Charles H. Sheldon (1929-1999) was born in Jerome, Idaho. He received his bachelor’s degree in 1952 from the University of Washington, spent three years in the United States Army Special Services unit in Germany, and then earned a master’s degree from the University of Washington in 1957. He later attended the University of Oregon, earning a doctorate with an emphasis in public law in 1965.
Dr. Sheldon joined the faculty of Washington State University in 1970 and served as Chair of the Political Science Department. He was a nationally recognized scholar on judicial behavior and state judicial politics and widely regarded as one of the foremost authorities on the Washington State Supreme Court. He authored 11 books, was a member of the Washington State Commission on Minorities and Justice, and served as a consultant to the Advisory Committee on Civil Reform of the U.S. District Court for Eastern Washington.
[Sources: “Charles H. Sheldon, 70, WSU professor emeritus,” The Lewiston Tribune online, September 14, 1999, https://lmtribune.com/northwest/charles-h-sheldon-wsu-professor-emeritus/article_733c30fb-c271-5bed-86b3-e707d38feddc.html. “Political Science Graduate Scholarships,” School of Politics, Philosophy, and Public Affairs, Washington State University, accessed October 7, 2019. https://pppa.wsu.edu/scholarships/political-science-graduate-scholarships/.]
The collection consists of subject files, interview transcripts, correspondence, law journals, newspaper clippings, drafts of scholarly writings, copies of published works, reel to reel tapes, videotapes and audiocassette tapes, microfiche, and professional papers related to Dr. Sheldon’s tenure in the Political Science Department at Washington State University. The bulk of the materials are related to research conducted for his published books and articles concerning the judiciary, including a comprehensive history of the Washington State Supreme Court. Other material is related to his teaching duties at Washington State University.
This is an unprocessed collection. Any arrangement reflects either a pre-existing order from the records' creators or previous custodians, or preliminary sorting performed by staff.
This collection is open and available for research use.
Copyright restrictions may apply.
The Mallery Papers were acquired by Dr. Sheldon in approximately 1980 while doing research on judges and courts in Washington. Patricia Sheldon donated this collection, along with the papers of Dr. Sheldon, to the Washington State University Libraries in 2000 (MS 2000-08.)
Joseph A. Mallery Papers, 1924-1960
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.