Robert Ormond Case papers , 1926-1964

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Case, Robert Ormond, 1895-1964
Title
Robert Ormond Case papers
Dates
1926-1964 (inclusive)
Quantity
6.5 linear feet, (5 containers)
Collection Number
Ax 467
Summary
Robert Ormond Case lived from 1895 to 1964, residing in Oregon most of his life. He was educated at the University of Oregon and went on to become a popular author of books and stories in the western genre, as well as a prominent resident of Portland. This collection contains several examples of his writing, in both published and manuscript forms. It also includes a large quantity of personal and private correspondence and documents.
Repository
University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives
UO Libraries--SCUA
1299 University of Oregon
Eugene OR
97403-1299
Telephone: 5413463068
spcarref@uoregon.edu
Access Restrictions

Collection is open to the public. Collection must be used in Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room. Collection or parts of collection may be stored offsite. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives in advance of your visit to allow for transportation time.

Additional Reference Guides

See the Current Collection Guide for detailed description and requesting options.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Historical NoteReturn to Top

Robert Ormond Case was a well-known Oregon author and a prominent, long-time resident of Portland. He was born in Dallas, Texas in 1895 and moved to Portland as a boy. He graduated from Tualatin Academy in Forest Grove, Oregon and went on to attend the University of Oregon.

In 1917, while a sophomore at the University, Case enlisted in the U.S. Army. He served 22 months with the 65th Artillery, CAC, including 52 consecutive days at the front. Case returned to U.O. and received a B.A. in 1920. During his years at the university he was a member of the Delta Tau Delta social fraternity, Sigma Delta Chi honorary journalistic society, and Sigma Upsilon honorary fiction society. In addition he was a member of the Cross-Roads philosophical society and founder of a campus humor magazine.

After his graduation from the University of Oregon. Case went to work as a reporter for the Portland Morning Oregonian. In 1921 he served as financial editor. From 1922 to 1925 he was involved in the Oregon State Chamber of Commerce. His career as a free-lance writer began in 1926 and soon thereafter published his first western, historically-inspired stories. He is best remembered as a writer of western stories, his most well-known dating from the 1930s through the 1950s. He wrote fourteen books and over 200 novelettes. In 1944 he received a Peabody award for the radio scripts of Song of Columbia. Most of Case's serials and short stories were written for national magazines such as the Saturday Evening Post, Collier's and Country Gentleman.

Case spent most of his mature life in Portland, Oregon with periods of residency in New York and California. In Portland he was a member of the school board as well as the City Club and the Rotarians. He was a prominent member of the state Republican Party, particularly as a leader of the Conservative wing during the time of Wayne Morse. He spent the final years of his life in Oakland, California, where he died on 27 March 1964.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Robert Ormond Case papers include correspondence, documents, literary manuscripts and published works. Of particular value to the researcher is the quantity of both professional and personal correspondence from much of his mature life, and documents pertaining to his career, private life and health. These include letters to and from family and friends, correspondence to and from his agents and lawyers, and communications with publishers. Also included are documents and correspondence pertaining to his divorce from his first wife and papers dealing with persistent medical problems during the last years of his life. There is unfortunately very little material dealing with the author's youth and education directly. One searching for information on his years at the University of Oregon would have to rely on very few incidental recollections in papers of much later years. The majority of the materials date from the mid-1930s on, with most of the family correspondence dating from the 1950s to the end of Case's life.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Authors, American--20th century
  • Western stories--Authorship

Personal Names

  • Case, Robert Ormond, 1895-1964

Form or Genre Terms

  • Correspondence
  • Manuscripts for publication
  • Western stories