William X. Scheinman papers, 1952-1999

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Summary

Creators:
Scheinman, William X., 1927-
Abstract:
Correspondence, writings, reports, bulletins, serial issues, clippings, photographs, sound recordings, video tapes, and motion picture film relating to American relations with Africa, the political and economic development of Kenya and other African countries, assistance to African students in the United States, and especially to the Kenyan political leader Tom Mboya. Includes correspondence with, writings by, and interviews of, Mboya.
Extent:
55 manuscript boxes, 5 oversize boxes, 1 oversize folder, 1 framed poster (26.1 Linear Feet)
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], William X. Scheinman papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Background

Scope and content:

Received at the Hoover Institution Library & Archives in 1999, the William X. Scheinman papers consist primarily of correspondence and printed matter that reflect Scheinman's lifelong interest in African politics, particularly with respect to Kenya. Having met the Kenyan independence leader, Tom Mboya, in 1956, Scheinman was to identify himself with African causes, even while working as a businessman and investment adviser on Wall Street.

An important part of the collection consists of Scheinman's extensive correspondence with Tom Mboya. This exchange of letters, which was conducted from 1957 until Mboya's assassination in 1969, provides significant information concerning the Kenyan independence movement and its leading personalities, as well as documenting the first five years of the Kenyatta administration, in which Mboya served as Minister of Justice. In addition, the collection includes numerous speeches and writings by Mboya (see Tom Mboya File).

As one of the directors of the African-American Students Foundation, Scheinman was also involved in a program that enabled African students to attend American colleges and universities. Numerous records of this foundation are contained in the collection (see African-American Students Foundation File).

In addition, Scheinman collected extensive material about African countries besides Kenya (see Printed Matter and Subject File) and corresponded with some of the leading figures in the American civil rights movement (see Correspondence). The collection will be of most interest to African scholars, but it also reflects important aspects of modern American history, especially in the 1950s and 1960s.

Biographical / historical:
Date Event
1927(?)
Born
1940s
Serves in U.S. Navy during World War II
1950s
Founds Arnav Aircraft Associates, Inc.
1956
Meets Tom Mboya, Kenyan independence leader
1958-1961
Leading figure in the activities of the African-American Students Foundation, which brings African students to the United States and arranges for their college education
1960s-1990s
Works as stock broker and investment adviser, publishing the newsletter, Timings
1970
Author, Why Most Investors Are Mostly Wrong Most of the Time
1999 May 24
Dies, Reno, Nevada
Acquisition information:
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library Archives in 1998.
Physical location:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Box 59 closed. The remainder of the collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.

Terms of access:

For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], William X. Scheinman papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Location of this collection:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6003, US
Contact:
(650) 723-3563
hooverarchives@stanford.edu
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