Scope and Contents
The Charles E. Johnson papers cover the professional activities of Johnson, beginning with his career as an accountant in 1942, following his various administrative positions at the University of Oregon, and ending with his tenure as Acting President of the University of Oregon in 1968. The collection includes biographical material, personal and professional correspondence, speeches, reports, schedules, publications, and clippings that relate to his professional career as an accountant and to his positions at the University of Oregon.
The collection is organized into five series: I: Biographical Material, II: Correspondence, III: Speeches, IV: Reports and Schedules, V: Publications and Clippings.
The biographical material contains various biographical notes written by Johnson and information on his fellowship from the Ford Foundation.
The original organization of the correspondence into three categories was maintained: job offers, personal correspondence, and professional correspondence.
The files relating to Johnson’s speeches comprise the bulk of the collection. The speech series is organized alphabetically by the title of the speech, and by the subject of the speech when no title was available. Speech transcripts are included here as well as files containing information on speech ideas.
The reports and schedules series contains reports on the University of Oregon and Johnson’s schedule as Dean of the College of Liberal Arts.
The publications and clippings series include book reviews and an article on management and accounting principles written by Johnson, and various clippings relating to educational and business-related topics.
Although the collection does contain some personal correspondence, the collection mostly pertains to Johnson's professional activities. There are no files relating to Johnson’s military service in World War II. The files relating specifically to Johnson’s tenure as Acting President of the University of Oregon are contained in a separate Office of the President collection; please see the related materials note.
Dates
- 1942-1968
Creator
- Johnson, Charles E., 1920-1969 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open to the public. Collection must be used in Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room. Collection or parts of collection may be stored offsite. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives in advance of your visit to allow for transportation time.
Conditions Governing Use
Property rights reside with Special Collections and 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 and University Archives. The reader must also obtain permission of the copyright holder.
Biographical / Historical
Charles Ellicott Johnson (1920-1969), accountant and university administrator, was born on September 7, 1920 in Worland, Wyoming, to Palmer Johnson and Rose Ellicott. Johnson entered the University of Minnesota in 1939 and studied accounting and business administration. He graduated in 1942 and married Jeanne, with whom he would have three children. Johnson worked as an accountant before serving in World War II. He returned to the University of Minnesota after his service, earning his MBA in 1948 and his PhD in 1952.
Charles Johnson came to the University of Oregon in 1952 as an Associate Professor in Business Administration and became a full Professor in 1957. In 1959, he was appointed as Head of the Department of Accounting and Business Statistics, and then became Dean of the College of Liberal Arts in 1963. Johnson was appointed as Acting President of the University of Oregon in 1968.
Johnson’s presidency was defined by several controversies, including the dormitory grape boycott, athletes who were disciplined for refusing to cut their hair, and obscenities printed in the Emerald. During his tenure, Navy recruiters were harassed by activists, a shanty town was set up on the campus lawn, and there were numerous protests over the Vietnam War, civil rights, and freedoms. Charles E. Johnson was killed in an automobile accident on June 17, 1969.
Extent
2 linear feet (4 containers) : 4 manuscript boxes
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Charles Ellicott Johnson (1920-1969) worked as an accountant before serving at the University of Oregon as Head of the Department of Accounting and Business Statistics in 1959, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts in 1963, and finally as Acting President of the University in 1968. The collection includes biographical material, correspondence, speeches, reports, schedules, publications, and clippings relating to his professional career as an accountant and to his positions at the University of Oregon.
Arrangement
Collection is organized into the following series:
Series I: Biographical Material
Series II: Correspondence
Series III: Speeches
Series IV: Reports and Schedules
Series V: Publications and Clippings
Processing Information
Collection processed by Rachel Edford, 2007.
This finding aid may be updated periodically to account for new acquisitions to the collection and/or revisions in arrangement and description.
- Accountants -- United States Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- College presidents -- Oregon -- Eugene Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Colleges and Universities Subject Source: Archiveswest
- Correspondence Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Deans (Education) -- Oregon -- Eugene Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Johnson, Charles E., 1920-1969
- Universities and colleges -- Oregon -- Eugene Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- University of Oregon
- University of Oregon. College of Liberal Arts
Source
- University of Oregon. Office of the President (Organization)
- Title
- Guide to the Charles E. Johnson Papers
- Status
- Complete Description
- Author
- Rachel Edford and Tanya Parlet.
- 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
- Sponsor
- Funding for production of this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).
Repository Details
Part of the University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives Repository
