University of Wyoming
William Robertson Coe was a major benefactor of the University of Wyoming. After arriving in America from England in 1920, Coe began his illustrious career in the insurance field in New York. The fortune he amassed there allowed Coe to become a philanthropist as well as a businessman. He first visited Wyoming before 1920 and found a deep admiration for the state, spurring numerous visits thereafter. He became close friends with both Milward Simpson and George Duke Humphrey. In 1948, the University of Wyoming bestowed a Doctor of Laws degree on Coe. In the mid-1950s, Coe gave funds on two separate occasions to establish the American Studies program and to construct the university library. By this time, Coe had already bequeathed his collection of rare Western Americana to the library in 1953.
Collection contains a letter from Samuel Rogers; letters of H. E. Teschmacher and G. Hays concerning economics, banking, and rustling; a manuscript by James T. Babb titled William Robertson Coe and His Library of Western Americana; fine art; and artifacts.
There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes, and the collection is open to the public.
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Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Collection Name, Collection Number, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.
This material was received from William Robertson Coe in April 1954 and the William Robertson Coe Library in August 1988.
There are no known other archival collections created by William Robertson Coe at the date of processing.
The American Heritage Center is in the process of converting its older container lists to a more accessible format. This link is to an older version of a container list for 3 containers.