James B. Angell Papers, 1845-1916

Summary

Creator:

Angell, James Burrill, 1829-1916

Abstract:

Papers of James Burrill Angell, the third President of the University of Michigan (1871-1909) and U.S. Minister to China (1871-1909) and Turkey (1897-1898). Includes correspondence, lectures and lecture notes, addresses and articles, subject files and personal materials, and photographs.

Extent:

16.5 linear feet (in 17 boxes)
1 oversize folder
6 volumes

Call Number:

851644 Aa 2 Ac

Authors:

Finding aid prepared by: Bentley Historical Library staff, updated by Devon Proudfoot in February 2017.

Background

Scope and Content:

The Angell papers documents Angell's academic and diplomatic career. There is extensive material on all phases of University of Michigan business, particularly Angell's contacts with the state legislature, the board of regents, faculty relations, and the various schools, colleges, departments and divisions. Much of the correspondence and the Angell diaries relate to his diplomatic missions, higher education in the United States, and family matters.

Biographical / Historical:

James B. Angell was a college president and diplomat. Born in Scituate, Rhode Island on January 7, 1829, Angell was a graduate of Brown University, class of 1849. After a period of travel and study, he joined the faculty of Brown soon after receiving his A.M. in 1853 as professor of modern languages. Angell married Sarah Caswell in 1855, daughter of Brown faculty and future president, Alexis Caswell. He resigned in 1860 to assume the editorship of the Providence Journal, a newspaper he had been writing for since 1858. As editor, Angell was especially interested in topics relating to international law and politics.

In 1866, Angell resigned to accept the presidency of the University of Vermont. In 1869, he was offered the presidency of the University of Michigan. After initially refusing the offer, Angell, after more than a year of negotiation with the regents, accepted the offer to come to Ann Arbor on February 7, 1871. He would remain as president until his retirement in 1909.

Because of his expertise in international affairs, Angell was called upon for occasional diplomatic service. He was minister to China from 1880 to 1881 and a member of a commission of three to negotiate a new immigration treaty which limited but did not absolutely prohibit the entry and residence of Chinese laborers into the United States. Angell remained in China until October 1881 and resumed his academic duties in February 1882.

In 1887, President Grover Cleveland selected Angell to serve on the Anglo-American International Commission on Canadian Fisheries. Later in Cleveland's second administration, Angell was named chairman of the Canadian-American Commission on Deep Waterways from Lakes to Sea. Angell's last diplomatic venture was as U.S. Minister to Turkey, serving from 1897 to 1898.

Angell died April 1, 1916.

Acquisition Information:

The bulk of the collection was transferred from the William Clements Library, (donor no. 716 ) in 1939. Additional materials came from Robert C. Angell, (donor no. 485 ) and Lois Angell McLaughlin, (donor no. 237 )

Arrangement:

The James B. Angell collection has been organized into five series of papers:

1. Correspondence -- Boxes 1-7 and 16-17 (index to correspondence)
2. Lectures and Lecture Notes -- Box 7
3. Addresses and Articles -- Boxes 7-10
4. Subject Files and Personal Papers -- Boxes 10-13
5. Photographs -- Boxes 14-15

Related

Additional Descriptive Data:

Related Material

The National Archives in Washington D.C. hold Angell's microfilmed correspondence written while serving in China.

The Bentley also holds material from Angell's family including the Sarah Caswell Angell papers, the Lois T. McLaughlin papers, as well as the Alexis C. Angell papers.

Selective Index of Correspondents

Adams, Charles Kendall, 1835-1902.	1880-1882, Sept. 11, 1885, 1887-1890, Nov. 5, 1895, Dec. 23, 1895
Adams, Henry Carter, 1851-1921.	Apr. 6, 1882, March 20, 1884, July 15, 1885, March 25, 1886 (2 letters), Mar. 7, 1887, May 26, 1887, July 29, 1890, Dec. 3, 1890, Apr. 9, 1908, Apr. 18, 1908, June 15, 1908
Adams, Herbert Baxter	July 6, 1885
Arthur, Chester Alan, 1830-1886.	Apr. 12, 1882
Bagley, John Judson, 1832-1881.	Sept. 29, 1873, May 1, 1875, 1856, Jan. 1, 1877, Jan. 30, 1877, 1878, Feb. 20, 1879, Mar. 8, 1879, Mar. 26, 1880
Baldwin, Henry Porter, 1814-1892.	Dec. 7, 1872, June 30, 1875, Dec. 5, 1879, 1880
Barbour, Levi Lewis, 1840-1925.	Mar. 25, 1880, Mar. 1, 1895, Mar. 4, 1895, Mar. 2, 1897, July 24, 1899, July 28, 1899, Aug. 1, 1899, July 19, 1902, Jan. 23, 1903, 1904, 1905, June 25, 1906 (2 letters), July 14, 1906, Feb. 15, 1907, Mar. 11, 1907
Bates, Henry Moore, 1869-1949.	Nov. 7, 1899 (2 letters), July 10, 1903, Mar. 30, 1906, Dec, 12, 1907
Beard, Charles Austin, 1874-1948.	July 28, 1909
Blaine, James Gillespie, 1830-1893.	June 20, 1881; JBA to Blaine, May 21, June 18, July 2, 1881
Blair, Austin, 1818-1894.	Nov. 17, 1882, Feb. 12, 1883, Sept. 16, 1884, Oct. 20, 1884, Feb. 10, 1885
Bliss, Aaron Thomas, 1837-1906.	Mar. 18, 1901, Apr. 8, 1901, July 11, 1902, Dec. 10, 1902
Bryce, James Bryce, Viscount, 1838-1922.	Dec. 16, 1887
Burrows, Julius Caesar, 1837-1915.	Jan. 31, 1896, Feb. 29, 1896
Christiancy, Isaac Peckham, 1812-1890.	June 2, 1877, 1878
Cooley, Mortimer Elwyn, 1855-1915.	Jan. 21, 1904, Aug. 4, 1904, Nov. 19, 1904, Feb. 12, 1908, Apr. 20, 1908, Jan. 13, 1909, Jan. 31, 1909
Davis, Raymond Cazallis, 1836-1919.	1877, Apr. 1, 1881, Apr. 5, 1881, 1883, 1884
Demmon, Isaac Newton, 1842-1920.	July 2, 1872, June 20, 1876, Oct. 20, 1880
Dewey, John 1859-1952.	July 19, 1884, Apr. 19, 1889 (2 letters)
Dickinson, Donald McDonald, 1846-1917.	Sept. 4, 1885
D'Ooge, Martin Luther, 1839-1915.	July 5, 1877, July, 1879, June 17, 1880, Nov. 4, 1880, Dec. 22, 1880, May 7, 1881, Nov. 20, 1881, July 14, 1884
Eliot, Charles William, 1834-1925.	Oct. 2, 1871, Dec. 6, 1883, Nov. 14, 1884, Oct. 10, 1885, Apr. 22, 1886, Mar. 5, 1888, Geb. 6, 1890, Apr. 22, 1890, June 2, 1890, June 3, 1892, Mar. 1, 1893, Apr. 11, 1893, Nov. 18, 1893, Nov. 19, 1895, Oct. 9, 1895, Feb. 29, 1896, Nov. 23, 1896, Feb. 8, 1899, Nov. 19, 1899, Aug. 28, 1902, May 22, 1903
Fairlie, John Archibald, 1872-1947.	June 1, 1900, June 26, 1901, Apr. 2, 1908
Ferris, Woodbridge Nathan, 1853-1928.	Sept. 14, 1895, Sept. 19, 1895, Sept. 21, 1895, Apr. 20, 1896, June 1, 1896, May 12, 1899, July 4, 1899
Fletcher, Frank Ward, 1853-1922.	Mar. 3, 1897, Mar. 3, 1899, Nov. 23, 1904, Mar. 24, 1905, June 2, 1905, Jan. 25, 1906, Mar. 12, 1906, Jan. 28, 1907 (2 letters), 1908
Frieze, Henry Simmons, 1817-1899.	1869, Jan. 29, 1870, 1871, 1872, Aug. 12, 1874, July, 1844, Feb. 12, 1878, May 30, 1879, 1880, 1881, Feb. 2, 1882, Feb. 27, 1882, Apr. 5, 1882, July 14, 1883, July 19, 1883
Garfield, James Abram, 1831-1881.	Mar. 15, 1879
Grosvenor, Ebenezer Oliver, 1820-1910.	Mar. 5, 1880, Mar. 8, 1880, Feb. 28, 1881, July 14, 1882, 1883, Apr. 13, 1885
Hale, Edward Everett, 1822-1909.	June 8, 1880, July 19, 1885
Haven, Erastus Otis, 1820-1881.	Sept. 27, 1871, June 1, 1880
Hay, John, 1838-1905.	Aug. 2, 1873, May 18, 1874, Dec. 8, 1879, Apr. 13, 1880, Mar. 1, 1906
Hayes, Rutherford Birchard, 1822-1893.	Jan. 5, 1883
Hill, Arthur, 1847-1909.	Dec. 26, 1903, 1904, Oct. 21, 1905, Dec. 26, 1908, Apr. 5, 1908, Apr. 25, 1908
Hobbs, William Herbert, 1864-1953.	Aug. 30, 1903, Nov. 18, 1903, Aug. 7, 1906, Dec. 11, 1906
Hutchins, Harry Burns, 1847-1930.	Aug. 27, 1874, Aug. 30, 1884, Apr. 8, 1894, Sept. 26, 1984, May 3, 1894, July 23, 1895, Sept. 7, 1898
Jerome, David Howell, 1829-1896.	Nov. 17, 1882, Nov. 20, 1882
Jordan, Myra Beach, 1850-	July 1, 1902, Mar. 23, 1908, Apr. 7, 1909
Joy, James Frederick, 1810-1896.	Dec. 14, 1882, Dec. 15, 1882, Dec. 18, 1882, 1883-1885
Kelsey, Francis Willey, 1858-1927.	June 27, 1889 (2 letters), Mar. 23, 1893, Apr. 18, 1893
Kiefer, Hermann, 1825-1911.	July 27, 1889, Dec. 18, 1890, July 25, 1893, Jan. 5, 1900, June 24, 1902
Knappen, Loyal Edwin, 1854-193-.	1905, Oct. 1, 1906, Dec. 9, 1906, Dec. 28, 1906, Feb. 14, 1907, Mar. 23, 1907, Mar. 28, 1907, Dec. 30, 1908, Feb. 4, 1908, July 27, 1909, July 22, 1909
Low, Seth, 1850-1916.	Oct. 1, 1891, June 3, 1892, May 23, 1896, Dec. 3, 1900, Mar. 25, 1901, May 11, 1901, May 13, 1901
Luce, Cyrus Gray, 1824-1905.	Dec. 11, 1886, Dec. 18, 1886, Dec. 22, 1886, Nov. 26, 1888, Dec. 3, 1888, Jan. 19, 1889, Dec. 2, 1890, Dec. 27, 1890
McMillan, James, 1838-1902.	Dec. 16, 1882, May 8, 1883, June 14, 1883, Sept. 5, 1885, Sept. 8, 1885, Oct. 29, 1885, May 15, 1887, May 28, 1887, Jan. 15, 1889, Sept. 5, 1889, Dec. 20, 1889, Dec. 17, 1890, Dec. 27, 1890, Mar. 31, 1891, Jan. 19, 1899, Nov. 22, 1899
Morrill, Justin Smith, 1810-1898.	Oct. 18, 1859, Feb. 17, 1870, July 27, 1871.
Mosher, Eliza Maria, 1846-1928.	Oct. 30, 1895, Dec. 19, 1895, Jan. 11, 1896, Apr. 15, 1902, Sept. 30, 1902
Olney, Richard, 1835-1917.	1895, 1896
Palmer, Alice Freeman, 1855-1902.	June 3, 1896; letters dated Apr. 14, 1882, Feb. 25, 1884, May 13, 1891 located in Palmer collection.
Palmer, Thomas Witheroll, 1830-1913.	July 24, 1876, Nov. 9, 1878
Pinchot, Gifford, 1865-1946.	Feb. 8, 1909, Feb. 16, 1909, Mar. 5, 1909
Pingree, Hazen Smith, 1840-1901.	Mar. 8, 1899, Apr. 1899
Shurz, Carl, 1829-1906.	Nov. 1, 1871, Jan. 17, 1876, Feb. 28, 1877
Smith, William Alden, 1859-1902.	Nov. 4, 1885, Feb. 1, 1896
Spaulding, Oliver Lyman, 1833-1922.	June 2, 1892, June 16, 1892
Stearns, Frederick Kimball, 1831-1907.	Oct. 16, 1893, Apr. 25, 1894, Apr. 20, 1894, 1898, Aug. 14, 1899, July 1, 1900, June 28, 1901
Steere, Joseph Beale, 1842-1940.	Apr. 5, 1876, Sept. 5, 1876, July 5, 1877, July 24, 1877
Sullivan, Louis Henry, 1856-1924.	Dec. 15, 1905
Tappan, Henry Philip, 1805-1881.	Nov. 12, 1874, Oct. 14, 1875
Tyler, Moses Coit, 1835-1901.	July 16, 1871, Jan. 12, 1872, Jan. 23, 1872, 1873, 1874, Jan. 22, 1877, July 10, 1877, Feb. 12, 1878, May 30, 1879, Oct. 24, 1880, Mar. 5, 1881, May 25, 1881 (2 letters), Mar. 1, 1882, June 12, 1885, July 21, 1885, July 2, 1887
Warner, Fred Maltby, 1876-1923.	1905, 1908, Jan. 6, 1909, Feb. 24, 1909
Wenley, Robert Mark, 1871-1929.	Sept. 24, 1895, Oct. 22, 1895, 1896, Apr. 2, 1901, May 10, 1901, 1905, Jan. 13, 1906, Aug. 9, 1906
White, Andrew Dickson, 1832-1918.	Sept. 13, 1869, Oct. 2, 1871, Aug. 25, 1873, Dec. 12, 1873, Mar. 27, 1874, May 30, 1874, Sept. 30, 1874, May 8, 1875, Apr. 8, 1879, Apr. 9, 1879, July 30, 1879, Jan. 3, 1868
Wilson, Woodrow, 1856-1924.	Nov. 7, 1887, Nov. 15, 1887
Winchell, Alexander, 1824-1891.	Feb. 19, 1877, June 7, 1880, Feb.3, 1889

Subjects

Click on terms below to find any related finding aids on this site.

Subjects:

Funeral rites and ceremonies.
Interiors -- Michigan -- Ann Arbor.
Offices -- Michigan -- Ann Arbor.
Women -- Organizations.
Women's resources -- limited extent.

Formats:

Albums.
Diaries.
Photographs.
Prints.
Digital file formats.

Names:

American Academy in Rome.
American Historical Association.
Louisiana Purchase Exposition (1904 : Saint Louis, Mo.)
University of Michigan. Alumni Association.
University of Michigan -- Sports.
University of Michigan. College of Engineering.
University of Michigan. Homoeopathic Medical School.
University of Michigan. University Museum.
University of Michigan. President.
University of Michigan. Semicentennial Celebration.
University of Michigan -- Students -- Social life and customs -- 1871-1880.
University of Michigan -- Students -- Social life and customs -- 1881-1890.
University of Michigan -- Students -- Social life and customs -- 1891-1900.
University of Michigan -- Students -- Social life and customs -- 1901-1910.
University of Michigan. University Hospital.
Browning Club (Ann Arbor, Mich.)
President's House (University of Michigan)
United States Fish Commission -- 1888.
University of Vermont.
Angell family.
Angell, James Burrill, 1829-1916.
Angell, Sarah Caswell, 1831-1903.
Hutchins, Harry B. (Harry Burns), 1847-1930.
Abel, John Jacob, 1857-1938.
Adams, Charles Kendall, 1835-1902.
Adams, Henry Carter, 1851-1921.
Agassiz, Alexander, 1835-1910.
Angell, Alexis C. (Alexis Caswell), 1857-1932.
Angell, Avery Aldrich, 1807-1894.
Arthur, Chester Alan, 1829-1886.
Bagley, John Judson, 1832-1881.
Baldwin, Henry P. (Henry Porter), 1814-1892.
Barbour, Levi L. (Levi Lewis), 1840-1925.
Bates, Henry Moore, 1869-1949.
Beal, Junius E. (Junius Emery), 1860-1942.
Beal, William James, 1833-1924.
Beard, Charles Austin, 1874-1948.
Blaine, James Gillespie, 1830-1893.
Blair, Austin, 1818-1894.
Bliss, Aaron Thomas, 1837-1906.
Bryce, James Bryce, Viscount, 1838-1922.
Burrows, Julius C. (Julius Caesar), 1837-1915.
Campbell, James V. (James Valentine), 1823-1890.
Christiancy, Isaac Peckham, 1812-1890.
Cleveland, Grover, 1837-1908.
Cooley, Mortimer E. (Mortimer Elwyn), 1855-1944.
Cooley, Thomas McIntyre, 1824-1898.
Davis, R. C. (Raymond Cazallis), 1836-
Demmon, Isaac Newton, 1842-1920.
Dewey, John, 1859-1952.
Dickinson, Donald McDonald, 1846-1917.
D'Ooge, Martin Luther, 1839-1915.
Duffield, D. Bethune (Divie Bethune), 1821-1891.
Duffield, George, 1794-1868.
Eliot, Charles William, 1834-1926.
Fairlie, John A. (John Archibald), 1872-1947.
Ferris, Woodbridge N., 1853-1928.
Field, David Dudley, 1805-1894.
Fletcher, Frank Ward, 1853-1922.
Frieze, Henry S. (Henry Simmons), 1817-1889.
Garfield, James A. (James Abram), 1831-1881.
Gilchrist, James Grant, 1842-1906.
Grosvenor, Ebenezer Oliver, 1820-1910.
Hale, Edward Everett, 1822-1909.
Harrington, Mark Walrod, 1848-1926.
Haven, E. O. (Erastus Otis), 1820-1881.
Hay, John, 1838-1905.
Hayes, Rutherford Birchard, 1822-1893.
Hill, Arthur, 1847-1909.
Hobbs, William Herbert, 1864-1952.
Jerome, David Howell, 1829-1896.
Jordan, Myra Beach, 1863-1946.
Joy, James F. (James Frederick), 1810-1896.
Kelsey, Francis W. (Francis Willey), 1858-
Kiefer, Hermann, 1825-1911.
Kirchner, Otto, 1846-1920.
Knappen, Loyal Edwin, 1854-1930.
Low, Seth, 1850-1916.
Luce, Cyrus Gray, 1824-1905.
McMillan, James, 1838-1902.
Morrill, Justin Smith, 1810-1898.
Mosher, Eliza Maria, 1846-1928.
Olney, Richard, 1835-1917.
Palmer, Alice Freeman, 1855-1902.
Palmer, Thomas Witherell, 1830-1913.
Pinchot, Gifford, 1865-1946.
Pingree, Hazen S., 1840-1901.
Sawyer, Andrew Jackson, 1834-
Schurz, Carl, 1829-1906.
Smith, William Alden, 1859-1932.
Spaulding, c Mr. (Oliver Lyman), 1833-1922.
Stearns, Frederick, 1831-1907.
Steere, Joseph Beal, 1842-1940.
Tappan, Henry Philip, 1805-1881.
Tyler, Moses Coit, 1835-1900.
Van Zile, Philip T. (Philip Taylor), 1843-1917.
Warner, Frederick Maltby, 1865-1923.
Wead, Charles Kasson, 1848-1925.
Wenley, R. M. (Robert Mark), 1861-1929.
White, Andrew Dickson, 1832-1918.
Wilson, Woodrow, 1856-1924.
Winchell, Alexander, 1824-1891.

Places:

Ann Arbor (Mich.)
China -- History -- 1861-1912.
Turkey.
Waterman Gymnasium (University of Michigan)