WAUAtteberyERaymond3176.xml Guide to the E. Raymond Attebery Papers 1913-1979 Attebery (E. Raymond) Papers Funding for encoding this finding aid was partially provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries © 2011 (Last modified: 1/31/2020)
Seattle, WA 98195
Finding aid written in English. Finding aid based on DACS (Describing Archives: A Content Standard). University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections 3176 Attebery, E. Raymond (Edgar Raymond), 1895-1944 E. Raymond Attebery Papers 1913-1979 1.55 cubic ft. (4 boxes) Collection materials are in English. Papers of a Seattle clergyman and civic leader documenting activities as a civic leader, soldier and military chaplain

Edgar Raymond Attebery was born in Missouri on Sept. 11, 1895. After graduating from Everett High School he attended Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, until his studies were interrupted by World War I. In 1917 he joined the Oregon National Guard and served for two years, including 14 months in France. After the war, he earned his B.A. from the University of Washington in 1921, attended Oxford University on a Rhodes Scholarship, and received his bachelor of theology degree from Harvard Divinity School in 1925.

In Sept. 1925 Attebery became pastor of Grace Methodist Episcopal Church in Seattle (renamed Grace Methodist Church ca. 1939). He would serve in that post the rest of his life. In addition to his work in the ministry, Attebery was active in a number of civic causes. In 1929 he played an active role in the effort to free Industrial Workers of the World members jailed after the 1919 Armistice Day clash between workers and veterans in Centralia. He was also a vocal advocate of Prohibition and a critic of American isolationism.

Attebery joined the Washington National Guard as a chaplain in 1929. He was called to active duty in September 1940, and sent overseas the following year. He died while landing with his division on Biak Island, New Guinea, in May 1944.

Organized into 2 accessions.

Accession No. 3176-001, E. Raymond Attebery papers, 1918-1944 Accession No. 3176-002, E. Raymond Attebery papers, 1919-1943

The E. Raymond Attebery Papers document the Seattle pastor's activities as a civic leader, soldier, and military chaplain.

The collection is open to all users.

Request at UW

There are no restrictions on the use of the collection.

Accession 3176-1 was donated by Rev. Attebery's widow, Miriam, in 1980. She donated the materials in Accession 3176-2 in 1989.

Eighteen photographs, largely taken during Attebery's service in World War II, were transferred to the E. Raymond Attebery Photograph Collection in the division in 2004.

 Personal Papers/Corporate Records (University of Washington) Attebery, E. Raymond (Edgar Raymond), 1895-1944--Archives Attebery, Miriam Attebery, Gay Attebery, Bettie L Grace Methodist Episcopal Church (Seattle, Wash.) Grace Methodist Church (Seattle, Wash.) Industrial Workers of the World Friends of City Light Methodist Episcopal Church. Puget Sound Conference. Committee on the Centralia Armistice Day Tragedy Scrapbooks Civic leaders--Washington (State)--Seattle--Archives Chaplains, Military--United States--Archives Chaplains, Military--Methodist Church--Archives World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Soldiers--Correspondence Centralia Massacre, Centralia, Wash., 1919 Centralia Tragedy, Centralia, Wash., 1919 Public utilities--Washington (State)--Seattle Seattle Washington (State) Scrapbooks Religion Labor History Labor Unions Military Public Utilities Civic Activism

 

Accession No. 3176-001: E. Raymond Attebery papers, 1918-1944 1.13 cubic ft. (3 boxes)

Scope and Content: Accession 3176-001 includes correspondence with his family. The bulk of the letters are to his wife, Miriam, written while Attebery was serving as a chaplain during World War II. There are also letters to his children, Eliot, Jerry, Edgar, and Gay. (Edgar also served in World War II and would be killed in action just months after his father's death.) Letters to his mother, Betty, date largely from his time in France during World War I. A scrapbook containing letters and clippings documents Attebery's career from the early 1930s. The Class Notes were made while Attebery was attending Harvard Divinity School.

Restrictions on Access: The collection is open to all users.

 1/1 3176-001 Incoming Letters 1936-1943 Outgoing Letters to 1/2 3176-001 Attebery, Bettie L. 1918, 1944 1/3-13 3176-001 Attebery, Miriam 1939-1944 1/14 3176-001 Attebery, Eliot 1942 1/15 3176-001 Attebery, Gerald 1943 1/16 3176-001 Miscellaneous 1943 General Correspondence 1/17 3176-001 Attebery, Edgar R. 1942-1943 1/18 3176-001 Attebery, Gay 1943 2/1 3176-001 Correspondence Regarding Application for Rhodes Scholarship 1919-1920 2/2 3176-001 Correspondence to Miriam Attebery Regarding E. Raymond Attebery 1942, 1944 2/3 3176-001 Speeches and Writings 1922-1944 2/4-5 3176-001 Class Notes 1922-1924 2/6 3176-001 Appointment Book 1937 2/7 3176-001 Legal Documents 1919-1927 2/8 3176-001 Diplomas and Honors 1921-1944 3 3176-001 Scrapbook 1919-1979 2/9 3176-001 Clippings 1943-1979, n.d. 2/10 3176-001 Ephemera n.d. Accession No. 3176-002: E. Raymond Attebery papers, 1919-1943 .42 cubic ft. (1 box)

Scope and Content: Accession 3176-2 includes additional personal and church-related correspondence. Of note is a letter from President Franklin D. Roosevelt asking for Attebery's comments on local social conditions. His stance on Prohibition is outlined in the Writing file. The Friends of City Light subgroup includes correspondence and minutes of the organization, which was formed to support municipal ownership of Seattle's electric utility. The Committee on the Centralia Armistice Day Tragedy subgroup documents the efforts of Washington State church groups and individuals to exonerate International Workers of the World members imprisoned after the 1919 confrontation. The committee was established by the Puget Sound Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1929 to investigate the Centralia shootings and was part of a local movement that eventually led to a joint investigation by several national religious organizations. Attebery served as secretary of that special committee. The correspondence files document Attebery's requests to national organizations to join the effort. The report issued by the national groups in 1930 is also found in this subgroup.

Restrictions on Access: The collection is open to all users.

 Personal Papers 1/1 3176-002 Biographical 1/2-3 3176-002 Incoming Correspondence 1928-1944 1/4 3176-002 Outgoing Correspondence 1938-1944 1/5 3176-002 General Correspondence 1940-1941 1/6 3176-002 Writing n.d. 1/7 3176-002 Clipping n.d. 1/8 3176-002 Scrapbook 1937-1942 1/9 3176-002 Ephemera 1913-1944 Friends of City Light 1913-1979 1/10 3176-002 Incoming Correspondence 1936-1933 1/11 3176-002 Outgoing Correspondence 1932-1939 1/12 3176-002 Minutes 1936-1939 1/13 3176-002 Transcript - City Council - Department Efficiency Committee Meeting 1937 1/14 3176-002 Financial Documents 1936-1939 1/15 3176-002 Ephemera 1935-1937 Methodist Episcopal Church, Puget Sound Conference, Committee on the Centralia Armistice Day Tragedy 1/16 3176-002 Incoming Correspondence 1929-1930 1/17 3176-002 Outgoing Correspondence 1929-1930 1/18 3176-002 Reports - Conclusions of Committee 1930 1/19 3176-002 Writing n.d.