Enoch A. Bryan was born in Bloomington, Indiana, on May 10, 1855. He received an A.B. degree from Indiana University in 1878 and an A.M. Degree from that university in 1885. He also received an A.M. degree from Harvard University in 1893. He later received Honorary Doctor of Law degrees from Indiana University (1920), Michigan State University (1907), and Washington State University (1929). Bryan was President of Vincennes University from 1882-1893, after serving as the Superintendent of Public Schools in Grayville, Illinois. He came to the State College of Washington (initially called the Agricultural College, Experiment Station, and School of Science of the State of Washington, and now known as Washington State University) in 1893 and served as its president until 1916, when he became the Commissioner of Education for the State of Idaho, from 1917 to 1923. He had failed in 1916 to attain the nomination for a seat in the United States Senate.
Dr. Bryan returned to the State College of Washington in 1923 and was a professor of economic history until 1939, when he became a professor emeritus. During his lifetime he wrote three books: "The Mark in Europe and America", "The History of the State College of Washington", and "Orient Meets Occident or The Advent of the Railways into the Pacific Northwest". Dr. Bryan died in Pullman, Washington, on November 6, 1941.
Correspondence relative to family, personal life, and business matters of the Enoch A. Bryan Family throughout E. A. Bryan's education at Indiana University and Harvard University, service as President of Vincennes University and Washington State University. The bulk of the letters in the collection are holograph signed letters in the hand of the sender.
Correspondence from Enoch A. Bryan (Series 1), contains letters regarding Bryan's education, teaching, friendships, and courtship and life with Hattie Williams Bryan.
Correspondence from Hattie Williams Bryan (Series 2), contains letters regarding her courtship and life with Enoch A. Bryan, friendships, family, and travels.
Correspondence from Eliza Bryan (Series 3), E. A. Bryan's mother, deals with family matters, especially the farm, and E. A. Bryan's interests.
Correspondence from John Bryan (Series 4), E. A. Bryan's father, concerns family matters, his work as a minister, and E. A. Bryan's interests.
Correspondence from James Albert Woodburn (Series 5), a lifelong friend of E. A. Bryan, contains letters regarding his friendship with Bryan, education, teaching, fishing, and friends.
Correspondence from William Bryan (Series 6), concerns family matters.
Correspondence from Jennie Bryan (Series 7), E. A. Bryan's sister, regards the Bryan family and her studies.
Correspondence from L. V. "Bess" Williams (Series 8), Hattie's mother, are mostly to Hattie regarding family and friends. It should be noted that Hattie also has a sister named Bessie, who is the recipient of some of the correspondence in this collection, and the two should not be confused.
Correspondence from Joseph "Josie" Bryan (Series 9), E. A. Bryan's brother, are about his education, work, family, and personal problems.
Correspondence from Jesse Williams (Series 10), Hattie's brother, contains letters regarding family and his career.
Correspondence from Elmer Williams (Series 11), Hattie's brother, contains letters regarding family and his college life.
Correspondence from Lizzie Bryan Ramsey (Series 12), E. A. Bryan's sister, contains letters regarding family life.
Correspondence from Bertha Bryan (Series 13), E. A. and Hattie's oldest daughter who died at the age of eighteen, and tell of the life of a young girl in the Bryan family.
Correspondence from Arthur Bryan (Series 14), E. A. and Hattie's son, includes the letters of a child as well as a young man involved in helping in his father's business interests.
Correspondence from Gertrude Bryan (Series 15), the youngest daughter of Enoch and Hattie, are mostly letters written when she was a child.
General Correspondence (Series 16), contains correspondence from many people, chiefly family and friends, to the E. A. Bryan family members and concerns information on families, friends, travel, and E. A. Bryan's career as an educational administrator and real estate investor.
Oversized Materials (Series 17), consists of correspondence for the most part.
Related Materials (Series 18), mostly contains calling cards and newspaper clippings.
The correspondence are arranged in 18 series. Individual letter writers define the first 15 series, and are arranged chronologically within each. The sixteenth series, General Correspondence, is arranged alphabetically by author. Series seventeen, Oversized Materials, is arranged by date. Series eighteen, Related Materials, is in alphabetical order by material description.
This collection is open and available for research use.
Copyright restrictions may apply.
[Item Description]
Enoch A. Bryan Family Correspondence, 1840-1961 (Cage 579b)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.
The Enoch A. Bryan Family Correspondence, 1840-1946, was donated to Washington State University in 1989 by the estate of Gertrude Bryan Gannon, E. A. Bryan's daughter, and more specifically by Robert Bryan Hayes and Donna-Marie Hayes of Boise, Idaho, her son and daughter-in-law. Additional material included in the collection was donated by Harriet Hill Alexander of Grandview, Washington, Gertrude Bryan Gannon's daughter.
With financial assistance from the Office of the President (President Samuel Smith), processing of the papers was undertaken by Patricia M. Hall from January 1990 to August 1990. Processing was completed by Tina A. Oswald between August 1990 to July 1992.
In 1986-1990, additional Bryan family accessions were received which lead to the
personal Enoch A. Bryan Papers, 1843-1989
State College of Washington Office of the President: Enoch A. Bryan Records, 1888-1952
Enoch A. Bryan Papers, 1843-1989
Bryan Family Papers, 1930-1989
State College of Washington Office of the President: Letters from Prominent Correspondents (Autograph Collection), 1897-1951
Philips Family Papers, circa 1915-1967
Enoch A. Bryan letter to Ben Torpen, Portland, Oregon, 24 May 1915
Enoch A. Bryan Letter To Clifford Armstrong, 1930 October 1
President Enoch A. Bryan Photographs and Glass Negatives, 1860-1985
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.