TABLE OF CONTENTS
Descriptive Summary of the Collection
Scope and Content of the Collection
Series 1: Correspondence, 1894-1966
Series 2: Photographs, ca. 1895-1922
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Inventory of the Clay Judson Papers, 1800-1966
Machine-readable finding aid encoded by Lisa Janssen, 2007. ©2007. |
Descriptive Summary of the Collection |
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| Creator | Judson, Clay |
| Title | Clay Judson Papers |
| Dates | 1800-1966 |
| Extent | 3.8 linear feet (6 boxes and 1 oversize box) |
| Abstract | Correspondence, writings, photographs and memorabilia of Chicago lawyer Clay Judson. |
| Language | Materials are in English. |
| Repository | Newberry Library, Roger and Julie Baskes Department of Special Collections |
| Collection Call Number | Midwest MS Judson C |
| Collection Stack Location | 3a 40 7 |
Administrative Information
Cite As
Clay Judson Papers, The Newberry Library, Chicago.
Provenance
Gift of Sylvia Shaw Judson Haskins, 1963, 1973; Alice Ryerson (Alice Hayes), 1988.
Processed by
Emily Calkins, 2007.
Access
The Clay Judson Papers are open for research in the Special Collections Reading Room; 1 box at a time (Priority III).
Ownership and Literary Rights
The Clay Judson Papers are the physical property of the Newberry Library. Copyright may belong to the authors or their legal heirs or assigns. For permission to publish or reproduce any materials from this collection, contact the Roger and Julie Baskes Department of Special Collections.
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Biography of Clay Judson
Born Sidney Clay Judson at Lexington, Kentucky, on February 6, 1892 to Alice Clay Judson and General William Voorhees Judson, Clay Judson earned his A.B. at Harvard and his law degree at University of Chicago. In 1917, he enlisted in the United States Army and served as a captain during World War I. He served in France and Germany for 17 months during 1918-1919, but saw very little combat. Instead, he took a law course at the Faculté de Droit at the Université de Paris. Following his return to Chicago, he taught at the University of Chicago and then worked at several law firms.
In 1921, Judson married Sylvia Shaw, a sculptor and the daughter of a prominent Chicago family. They had two children: Alice, born in 1922, and Clay, Jr. born 1924.
Judson served as a trustee or officer in many charitable and educational organizations, including the Francis W. Parker School, the Chicago Zoological Society, and the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations, among others. Prior to World War II, he was on the Executive Committee of the America First Committee, an organization dedicated to keeping the United States out of the war. During World War II, he was a member of the Price Adjustment Board of the Chicago Ordinance District.
Judson died on November 29, 1960.
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Scope and Content of the Collection
Correspondence, writings, photographs and personal papers of Clay Judson, 1892-1960.
Includes World War I correspondence between Judson and his mother, Alice Clay Judson, and Judson and his wife-to-be, Sylvia Shaw, and correspondence to and from other friends and family members, particularly Judson’s son, Clay Judson, Jr. and his father, General William Voorhees Judson; typed manuscripts of several speeches and re-prints of articles written by Judson for law periodicals. There are also a significant number of mementoes (certificates, diplomas, etc.) and some photographs.
Narrative descriptions of the subject matter, types of material, and arrangement of each series are available through the Organization section of the finding aid.
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Organization
Papers are organized in the following series:
- Series 1: Correspondence, 1894-1966. Box(es) 1
- Series 2: Photographs, ca. 1895-1922. Box(es) 2-2a
- Series 3: Works, 1914-1957. Box(es) 3
- Series 4: Miscellaneous, 1800-1962. Box(es) 4
- Series 5: Clippings, 1891-1962. Box(es) 5
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Selected Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Newberry Library's public catalog. Researchers desiring additional materials on a particular topic should search the catalog using these headings.
Names
- America First Committee
- Haskins, Sylvia Shaw Judson, 1897-1978
- Judson, Clay
- Judson, W. V. (William Voorhees), 1865-1923
Subjects
- Correspondence -- 1851-1900
- Correspondence -- 1901-1950
- Correspondence -- 1951-2000
- Manuscripts, American -- Illinois -- Chicago
- Photographs -- 1851-1900
- Photographs -- 1901-1950
- World War, 1914-1918
- World War, 1914-1918 -- France -- Sources
- World War, 1939-1948 -- Protest movements
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Container List
Series 1: Correspondence, 1894-1966 |
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| Consists primarily of Judson’s personal correspondence. Includes letters written to his mother, Alice Clay Judson, and his wife-to-be, Sylvia Shaw, during Judson’s time in France and Germany during World War I as well as many letters to Judson from his mother. Also contains significant correspondence regarding Judson’s attempt to return to active service during World War I and several correspondence series, complied by Judson himself, concerning matters related to his father, General William V. Judson. | |||||||||||
| Arranged alphabetically. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | Contents | |||||||||
| 1 | 1 | Burleson, Sidney to Clay Judson, 1901-1921; n.d. | |||||||||
| 1 | 2-4 | Judson, Alice Clay to Clay Judson, 1917-1960; n.d. | |||||||||
| 1 | 5 | Judson, Alice Clay to Sylvia Shaw Judson, [1921]-1963 | |||||||||
| 1 | 6-7 | Judson, Clay to Alice Clay Judson, 1918-1919 | |||||||||
| 1 | 8 | Judson, Clay to Clay Judson, Jr., 1941-1942 | |||||||||
| 1 | 9 | Judson, Clay to William V. Judson, 1904, May 23 | |||||||||
| 1 | 10-11 | Judson, Clay to Sylvia Shaw Judson, 1917-1921; n.d. | |||||||||
| 1 | 12 | Judson, Clay—Business/Professional, 1920-1958 | |||||||||
| 1 | 13 | Judson, Clay—Correspondence re: Military Service, 1919-1947 | |||||||||
| 1 | 14 | Judson, Clay—Correspondence re: Newberry and Papers of W.V. Judson, 1945-1958 | |||||||||
| 1 | 15 | Judson, Clay—Correspondence re: W. V. Judson and concrete steel caissons, 1946-1947 | |||||||||
| 1 | 16 | Judson, William V. to Clay Judson, 1914-1923 | |||||||||
| 1 | 17 | Miscellaneous, 1927-1966 | |||||||||
| 1 | 18 | Miscellaneous Family, 1894-1966; n.d. | |||||||||
| 1 | 19 | Miscellaneous Personal, 1914-1955; n.d. | |||||||||
Series 2: Photographs, ca. 1895-1922 |
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| Consists primarily of photos of Clay Judson, photos of Judson-Clay family members and of photos taken during Judson’s World War I service in France and Germany. | |||||||||||
| Arranged alphabetically by subject. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | Contents | |||||||||
| 2 | 20 | Clay, Greene, n.d. | |||||||||
| 2 | 21 | Clay, Isabella Reed, n.d. | |||||||||
| 2 | 22 | Clay, Sidney Payne, n.d. | |||||||||
| 2 | 23 | Judson, Abby Voorhees, n.d. | |||||||||
| 2 | 24 | Judson, Alice Clay, n.d. | |||||||||
| 2 | 25 | Judson, Clay, [1895]-1960; n.d. | |||||||||
| 2 | 26 | Judson, Clay and Alice Clay Judson, n.d. | |||||||||
| 2 | 27 | Judson, Clay and Sylvia Clay Judson, 1922 | |||||||||
| 2 | 28 | Judson, Clay and unidentified, n.d. | |||||||||
| 2 | 29 | Judson, Clay-photos from France (see also oversize), 1918, June-July; n.d. | |||||||||
| 2 | 30 | Judson, Clay Jr., n.d. | |||||||||
| 2 | 31 | Judson family, 1893-[1897] | |||||||||
| 2 | 32 | Judson, Sylvia Shaw, 1920, n.d. | |||||||||
| 2 | 33 | Milwaukee Academy, 1906; n.d. | |||||||||
| 2 | 34 | Present and past Presidents of the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations, 1953, Feb. 19 | |||||||||
| 2 | 35 | Taft, William H., 1912, May 25 | |||||||||
| 2 | 36 | Warfield, Elisha, n.d. | |||||||||
| 2 | 37 | Unidentified, n.d. | |||||||||
| 2a | World War I - 2 rolled, oversize photos - Calvary at Fort Sheridan & 9th Company 2nd Motor Mechanics Regiment, S. C. Camp Hancock, GA, ca. 1918, Feb. 14, 1918 | ||||||||||
Series 3: Works, 1914-1957 |
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| Consists of published written works (mostly short articles), speeches, and diaries. Many of the published works relate to Judson’s work with America First in opposition to the United States’ entry into World War I or to his legal profession. The majority of the rest of the works are short addresses or reports prepared as part of Judson’s extensive involvement in philanthropy and service. | |||||||||||
| Arranged alphabetically by subject. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | Contents | |||||||||
| 3 | 38 | America First pamphlets, 1940, Oct.- Nov. | |||||||||
| 3 | 39 | Annual Report of the President to the Chicago Zoological Society, 1954-1957 | |||||||||
| 3 | 40 | Diaries, 1914, 1939-1943 | |||||||||
| 3 | 41 | "Forward", published in The International Quarterly, 1937 | |||||||||
| 3 | 41a | "Introduction", to The Brookfield Zoo, 1934-1954, 1954 | |||||||||
| 3 | 42 | "A Lawyer's Impression of Soviet Russia" (speech; includes notes and clippings), 1931, April 9 | |||||||||
| 3 | 43 | "A New Southard School", published in Menninger Quarterly, 1956, Dec. | |||||||||
| 3 | 44 | Personal, 1947-1953 | |||||||||
| 3 | 45 | "The Renegotiation of Government War Contracts", published in The University of Chicago Law Review, 1943, Jan. | |||||||||
| 3 | 46 | "The Reunion: And the Individual", published in The Harvard 1914 Jubilee, 1914 | |||||||||
| 3 | 47 | "Should We Aid Britain and How?"(speech) with Adlai Stevenson (includes related correspondence), 1940-1959 | |||||||||
| 3 | 48 | "Significance of the Government's Work at Panama," 1914 | |||||||||
| 3 | 49 | Transcripts of public speeches, 1933-1956 | |||||||||
| 3 | 50 | "Validity of Transactions on the Board of Trade", published in Illinois Law Review, 1925, April | |||||||||
| 3 | 51 | "'Warmongers' and 'Appeasers': Who Are They in America?" (speech) with Leland de Vinney and Walter Laves, 1940, Oct. 27 | |||||||||
| 3 | 52 | "Welcome to Lake Forest Friends Meeting", ca. 1950s | |||||||||
Series 4: Miscellaneous, 1800-1962 |
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| Contains a variety of materials, including biographical materials on Clay Judson and his wife, Sylvia Shaw Judson, genealogy-related materials, and materials pertaining to Judson’s education, military service, career, and philanthropic and service activities. | |||||||||||
| Arranged alphabetically by subject. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | Contents | |||||||||
| 4 | 53 | Biographical sketches of Clay and Sylvia Judson, 1941-1952; n.d. | |||||||||
| 4 | 54 | Business/Professional (see also oversize), 1917-1938 | |||||||||
| 4 | 55 | Conference on the Prevention of Crime in Chicago (see also oversize), 1927 | |||||||||
| 4 | 56 | Education (see also oversize), 1909-[1920] | |||||||||
| 4 | 57-59 | Genealogy (see also oversize), 1800-1953; n.d. | |||||||||
| 4 | 60 | General, 1919-1957; n.d. | |||||||||
| 4 | 61 | Military Service (see also oversize), 1917-1945; n.d. | |||||||||
| 4 | 62 | Obituaries and Memorial, 1960-1961; n.d. | |||||||||
| 4 | 63 | Philanthropy and Service (see also oversize), 1934-1962 | |||||||||
Series 5: Clippings, 1891-1962 |
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| Newspaper clippings, primarily about the Clay Judson and the Judson family. | |||||||||||
| Arranged alphabetically by subject. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | Contents | |||||||||
| 5 | 64 | Family/Personal, 1891-1962; n.d. | |||||||||
| 5 | 65 | Miscellaneous, 1927, n.d. | |||||||||
| 5 | 66 | Obituaries—Clay Judson (see also oversize), 1960, Nov.; n.d. | |||||||||
Related Material
See also the William Voorhees Judson Papers, Midwest MS Judson
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