/34 | Travel slides |
1969-1972 |
| 6/35 | Slides - trip to Europe |
1970 |
| 6/36 | Slides - travels in Russia |
1972 |
| 6/37 | Photo booklet, Pendelton Round-Up trip |
circa 1975 |
| 6/38 | Slides for November 9, 1978 lecture, "The Northern
Passes of the Canadian Rockies" |
1978 |
Subseries 1: Negatives |
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 6/39 | Negatives |
circa 1970 ; undated |
| 6/40 | Negatives from travels |
circa 1970 |
| 6/41 | Negatives from travels to Russia |
circa 1970 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Museums--Oregon--Portland
Personal Names
- Atiyeh, Victor--correspondence
- AuCoin, Les--correspondence
- Crownhart-Vaughan, E. A. P.
- Crownhart-Vaughan, E. A. P.--Photographs
- Hatfield, Mark O., 1922-2011--correspondence
- Tramposch, William J. (William Joseph), 1948-
- Vaughan, Thomas,1924-2013 --Archives
- Vaughan, Thomas,1924-2013 --Photographs
Corporate Names
- Oregon Historical Society
- North Pacific Studies Center (Oregon Historical Society)
Family Names
- Vaughan family
- Vaughan family--Photographs
Geographical Names
- Portland (Or.)--Museums
- Russia--Photographs
Form or Genre Terms
- Administrative records
- Correspondence
- Ephemera (general object genre)
- Literary criticism
- Negatives (photographs)
- Photographs
- Slides (photographs)
- Speeches (documents)
