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Harpur Allen Gosnell Papers
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Held at: Princeton University Library: University Archives [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: University Archives. 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
Harpur Allen Gosnell was an American naval officer and author.
After graduating from Princeton in 1912, he remained at the university to earn a degree in electrical engineering in 1914. He held a position as an engineer with the DuPont Company, the United States Navy, and the Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company before returning to Princeton as an instructor in 1927, whereupon he earned a third degree, a master's in engineering. A member of the Naval Reserve, Gosnell authored several books on sailing and naval warfare including On the Decks of Old Ironsides and Before the Mast in Clippers. Gosnell died in 1959.
The Harpur Allen Gosnell Papers consist of various documents pertaining to Gosnell, a Princeton alumnus, and his efforts to initiate a Princeton University chapter of the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps between 1927 and 1930. The plan (which was ultimately turned down by the University) put Gosnell into contact with many administrators and alums. Those exchanges along with the supporting research materials are documented here through correspondence and reports. Also in the papers are several items relating to Gosnell's personal life, including short articles he wrote for the Princeton Alumni Weekly, a travel diary compiled during a trip taken at the age of 12, and a baby book marking important events in his early childhood.
These papers were given the University Archives in June of 1960. The donor of the papers is unknown.
This collection was processed by Dan Brennan in 2009. Finding aid written by Dan Brennan in 2009.
Appraisal has been conducted in accordance with Mudd Library guidelines.
People
Organization
- Publisher
- University Archives
- Finding Aid Author
- Dan Brennan
- Finding Aid Date
- 2010
- Access Restrictions
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The collection is open for research use.
- Use Restrictions
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Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. For quotations that are fair use as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission to cite or publish is required. The Trustees of Princeton University hold copyright to all materials generated by Princeton University employees in the course of their work. If copyright is held by Princeton University, researchers will not need to obtain permission, complete any forms, or receive a letter to move forward with non-commercial use of materials from the Mudd Library. For materials where the copyright is not held by the University, researchers are responsible for determining who may hold the copyright and obtaining approval from them. If you have a question about who owns the copyright for an item, you may request clarification by contacting us through the Ask Us! form.
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