Preliminary Guide to the J. Orin Oliphant Papers

Preliminary Guide to the J. Orin Oliphant Papers, 1919-1979

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Oliphant, J. Orin (James Orin)
Title: Preliminary Guide to the J. Orin Oliphant Papers
Dates: 1919-1979 (inclusive)
19191979
Quantity: 0.5 linear feet, (1 box.)
Collection Number: MS.1994.02
Summary: This collection contains professional papers related to J. Orin Oliphant's historical research.
Repository: Washington State University Libraries' Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
Terrell Library Suite 12
Pullman, WA
99164-5610
Telephone: 509-335-6691
mascref@wsu.edu
Access Restrictions: This collection is open and available for research use.
Languages: English

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

This collection contains professional papers related to J. Orin Oliphant's historical research, including extensive notes from various east coast and midwestern newspapers, personal diaries, and published memoirs that focus on topics of public land laws and western migration, from to the 1770s to 1888. The collection also contains incoming correspondence, newspaper clippings from 1951 and 1954, and a scrapbook of a trip to France with the American Expeditionary Force in 1919 including photographs, postcards, letters, and ephemera.

Historical NoteReturn to Top

James Orin Oliphant (1894-1979) was a Professor of History at Bucknell University. Born in Elberton, Washington, Dr. Oliphant graduated from the State Normal School in Cheney, Washington, in 1913, and then received both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the University of Washington in 1916 and 1924 respectively. After serving as a high school teacher at the State Normal School in Cheney for short time, Dr. Oliphant received his Ph.D. in History from Harvard University in 1930. He first served as a Professor of History at Antioch College in Ohio for three years before joining the faculty at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania, where he remained until 1964. While at Bucknell University, Dr. Oliphant served as the chair of the History Department from 1936 to 1944 and again from 1957 to 1962. Dr. Oliphant lived out the remainder of his life in Salem, Oregon, with his wife Mary Oliphant.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

This is an unprocessed collection. It has not yet been arranged.

Location of Collection

(MASC Staff Use: 2-7-16-6)

Acquisition Information

Collection donated by Robert Prudy of Salem to the Washington State University Libraries in 1994 (MS1994-02).

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