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Small collections of the Office of the President
Notifications
Held at: Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia [Contact Us]19 S. 22nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
The Office of the President of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia is first described in the 1787 constitution. The constitution states that the President "shall have power to call extraordinary Meetings whenever important, or unexpected Business shall require, of which he shall be the Judge;" the constitution also states that the president was authorized to call a special session when requested by at least six Fellows. According to the 1834 by-laws, the president was responsible for presiding at College meetings and signing orders from the treasurer, but he could not discuss any questions while in the chair except when necessary to come to a decision. This latter regulation was dropped from the 1863 by-laws, and new responsibilities were added in 1882, when the president was given "general supervision of the affairs of the College" and was required to present an annual address.
In 1886, due to the influence of president S, Weir Mitchell, the by-laws were again amended. Mitchell secured the right to be informed of all committee meetings and to attend them if he wished, Another of Mitchell's requests, for a five year presidential term, was never approved. The responsibilities of the president remained much the same until 1914. In the by-laws of this year, the president's duty of "sign[ing] all warrants on the Treasurer" was omitted. 1925 marked a major change in the Office of the President; in this year, he was granted ex-officio membership in all standing committees and had the power to elect most committee members. The first regulation concerning the president's term was instituted in the 1935 by-laws, which state that no president may serve more than three years in a row. Additional changes in the Office of the President did not occur until 1972. The by-laws of this year state that the president must publish his annual address, submit a yearly summary of the activities of the College, and "appoint all standing committees and designate the Chairmen." with the exception of the Nominating committee, The president's term was again restricted in the 1984 bylaws, which state that the president is limited to one two-year term. As of 2018, this is still an active office.
- Publisher
- Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia
- Finding Aid Author
- Chrissie Perella
- Finding Aid Date
- November 2018
Collection Inventory
This small collection consists of a typescript of James Tyson's address, "The Homes of the College of Physicians," which Tyson read at the cornerstone-laying ceremony on April 29, 1908.
This small collection of Alfred Stengel's presidential papers consists of one letter, recommending three Fellows for the By-Laws Committee, dated February 1, 1936; and a typescript copy of Stengel's presidential address, delivered on January 6, 1936.
This small collection of George Muller's presidential papers consists of correspondence, a report, and newsclippings regarding the College's discussion of the New York Academy of Medicine's tax exempt status and the difficulties surrounding that status, all dating from 1938-1939, during Muller's presidency.
This small collection of John Gibbon's correspondence dates to 1964 and includes correspondence to and from Gibbon about the possibility of funding from the Philadelphia Foundation.
This small collection of George Blumstein's presidential papers dates from 1970 to 1971 and includes memoranda and newsletters sent to College Fellows during Blumstein's presidency.
This small collection of Francis C. Wood's presidential papers dates from 1971 to 1973 and includes correspondence to and from Wood and presidential newsletters sent to College Fellows during Wood's presidency, as well as a bibliography of some of Wood's published works.
This small collection of Robert Pressman's correspondence dates from 1984 to 1985 and consists of acknowledgement letters sent to donors for contributions to the College, College committee assignments and meetings, and announcements of College lectures.