Collection Summary
Information for Researchers
Administrative Information
Biographical Information
Scope and Content of Collection
Collection Summary
Collection Title: Leonarde Keeler papers
Date (inclusive): 1899-1972
Date (bulk): 1923-1949
Collection Number: BANC MSS 76/40 c
Creator:
Keeler, Leonarde
Extent:
Number of containers: 3 cartons, 1 box, 10 volumes
Linear feet: 5
3 digital objects (3 images)
Repository: The Bancroft Library.
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-6000
Phone: (510) 642-6481
Fax: (510) 642-7589
Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu
URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/
Abstract: Leonarde Keeler was a pioneer in the burgeoning field of criminology in the 1920s and 1930s. The Leonarde Keeler papers contain
professional correspondence, research and publications, notes, and newsclippings that relate to the polygraph, personal research,
and the academic field of crime science in general. As the son of a family of intellectuals and naturalists, the collection
also has materials relating to his upbringing and adolescent interests.
Languages Represented: Collection materials are in English
Physical Location: Many of the Bancroft Library collections are stored offsite and advance notice may be required for use. For current information
on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Information for Researchers
Access
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Head
of Public Services, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, 94720-6000. Consent is given on behalf of The
Bancroft Library 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. See:
http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html.
Restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research
and educational purposes.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Leonarde Keeler Papers, BANC MSS 76/40 c, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley
Alternate Forms Available
Digital reproductions of selected items are available.
Related Collections
Leonarde Keeler photograph collection, BANC PIC 1976.064-.065
Charles Augustus Keeler papers, BANC MSS C-H 105
Charles Augustus Keeler papers: additions, BANC MSS 93/122 c
Charles Augustus Keeler letters : to Estelle Carpenter, BANC MSS 84/95 c
Eloise Keeler papers, BANC MSS 93/121 c
Separated Material
Most photographs have been transferred to the Pictorial Collections of The Bancroft Library.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog
Keeler, Charles Augustus, 1871-1937
Keeler, Eloise, 1905-
Keeler, Leonarde--Archives
Keeler, Louise M. (Louise Mapes)
Keeler family
Crime--United States
Lie detectors and detection--United States
Polygraph operators--United States
Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
The Leonarde Keeler Papers were given to The Bancroft Library by Eloise Keeler and Merodine Keeler McIntyre in 1975.
Accruals
No additions are expected.
System of Arrangement
Arranged to the folder level.
Processing Information
Processed by Daniel Wikey in 2011.
Biographical Information
Leonarde Keeler was born in 1903 in Berkeley, CA, the son of poet and naturalist Charles Keeler and artist Louise Bunnell.
He attended UC Berkeley and UCLA before transferring to Stanford University to study psychology. His adolescent interest in
police work and detection inspired him to develop, while in college, the "Keeler Polygraph"--an updated modification to previously
existing lie-detection technology. He performed psychological research and experiments at various prisons and institutions,
including the Institute for Juvenile Research in Chicago, before moving to Chicago permanently in 1930 to work at the Scientific
Crime Detection Laboratory headquartered at Northwestern University. He married Katherine Applegate, a fellow psychology student,
in 1930. Frequently hired as a consultant in police investigations and court cases, he gave lectures and performed research
relating to this work as well as criminology in general throughout his later life. He died of a stroke in 1949.
Scope and Content of Collection
Leonarde Keeler was a pioneer in the burgeoning field of criminology in the 1920s and 1930s. The Leonarde Keeler papers contain
professional correspondence, research and publications, notes, and newsclippings that relate to the polygraph, personal research,
and the academic field of crime science in general. As the son of a family of intellectuals and naturalists, the collection
also has materials relating to his upbringing and adolescent interests. Personalia including correspondence, school notes
and memorabilia, newsclippings, photos, and materials relating to his interests in snakes and mountain climbing are present.
Also contained is correspondence and health reports regarding his health issues and sickness later in life. An extensive collection
of family correspondence between Leonarde and his father, stepmother, sisters, nieces, and wife is included, dealing with
topics both professional and personal in Leonarde's life.