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Carl E. Magnusson Papers, 1905-1957

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Magnusson, Carl Edward, 1872-1941
Title
Carl E. Magnusson Papers
Dates
1905-1957 (inclusive)
Quantity
3 cubic ft. (3 boxes)
Collection Number
1793 (Accession No. 1793-001)
Summary
Papers of Carl E. Magnusson, professor of electrical engineering at the University of Washington from 1904-1941.
Repository
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions

Open to all users.

Request at UW

Languages
English
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Biographical Note

Carl Edward Magnusson was a professor of electrical engineering at the University of Washington from 1904-1941; his main interest was in hydroelectric power in Washington. Magnusson's appointment to full professor is considered to mark the start of the Department of Electrical Engineering as an independent unit on campus. He was department chair from 1906-1917 and Dean of the Engineering College from 1917-1929. Magnusson believed in having a close relationship with industry and had practicing engineers lecture in his classes. In about 1910 he took a leave of absence for two years to work for the General Electric Company. As a result of his working relationship with GE, the company donated an electric oscillograph in 1913, which lead to the development of a course in electric transients, possibly the first such course to be offered in an American college. In 1919 he proposed building a 230-kv line from the Canadian border to Los Angeles, connecting the three state region; the idea was eventually put into place many years later. A 1932 issue of the University of Washington newspaper noted that Magnusson had won international fame for his studies of Lichtenberg figures. During the 1930s, he also served as an advisor on the construction of the Grand Coulee Project on the Columbia River. Carl Magnusson died in 1941.

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Content Description

The Magnusson papers include student seminar papers done in the 1920s and 30s on various power sites and river basins. Included is material on most major hydroelectric projects of the period, including Grand Coulee Dam, and other projects on the Columbia River and dams on the Baker, Sauk, Skagit, Skykomish, Snake, Snoqualmie, Spokane and Stillaguamish Rivers.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.

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Administrative Information

Acquisition Information

The Carl Magnusson papers were donated to the Libraries in 1972 by Floyd D. Robbins.

Future Additions

Processing Note

The papers were processed in 1999.

Loose photographs were relocated to the Carl Edward Magnusson Photograph Collection, PH Coll 648, in the repository.

Separated Materials

Tacoma Department of Public Utilities Information Books , 1919 and 1926-27 were transferred to Special Collections.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • College teachers--Washington (State)--Seattle--Archives
  • Dams--Washington (State)
  • Electrical engineering--Study and teaching--Washington (State)
  • Electrical engineers--Washington (State)
  • Engineering teachers--Washington (State)--Seattle--Archives
  • Engineers--Washington (State)
  • Rivers--Washington (State)
  • University Archives/Faculty Papers (University of Washington)
  • Water-power--Washington (State)

Personal Names

  • Magnusson, Carl Edward, 1872-1941--Archives

Geographical Names

  • Baker River (Wash.)--Power utilization
  • Columbia River--Power utilization
  • Grand Coulee Dam (Wash.)
  • Sauk River (Wash.)--Power utilization
  • Skykomish River (Wash.)--Power utilization
  • Snake River (Wyo.-Wash.)--Power utilization
  • Snoqualmie River (Wash.)--Power utilization
  • Spokane River (Idaho and Wash.)--Power utilization
  • Stillaguamish River (Wash.)--Power utilization

Form or Genre Terms

  • Correspondence. aat
  • Newsletters

Other Creators

  • Corporate Names

    • University of Washington. University Archives


2008 (Last modified: 3/22/2016)

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