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E. Raymond Wilson Papers
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Held at: Swarthmore College Peace Collection [Contact Us]500 College Avenue, Swarthmore 19081-1399
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Swarthmore College Peace Collection. 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
Often called the "dean of Washington religious lobbyists," E. Raymond Wilson was one of the founders and served as the Executive Secretary of the Friends Committee on National Legislation, from its establishment in November 1943 until he became Executive Secretary Emeritus in January 1962.
Born on a farm in Iowa, Wilson graduated from Iowa State College in 1921 and received an MS degree religious education from Columbia University in 1925. After helping to found the Committee on Militarism in Education, he studied and toured for a year (1926-1927) in Japan under a Japanese Brotherhood Scholarship. From 1931 to 1943, he was Field and Education Secretary for the Peace Section of the American Friends Service Committee. Wilson also served as co-chair of the Disarmament Working Group of the Coalition for a New Foreign and Military Policy.
In 1975, Wilson's book Uphill for Peace: Quaker Impact on Congress was published, and in 1976, his autobiography Thus Far On My Journey followed. Wilson was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by Haverford College in 1958, and a Doctor of Human Letters degree by Swarthmore College in 1975. He was married to Miriam Davidson, whose papers are also part of this collection.
Parts of this collection of papers are stored off-site, as noted below. Please contact the Curator at least two weeks in advance of a visit to the Peace Collection to see any of the off-site material.
Wilson visited Japan in 1926-1927 and brought back many postcards, photographs, and lantern slides. The lantern slides have been digitized and may be viewed online. One album of postcards with the same or similar views was collected by Wilson (stored in Oversized Items Collection: Scrapbooks). Wilson gathered many posters in the USSR in the 1930s, which are located in the Poster Collection. Because of their fragility, they have been digitized and are available for viewing online. His collection of World War I posters is also located in the Poster Collection. A scrapbook re: New York City (1923-1926) was removed to the Oversized Items Collection: Scrapbooks. Many audiocassettes and slides, made or collected by Wilson, are available in the Audiovisual Collection. A large number of family photographs were returned to Wilson's grandchildren in 2010. Album #26, made up primarily of tourist postcards, was dismantled in January 2011 and the postcards were given away; the small number of photos of Wilson and others were removed to the Photograph Collection.
Guide to the Swarthmore College Peace Collection, 2nd ed., p. 74.
This collection was a gift of E. Raymond Wilson.
This collection was processed by E. Raymond Wilson, and index to collection prepared by Anne M. Yoder in January, 2006.
The following materials have been discarded: Newspaper clippings on Japan from Series E: 4.
Most material from Series F has been removed to Memorabilia, Oversized Items, Photograph, or Audiovisual Collections. Personal and Family Photographs, 1932-1940 photos removed to Photograph Collection. Photographs re: YMCA student conferences, 1919-1923 photos removed to Photograph Collection. Postcards re: Japan (album) removed to Oversized Items Collection: Scrapbooks. Photographs and Postcards re: England, 1930 and Photographs and Postcards re: USSR, 1938 photos removed to Photograph Collection. Tourist photos from this album were removed and given away. Album #1, 2, 3, 26, and 30 have been digitized. 32 World War I Posters mounted on linen and 24 Russian posters mounted on linen, bought in Russia in 1930, removed to the Swarthmore College Peace Collection Poster File. 32 World War I Posters are in Pocket 15, Folder 4. 24 Russian posters are in Pocket 12, Folder 1. Gallery of Quaker Saints and Sinners slides removed to A-V Collection.
People
- Wilson, E. Raymond (Edward Raymond), 1896-1987
- Thomas, Wilbur K. (Wilbur Kelsey), 1882-1953
- Wilson, Miriam Davidson
Organization
- Committee on Militarism in Education (U.S.)
- Friends Committee on National Legislation (U.S.)
- American Friends Service Committee. Peace Section
- Industrial Education Association (New York, N.Y.)
- Pennsylvania Committee on Militarism in Education
Subject
- Publisher
- Swarthmore College Peace Collection
- Access Restrictions
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The collection is open for research use.
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All or part of this collection is stored off-site. Contact Swarthmore College Peace Collection staff at peacecollection@swarthmore.edu at least two weeks in advance of visit to request boxes.
- Copyright may have been transferred to the Swarthmore College Peace Collection or may have been retained by the creators/authors (or their descendents), in this collection, as stipulated by United States copyright law. Please contact the SCPC Curator for further information.
Collection Inventory
Includes a memorial from the Iowa House of Representatives.
For photographs see DG 070, Series F, Box 15.
For photographs see DG 070, Series F, Box 15.
Not in chronological order.
Includes some Peace Section Activities 1937-40; AFSC Board of Directors 1936-37; and Peace Section, 1940.
Includes correspondence about Institutes; Speaking engagements 1938-40; and letters to Leyton Richards, Eleanor Roosevelt and Maude Royden.
See Table of Contents, end of notebook. Bound Volumes include I - Christmas Letters 1932-1971 (missing Ap. 1990), Tributes to Miriam, Papers 1921-1930; II - Papers 1931-1941; III - Papers 1942-1952; IV - Papers 1953-1957; V - Papers 1958-1961; VI - Papers 1962-1965; VII - Papers 1966-1971; VIII - Miscellaneous 1944-1974; IX - Papers 1918-1980, Testimonies Before Congress 1944-1971, Europeann Seminar 1930, Raymond Wilson in the FCLN Member 1954-1980; and X - Papers 1973-1980.
A compilation including Military Training in Schools and Colleges of the United States by Winthrop D. Lane; Universal Military Training and Democracy by George Nasmyth; Universal Military Training, Our LAtest Cure-All by Oswald Carrison Villard; Militarizing Our Youth by Roswell P. Barnes; and So This is War! by Tucker P. Smith, published in 1971 by the Garland Publishing Co., New York and London, with an introduction written by E. Raymond Wilson.
Published by Sutherland Printing Co., Inc., Montezuma, Iowa. Chater 7, "E. Raymond Wilson, Quaker Prophet."
In Quaker History, Vol. 64, No. 1, pp. 3-15.
Not including notes for Chater 5, "Friends War Problems Committee 1940-43, Forerunner of the FCNL," whic became Chapter 8 of the Memoirs.
Does not include "Lobbying on State Front," "FCNL and its Critics," or "Reflections."
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0.5 linear ft.1 card file box
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0.5 linear ft.1 card file box
Card File Box
To Europe, SS Republic, Return, USS Leviathan.
For notes on lectures on trip see Series B volume 1.
See Diary letters from Europe, 1932 in ERW Manuscript File.
Sailed on SS Bremen, August 13. Returned on SS Ballin. Trip by car: Switzerland, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Berlin, Holland, Belgium, France.
See Series B, 10.
Over on the SS Champlain, Return SS Aquitania.
See notes in Series B.
Over on the SS Rex, Return on SS Roosevelt.
See Diary Letters, Series B.
Over on the SS Queen Elizabeth. Return on the SS Georgic.
See bound volume Japan Journey, Series B for a full account of the year.
Over on the freight boat SS Pacific Bear. Return on SS Old Colony Mariner.
See notes in Occasional Papers, Vol. VI, Series B.
See Diary Letters, Series B.
See Reports, Series B.
See Reports, Series B.
Series D contains materials on E. Raymond Wilson's speaking engagements and attendance at events, conferences, and meetings as well as calendars and scrapbooks.
See also bound volume in SCPC
Includes materials on enrollment and some comments.
Sightseeing seminar on consumers' cooperation under auspices of the Federal Council of Churches
Includes materials on King Ferry Central School, Union Springs Central School ("Paths toward a Peaceful World Society"), Emily Howland School at Sherwood, Union Springs school assembly, Auburn YMCA, Poplar Ridge Friends Church ("Youth Facing the War Situation"), and discussion meeting at Church of the Brethren for draft agers.
See Series A1, Box 5
ERW in three sessions
Theme: "Toward World Community?"
General Theme: "Christian Dedication in Spirit and Work." ERW was a resource leader for Group I: Responsibility in Christian Outreach.
With Special reference to Universal Military Training.
Plus various notices, programs, and reports of individual meetings.
For AFSC personnel, FCNL General Committee Members, and Yearly Meeting Peace Committee Members.
Three week tour arranged by Peace and Service Committees of New York Yearly Meetings to "promote education for peace and to extend knowledge of the concerns of Friends in legislation" throughout NYYM area - also several local notices, programs, reports of the various meetings.
Sponsored by ICF and Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith.
Inside story on how the church function in lobbying for legislative action.
Theme: "PEACE or PIECES?"
Includes Western Yearly Meeting (Five) Plainfield, Indiana; Iowa Conservative Yearly Meeting, Paullina, Iowa; Iowa Yearly Meeting (Five) Oskaloosa; Indiana Yearly Meeting (Five) Richmond, Indiana; Ohio Yearly Meeting, Barnesville, Ohio.
Based on ERW's calendar.
Includes Kentucky, Iowa and Ohio.
Re programs of the International Cooperation Administration and the U.N.
Includes Wooster, Ohio; Springville, Iowa; Nebraska; Colorado; New Mexico; Arizona; Nevada; and California.
Re possibility of sending relief supplies to Hokkaido.
Re U.S. Relations with Japan and Japan's Atomic Fears.
Glimpses from year in Japan and Far East, illustrated with colored slides.
Council of Church Informal Tea to meet Jotaro Kawakami of Japanese Diet on goodwill visit to Council Headquarters.
Includes North Carolina (5 Years); Wilmington; Indiana; Lake Erie Association; Ohio (Cons.)
At "Glaydin" (summer camp), Lucketts (near Leesburg, Virginia).
Includes Massachusetts, Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, California, Washington, DC, FCNL Week in Philadelphia; Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey.
Theme: Christian Responsibility on a Changing Planet.
From Pocket Notebook; Yearly Meetings schedule.
ERW listed for 12 talks, forums, discussions.
Includes "What about Federal Aid to Education and other State and Local Needs?"; "Some Highlights of My Year in the Far East"; "Message" at Sunday morning church service.
Includes rotary meeting at noon.
Includes Five Years Meeting, Earlham College (Richmond, Indiana), Illinois Yearly Meeting (McNabb, Illinois), 6th Annual Bucks County World Peace Fair, George School (Newtown, Pennsylvania).
Materials relate to the 20th Anniversary.
Materials relate to the 20th Anniversary.
Materials relate to the 20th Anniversary.
Materials relate to the 20th Anniversary.
Materials relate to the 20th Anniversary.