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Lamberton (Harry Clabaugh) papers
2021C12
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Title: Harry Clabaugh Lamberton papers
Date (inclusive): 1933-2019, bulk 1933-1954
Collection Number: 2021C12
Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
Language of Material: In English
Physical Description:
6 manuscript boxes
(2.5 Linear Feet)
Abstract: Harry Lamberton (1906-1961) was a lawyer and Assistant General Counsel in the Rural Electrification Administration, Solicitor
for the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration, and active in numerous committees for democracy. The Harry
Clabaugh Lamberton papers includes documents, papers, and clippings relating to Lamberton's legal and political activities.
Creator:
Lamberton, Harry Clabaugh, 1906-1961
Physical Location: Hoover Institution Library & Archives
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.
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives in 2022.
[Identification of item], Harry Clabaugh Lamberton papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Harry Lamberton (1906-1961) was a lawyer and Assistant General Counsel in the Rural Electrification Administration, Solicitor
for the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration, and active in numerous committees for democracy. Lamberton
received his A.B. (Bachelor of Arts) degree from Union College in Schenectady, New York, in 1928. In 1931 he earned his LLB
(Bachelor of Laws) degree and M.A. (Master of Arts) from the University of Virginia. The same year he married Anne Henderson
Michie and began to practice law.
In 1935, under the New Deal, he joined the National Recovery Administration as an attorney. That same year Lamberton was transferred
to the Rural Electrification Administration's (REA) legal division. In 1936, under Executive Order, the REA was transferred
to the Solicitor's Office of the Department of Agriculture. Lamberton was promoted to Assistant General Counsel for the REA.
After the transfer to the Department of Agriculture, his title changed to Chief Assistant to the Associate Solicitor and Chief
of Electrification Construction. In 1938 he was accused of advancing the cause for Communism by Congressman Noah Mason, a
member of the Dies Committee, and appeared before the committee in 1939. A Civil Service Commission investigator conducted
an interview with Lamberton in 1943. That same year he applied to the School of Military Government that prepared officers
for governing occupied territories following an Allied victory but did not receive an offer to join. Lamberton worked for
the Rural Electrification Division until 1947 when he started his private law practice. Lamberton represented individuals
cited for contempt of Congress. After World War II, he joined the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration
(UNRRA) as Solicitor and Acting General Counsel to their Chinese program. He continued to practice law until his death in
1961.
Lamberton was active in numerous committees for democracy. He was chairman of the Washington, D.C. branch of the American
League of Peace and Democracy, an organization that supported Roosevelt's Quarantine and Aggressors policy. He was also active
in the Washington Committee for Democratic Action, the American Federation for Constitutional Liberties, the Lawyer's Guild,
American Friends of Spanish Democracy, the Washington, D.C., branch of the Progressive Party, and the Peace Movement to end
the Korean War.
Scope and Content of Collection
Harry Clabaugh Lamberton papers (1937-1954) includes documents, papers, and clippings relating to Lamberton's legal and political
activities, activities on communities for democracy, his work with the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration
(UNRRA), and material on the origin of the Cold War. There is also a copy of the 1943 Civil Service Investigator interview
that details his involvement with various committees and provides biographical information on Lamberton. Included in the collection
is a biographical sketch, written by his son, Benjamin, that includes an image of Lamberton.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Washington Committee for Democratic Action
American Federation for Constitutional Liberties
United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration