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Charles Moore papers: 1901-1940
Summary Information
Title: Charles Moore papers
Creator: Moore, Charles, 1855-1942
Dates: 1901-1940
Extent: 1.3 linear feet
Abstract:
Chairman of the National Commission of Fine Arts. Reminiscences, 1889-1909, relating in part to his activities as clerk of the U.S. Senate Committee on the District of Columbia, and including his impressions of U.S. Senators and prominent architects and artists; scrapbook of postcards depicting European scenes and art work; scrapbooks of correspondence and clippings, 1921-1922, largely concerning his biography of architect, Daniel H. Burnham; correspondence with friends, artists, editors, learned societies; articles, addresses, miscellaneous papers, and photographs.
Call number: 852264 Aa 2
Language: The material is in English
Repository: Bentley Historical Library
1150 Beal Ave.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2113
Phone: 734-764-3482
Fax: 734-936-1333
e-mail: bentley.ref@umich.edu
Home Page: http://www.bentley.umich.edu/
Finding aid created by Michigan Historical Collections staff

Access and Use
Acquisition Information:

The collection was the gift of Charles Moore (donor no. 975) and came to the library in 1939-1941.

Access Restrictions:

The collection is open to research.

To protect fragile audiovisual recordings (such as audio cassettes, film reels, and VHS tapes), the Bentley Historical Library has a policy of converting them to digital formats by a professional vendor whenever a researcher requests access. For more information, please see: http://bentley.umich.edu/research/duplication/.

Copyright:

Copyright is held by the Regents of the University of Michigan but the collection may contain third-party materials for which copyright is not held. Patrons are responsible for determining the appropriate use or reuse of materials.

Preferred Citation:

[item], folder, box, Charles Moore papers, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan


Biography

Charles Moore was October 20, 1855 in Ypsilanti, Michigan. He was educated at Phillips Andover Academy and Harvard College, graduating in 1878. Returning to Michigan, he became a newspaper reporter in Ypsilanti and Detroit. In 1888, Moore left journalism to become political secretary to Michigan senator James McMillan. When McMillan became chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee of the District of Columbia, Moore was appointed clerk to the committee. Upon Moore's urging McMillan worked for passage of legislation creating a Senate Park Commission, established in 1901, to plan for the future development of Washington. As secretary of this commission, Moore worked with, and accompanied on tours, such architectural luminaries as Daniel H. Burnham and Charles F. McKim. Moore's service was invaluable in providing assistance to the Commission in preparing the needed legislation providing for the creation of a formal mall between the Capitol and the Potomac River.

With this work accomplished, Moore returned to Detroit in 1903 where he worked in different corporate settings. In 1910, Moore was appointed to the Fine Arts Commission which was charged with the responsibility of determining the suitability of proposed monuments, statues, and public buildings in Washington. He was chairman of this commission from 1915 to 1937.

Retiring from the business world in 1914, Moore devoted himself to public service and to the study of history and the writing of biographies of Burnham and McKim. He died September 25, 1942.


Collection Scope and Content Note

The Moore collections include reminiscences, 1889-1909, relating in part to his activities as clerk of the U.S. Senate Committee on the District of Columbia, and including his impressions of U.S. Senators and prominent architects and artists; scrapbook of postcards depicting European scenes and art work; scrapbooks of correspondence and clippings, 1921-1922, largely concerning his biography of architect, Daniel H. Burnham; correspondence with friends, artists, editors, learned societies; articles, addresses, miscellaneous papers, and photographs. The collection has been arranged into the following series: Correspondence; Manuscripts of addresses and articles; Diary / Reminiscences; Other materials; Daniel Burnham materials; and Visual Materials.

Additional Charles Moore papers are located at the Library of Congress and the Detroit Institute of Art.

Subject Terms

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the finding aid database and catalog of The Bentley Historical Library/University of Michigan. Researchers desiring additional information about related topics should search the catalog using these headings.


  • Architects.
  • Art.
  • Artists.
  • United States -- Politics and government -- 1901-1909.
  • United States -- Politics and government -- 1897-1901.
  • Washington (D.C.)
  • Art.
  • Europe -- Description and travel.
  • Italy -- Description and travel.
  • Monuments and memorials.
  • Painting.
  • Sculpture.
  • Travel.
  • Photographs.
  • Postcards.
  • Scrapbooks.
  • Angell, James Burrill, 1829-1916.
  • Burnham, Daniel Hudson, 1846-1912.
  • Columbia Broadcasting System, inc.
  • Moore, Charles, 1855-1942.
  • Pierpont Morgan Library.
  • Religious Liberty Association.
  • United States. Commission of Fine Arts.
  • United States. Congress. Senate.
  • Adams, Adeline Valentine Pond, -1948.
  • Adams, Herbert, 1858-1945.
  • Adams, James Truslow, 1878-1949.
  • Becker, Carl Lotus, 1873-1945.
  • Burton, Richard, 1861-1940.
  • Calder, Alexander Stirling, 1870-1945.
  • Charnwood, Godfrey Rathbone Benson, Baron, 1864-1945.
  • Cheatham, Kitty, 1864-1946.
  • Conant, James Bryant, 1893-1978.
  • Delano, Frederic A. (Frederic Adrian), 1863-1953.
  • Denby, Edwin, 1870-1929.
  • Dole, Nathan Haskell, 1852-1935.
  • Fairbanks, Avard T. (Avard Tennyson), 1897-1987.
  • Faulkner, Barry, 1881-1966.
  • Ford, Worthington Chauncey, 1858-1941.
  • Garland, Hamlin, 1860-1940.
  • Greene, Belle da Costa.
  • Grosvenor, Gilbert Hovey, 1875-1966.
  • Hagedorn, Hermann, 1882-1964.
  • Howells, John Mead, 1868-1959.
  • Kendall, William Mitchell, 1856-1941.
  • Kimball, Fiske, 1888-1955.
  • Lorch, Emil, 1870-1963.
  • McLaughlin, Andrew Cunningham, 1861-1947.
  • Melchers, Corinne.
  • Melchers, Gari, 1860-1932.
  • Noyes, Theodore William, 1858-1946.
  • Parsons, William Edward, 1872-1939.
  • Proctor, Alexander Phimister, 1862-1950.
  • Putnam, Herbert, 1861-1955.
  • Putnam, Ruth, 1856-1931.
  • Rinehart, Mary Roberts, 1876-1958.
  • Shrady, Henry Merwin, 1871-1922.
  • Tarkington, Booth, 1869-1946.
  • Taylor, Henry Osborn, 1856-1941.
  • Weinman, Adolph Alexander, 1870-1952.
Contents List
Request materials for use in the Bentley Library
Container / Location Title
 
Correspondence [series]
Box   1  
Undated
Box   1  
1911-1936
Box   1  
1937
Box   1  
1938
Box   1  
1939
Box   1  
1940
Box   1  
Letters from Gari and Corinne Melchers
Box   1  
Letters concerning James B. Angell dinner 1910
 
Manuscripts of addresses and articles [series]
Box   1  
Undated, 1918-1939 (3 folders)
Box   1  
Essay on taxation
Box   1  
Manuscript of "Britain in War Time" (5 folders)
Box   1  
Manuscript of "The Old Northwest in History and Literature" (6 folders)
 
Diary / Reminiscences [series]
Box   1  
Reminiscences 1889-1901

(includes a chapter on Senate Park Commission of 1901 and on Charles F. McKim)
Box   1  
Reminiscences 1901-1909
Box   1  
Diary 1902
 
Other materials [series]
Box   1  
Minutes of Commission of Fine Arts 1939
Box   1  
Scrapbook of newspaper clippings 1912-1933
Box   1  
Clippings and mounted correspondence [formerly in notebook]
Box   1  
Telephone and address lists
Box   1  
Greeting cards
 
Daniel Burnham materials [series]

(concerns Moore's biography of Burnham)
Box   2  
Scrapbooks, include correspondence and clippings regarding Moore's book 1921-1922 (2 volumes)
Box   2  
Correspondence and clippings re. Daniel Burnham, and book, Daniel H. Burnham, Architect, Planner of Cities 1911-1922
 
Visual Materials [series]
Box   2  
Album (including photographs, postcards, and Christmas cards)
Box   2  
Photographs
Additional Descriptive Data
Selective Index to Correspondents and Subjects
Adams, Adeline Valentine Pond, d. 1948.
  • May 4, 1939; May 5, 1939; Apr. 7, 1940
Adams, Herbert, 1858-1945.
  • Apr. 21, 1937; Sept. 12, 1937; Mar. 27, 1938
Adams, James Truslow, 1878-1949.
  • Dec. 12, 1938
Becker, Carl Lotus, 1873-1945.
  • Oct. 26, 1938
Burton, Richard, 1861-1940.
  • Mar. 12, 1937?; Nov. 21, 1937; Dec. 24, 1938
Calder, Alexander Stirling, 1870-1945.
  • Dec. 10, 1937
Charnwood, Godfrey Rathbone Benson, 1864-1945.
  • Jan. 11, 1938; Dec. 25, 1938
Cheatham, Kitty, 1864?-1946.
  • June 6, 1938
Columbia Broadcasting System
  • July 30, 1937; Aug. 16, 1937; Oct. 28, 1937
Conant, James Bryant, 1893-1978.
  • Apr. 14, 1937
Delano, Frederic A. (Frederic Adrian), 1863-1953.
  • May 16, 1938
Denby, Edwin, 1870-1929.
  • Apr. 25, 1910 (located in Angell dinner file)
Dole, Nathan Haskell, 1852-1935.
  • Nov. 3, 1921; Nov. 30, 1921 (located in Daniel H. Burnham folder)
Fairbanks, Avard T. (Avard Tennyson), 1897-1987.
  • May 3, 1938
Faulkner, Barry, 1881-1966.
  • Undated; Dec. 7, 1938
Ford, Worthington Chauncey, 1858-1941.
  • Jan. 29, 1939
Garland, Hamlin, 1860-1940.
  • Jan. 3, 1938; May 25, 1939
Greene, Belle da Costa.
  • June 22, 1938
Grosvenor, Gilbert Hovey, 1875-1966.
  • Apr. 17, 1923
Hagedorn, Hermann, 1882-1964.
  • Jan. 23, 1939; Oct. 30, 1939
Howells, John Mead, 1868-1959.
  • Undated; Aug. 27, 1937
Kendall, William Mitchell, 1856-1941
  • Apr. 13, 1922; Feb. 23, 1938
Kimball, Fiske, 1888-1955.
  • Oct. 3, 1938
Lorch, Emil, 1870-1963.
  • Oct. 8, 1937; Nov. 26, 1937
McLaughlin, Andrew Cunningham, 1861-1947.
  • Jan. 6, 1938
Melchers, Corinne.
  • [See letters in separate Melchers file]
Melchers, Gari, 1860-1932.
  • [See letters in separate Melchers file]
Noyes, Theodore William, 1858-1946.
  • Feb. 26, 1938
Parsons, William Edward, 1872-1939.
  • Mar. 19, 1939
Pierpont Morgan Library.
  • June 22, 1938
Proctor, Alexander Phimister, 1862-1950.
  • Sept. 20, 1938; Dec. 16, 1938
Putnam, Herbert, 1861-1955.
  • July 18, 1938; Apr. 13, 1939; Sept. 10, 1937 (in folder of mounted correspondence)
Putnam, Ruth, 1856-1931.
  • Undated
Religious Liberty Association
  • Jan. 12, 1939
Rinehart, Mary Roberts, 1876-1958.
  • May 21, 1938
Shrady, Henry Mervin, 1871-1922.
  • Mar. 10?, 1920
Tarkington, Booth, 1869-1946.
  • Nov. 22, 1937
Taylor, Henry Osborn, 1856-1941.
  • Nov. 27, 1938
Weinman, Adolph Alexander, 1870-1952.
  • Aug. 4, 1937; Mar. 12, 1940