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Office of the President: John Wesley Johnson records

 Collection — Box: 1 (00005.A)
Identifier: UA 001-001

Scope and Contents

The collection is organized by accession. As of 2012, there is only one accession.

Accession 00005.A: contains two folders: Buildings and Grounds (related to McClure Hall), and Failing and Beekman Deed of gift, 1888-1889.

Dates

  • 1888-1905

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. Permanent University Archive public records are available for research, and are subject to state, and in some cases federal freedom of information laws. In compliance with applicable state and federal laws, including, but not limited to, FERPA and HIPAA, specific records that are legally protected, sensitive, private, or confidential are exempt (not subject to disclosure) and closed to protect individual privacy.

Conditions Governing Use

Property rights reside with Special Collections & University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries. Copyright resides with the creators of the documents or their heirs. All requests for permission to publish collection materials must be submitted to Special Collections & University Archives. The reader must also obtain permission of the copyright holder.

Archival material may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal and/or state right to privacy laws and other regulations.

Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g. a cause of action for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of Oregon assumes no responsibility.

If a researcher finds sensitive personal information in a collection, please bring it to the attention of the reading room staff.

Biographical / Historical

John Wesley Johnson (1836-1898) and his family were Oregon pioneers, arriving in Marysville, Oregon in 1850 President, 1876-1893

cite (Sheldon)

He was a graduate of Yale University, and afterwards returned to Oregon to work in education. He worked as a teacher at McMinnville College (now Linfield College) from 1863–1867, and also served as President of the college from 1864 until 1867. Next, he served as principal at Portland High School until 1873 (Sheldon.......)

In 1873, Johnson traveled to Eugene, Oregon to teach Latin at the University of Oregon, and in 1876, he was chosen to be the first President of the university. His tenure as president lasted until 1893.

"In addition to teaching Greek and Latin, his duties as president also included those of registrar, business officer, provost, dean of students, and secretary. In his seventeen years as president he urged Oregonians to overcome their suspicion of higher education and focused his energies on quality and essentials, building a solid base for the future" (President's).

While president, Johnson oversaw the creation of new buildings: Villard Hall in 1886; a new dormitory (which is now Friendly Hall) in 1893.

In 1915, a new administration building was built on campus; in 1918, that building was named after President Johnson, and is still known as Johnson Hall.

[Source: Presidential History. University of Oregon, Office of the President, webpage: http://president.uoregon.edu]

[***********Sheldon, Henry D. (1940). History of the University of Oregon. Portland, Oregon: Binfords & Mort. p. 41.]

Extent

0.25 linear feet (1 container)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

John Wesley Johnson (1836-1898) was an Oregon pioneer, a teacher and administrator in Oregon schools and colleges, was a professor of Latin, and also the first President of the University of Oregon, from 1876 until 1893. The collection (1888-1905) contains records from the Office of the President during Johnson's tenure and also cover the tenure of presidents' Charles Hiram Chapman (1893-1899), Frank Strong (1899-1902), and (the first four years of) Prince Lucien Campbell (1902-1905).

Arrangement

Material within this collection has been organized by accession. This organization reflects the fact that the collection has been acquired in increments over time. This organization is also based on the decision not to merge the various accessions and organize them as a whole at this point in time, give the fact that future accruals are anticipated and/or that this organization is deemed sufficient for access.

Researchers should note that materials within a series or accession may overlap and/or relate to materials found in other accessions or initially processed materials. For example, correspondence may be found in all or only some groupings. In order to locate all relevant material within this collection, researchers may need to consult each accession.

Researchers should also note that similar materials can be arranged differently in each accession, depending on how the material is organized upon receipt or during initial processing. For instance, correspondence is one accession may be arranged alphabetically, while correspondence in another accession is arranged chronologically.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Transferred by the Office of the President.

Accruals

Continued transfers of records from the Office of the President are expected indefinitely.

Physical Description

1 half-manuscript box.

Processing Information

Collection processed by Tanya Parlet, 2013.

This finding aid may be updated periodically to account for new acquisitions to the collection and/or revisions in arrangement and description.

This collection received a basic level of processing including minimal organization and rehousing. Multiple accession(s) for the collection have not been merged or organized as a whole. Each accession is described separately.

Description information is drawn in part from information supplied with the collection and initial surveys of the contents.

Title
Guide to the Office of the President: John Wesley Johnson Records
Status
In Progress
Date
2012
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid is written in English

Repository Details

Part of the University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives Repository

Contact:
1299 University of Oregon
Eugene OR 97403-1299 USA