Description
Correspondence about
Professor Ross' dismissal, including resignation letters of faculty departing in protest,
news clippings, pamphlets, and pamphlets by Ross.
Background
In the late 1890s, sociology professor Edward A. Ross gained notoriety following several
years of political activism in favor of the free silver movement, municipal ownership of
utilities (including the railroads), and Japanese exclusion. While Mrs. Stanford found his
opinions personally objectionable, her main concern was the reputation of the univeristy
which, she felt, would be damaged by hasty espousal of political and social fads. The
founders had intended the university to be free from the pressures of political
partisanship; the apolitical nature of the university was now endangered by Ross's
activities. Publicly, Mrs. Stanford affirmed President Jordan's power as defined in the
Founding Grant to "remove professors and teachers at will," giving him full responsibility
for clearing up the matter; however, privately, she pressed for Ross's dismissal. She
disagreed with Ross's economic theories and was indignant about the idea of municipal
ownership of the railroads, but she was particularly shocked by his anti-Japanese stand.
Mrs. Stanford identified such attitudes with the earlier anti-Chinese movement instigated by
Dennis Kearny and its resulting "reign of terror" which had pervaded San francisco. Ross,
she felt, was a racist.
Restrictions
All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from, or otherwise use collection materials must
be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford
University Libraries, Stanford, California 94304-6064. Consent is given on behalf of Special
Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply
permission from the copyright owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright
owner, heir(s) or assigns. See:
http://library.stanford.edu/depts/spc/pubserv/permissions.html.
Availability
This collection is open for research.