Knoles (George Harmon) Papers, 1920-1994

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Summary

Title:
George Harmon Knoles papers
Dates:
1920-1994
Creators:
Knoles, George Harmon
Abstract:
Professional and personal papers of Stanford University professor of American history.
Extent:
15 Linear Feet
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

[identification of item] George Harmon Knoles Papers (SC0328). Department of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, Calif.

Background

Scope and content:

Collection contains correspondence, memoranda, minutes, lecture notes, syllabi, manuscripts, photographs, and other papers pertaining to Knoles' academic career at Stanford, Stanford's overseas campuses, particularly those in Japan, the Institute of American History, his publications, and his work with the Associates of the Stanford University Libraries. There is extensive correspondence with other historians and students. Correspondents include Harold W. Bradley, Rixford K. Snyder, Thomas A. Bailey, John Foster Dulles, Frank Friedel, John F. Kennedy, Michio Murayama, Allan Nevins, E. E. Robinson, Arnold Toynbee, Gordon Wright, William and Eleanor Bark, John Gange, J. E. W. Sterling, and Max Savelle. Also included are several files on student unrest at Stanford in the 1970s and an audiotape of John Dewey speaking on philosophy at Cooper Union, New York, December 7, 1941. The personal papers within the collection include extensive correspondence, 1920s-1994, his Naval logs and records, 1942-45, and his World War II letters, 1944-46.

Biographical / historical:

George Knoles was a distinguished professor of History at Stanford University. Dr. Knoles received two degrees from (then) College of the Pacific, an A.B. in 1928 and an M.A. in 1930. He joined Stanford as an instructor in history in 1937 and received his Ph.D. in history from Stanford in 1939. During World War II he was a Lieutenant in the Navy serving with the Pacific Fleet and in preparing Naval history after the War. In 1946 he rejoined Stanford rising to become Chairman of the History Department and the Margaret Bryrne Professor of American History before his retirement in 1972. Professor Knoles' field was American history. He has written extensively on American political, intellectual and cultural history, His major publications include The Presidential Campaign and Election of 1892, The Jazz Age Revisited, and The New United States: A History Since 1896. With fellow Professor Rixford Snyder he co-wrote Readings in Western Civilization, which was widely used in American universities in the study of western civilization. During 1950-52 and 1956, Professor Knoles went to Japan with a small group of Stanford professors to teach American history. In the years following he maintained many personal and professional relationships with Japanese scholars. He was a Fulbright Distinguished Lecturer in Japan in 1971. He was a popular teacher and established strong relationships with his students. These relationships with students continued after they left Stanford. Two of the many ways he served the University was as a speaker at alumni functions and as a field judge for Stanford Track Meets.

Acquisition information:
Gift of George H. Knoles, 1986, 1993, 1998, 2002.
Physical location:
Special Collections and University Archives materials are stored offsite and must be paged 48 hours in advance. For more information on paging collections, see the department's website: https://library.stanford.edu/libraries/special-collections.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
University Archives staff
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2025-03-11 11:19:09 -0700 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Letters of recommendation from accessions 1985-097 and 1986-022 are restricted for 75 years after date of creation and may be made available in 2055. Otherwise, materials are open for research use. Audio-visual materials are not available in original format and must be reformatted to a digital use copy.

Terms of access:

While University Archives is the owner of the physical and/or digital items, permission to examine collection materials is not an authorization to publish. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. Any transmission or reproduction beyond that allowed by fair use requires permission from the owners of rights, heir(s) or assigns.

Preferred citation:

[identification of item] George Harmon Knoles Papers (SC0328). Department of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, Calif.

Location of this collection:
Stanford University Archives, Green Library
557 Escondido Mall
Stanford, CA 94305-6064, US
Contact:
(650) 725-1022
specialcollections@stanford.edu
Website