Purchases and gifts, 1974-1990 (R9001, G1513, G8569)
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Jane McGee, 1993; Joan Sibley, 1996; Kevin O’Sullivan, 2010
C(linton) Hartley Grattan was born on October 19, 1902, in Wakefield, Massachusetts,
son of Leonard E. and Laura (Campbell) Grattan. After graduating with a B.A. degree
from Clark College, Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1923, where he specialized in the
history of thought and culture under historian Harry Elmer Barnes, Grattan began
writing articles and reviews on American literature for H. L. Mencken's
After moving to New York in 1926, Grattan pursued a career as a free-lance writer.
Over the next fifty years he wrote and edited a number of books and contributed
essays to many other publications. He also contributed numerous articles to
newspapers and magazines, especially
Grattan's first book,
From the late 1920s, Grattan built up a considerable reputation as the first and foremost American authority on Australia and the southwest Pacific. His writings on Australia developed from his initial visit there in 1927, when he accompanied his first wife, singer Beatrice Kuper (stage name Beatrice Kay), who performed in Sydney and Melbourne. He returned to Australia in December 1936 after being awarded a grant by the Carnegie Corporation for travel, study, and the collection of materials for a social history of the Commonwealth. This visit lasted until September 1938, during which time Grattan visited many places throughout the country. He also established contact with a wide range of political and academic figures and met a number of literary figures with whom he had been corresponding since his earlier visit. He gave two series of lectures at the University of Melbourne in addition to a number of single lectures during his stay. Grattan made a third visit for a few weeks in 1940 to observe the impact of war on the country for the Institute of Current World Affairs of New York (The Crane Foundation). In 1960, he was invited to return to Australia to address the Australian Institute of Political Science (AIPS) and to spend a few weeks as a Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University in Canberra, the nation's capital.
Grattan began writing newspaper and magazine articles on Australia during his 1927
visit. His first book-length study,
From 1951 to 1959, Grattan completed a number of projects in conjunction with the
Fund for Adult Education. His book
On an official level, Grattan was involved with the U.S. government's social relief program from 1934 to 1935 when he worked as the editor for the research section of the Federal Economic Relief Administration. Early in 1942, he served briefly on the Board of Economic Welfare to give advice on the Pacific region, but resigned after the Dies Committee accused him of disloyalty to the United States.
In 1953, Grattan was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Clark University, and in 1977 he received an honorary Doctor of Laws from the Australian National University. In 1964 he joined the faculty at the University of Texas at Austin as a lecturer (later professor) in the Department of History, serving simultaneously as curator of the Grattan Collection of Southwest Pacificana. He retired in 1974.
Hartley Grattan divorced his first wife, Beatrice Kuper, in 1934 and married Marjorie (Campbell) Grattan in 1939. They had four children, Rosalind, Jacqueline, Jennifer, and John. Grattan died on June 25, 1980, in Austin, Texas.
Correspondence, research materials, typescript drafts, published materials, lectures and speeches, broadcast scripts, and personal items document Hartley Grattan's career from his days as a free-lance writer through his tenure as Professor of History and Curator of the Grattan Collection of Southwest Pacificana at the University of Texas at Austin, circa 1920-1978. The material is arranged in seven series: I. Correspondence, 1923-1980 (19 boxes); II. Works, 1924-1978; III. Response to Works, 1929-1968; IV. Research Materials; V. Academic and Curatorial Activities, The University of Texas at Austin, 1965-1974; VI. Personal Papers, circa 1920-1977; and VI. Book Withdrawals.
Although the records were acquired in a largely disorganized state and overall arrangement has been imposed, where possible the original order within each subseries has been left intact. Because most folders were untitled, folder titles have been created. Where an original title existed, it has been written in quotation marks. Where it was possible to identify research materials pertaining to a specific work, these remain with related records in the Works series. However, most research materials, especially those relating to Australia, New Zealand, and the southwest Pacific, have been included in the Research Materials series. Most research materials used in the writing of magazine or newspaper articles may also be found under Research, although some are included with the typescript of the article in the Works series. Correspondence which was originally maintained separately comprises the Correspondence series, but a considerable amount of correspondence is scattered throughout the Works and Research Materials series, especially if it relates to a particular publication or topic. Miscellaneous articles, notes, reviews, and other material may be found at the end of the Correspondence series. Response to Works contains published reviews and commentaries, while personal reactions to Grattan's works are found in the Correspondence series.
The records span six decades from the mid-1920s to the mid-1970s, however the bulk of material covers the period from around 1930 to the mid-1960s when Grattan worked as a free-lance writer. Because the collection contains a large amount of research materials and correspondence, it has great informational value beyond its significance as a record of Grattan's literary and academic careers. The Correspondence, Works, and Research Materials series provide the greatest potential for research on a variety of subjects, particularly Australia, New Zealand, and islands of the southwest Pacific, and Antarctica. Also of interest is material on Dr. Herbert Vere Evatt, a judge on the High Court of Australia, who later became the first president of the United Nations General Assembly. Other subjects covered include the British Commonwealth, World War II and its aftermath, adult education, and literary figures. The Correspondence series contains letters from a wide range of correspondents, mainly Australian and American. Significant Australian correspondents include Miles Franklin, Nettie Palmer, Alice Henry, Katherine Susannah Pritchard, H. V. Evatt, Brian Fitzpatrick, John J. Crawford, and Lloyd Ross. There are quantities of letters from American correspondents Harry Elmer Barnes, Allan Nevins, and George H. Nadel.
Drafts of some of Grattan's early books,
In addition to the seven main series of materials are small amounts of material listed as Works by Others, Unfiled, Unprocessed, Duplicates, Vertical Files, and Index Card Boxes.
Series I. Correspondence, 1923-1980 Grattan correspondence is arranged in four subseries: A. Outgoing, 1923-1971; B. Incoming, 1924-1980; C. Circular Letter, 1940-1941; and D. Miscellaneous, 1958-1969, undated. Correspondents include authors, historians, political figures, book dealers, periodicals, publishers, government agencies, educators and universities. Notable among them are Grattan’s mentor, Harry Elmer Barnes, and H. L. Mencken. Also present is family correspondence and some third-party correspondence. Where possible, enclosures such as reports or clippings are included. However, many were separated prior to cataloging and manuscript materials were moved to the Works series.
Correspondence in the Outgoing subseries reflects variety of topics, such as employment, publications, the sale of his collections, and travels to Australia and meeting Australians. Included is extensive correspondence with his then future wife Marjorie Campbell, circa 1923-1936, as well as 1939-1968, after their marriage. Also present are letters dating from his third Australian trip in 1940. These include carbons and drafts of letters which are included in the index of correspondents at the end of the finding aid.
Incoming correspondence comprises the bulk of the series and is in alphabetical order by folder heading--usually the name of the correspondent.
Of note is the third subseries containing responses to two circular letters Grattan wrote in 1940 and 1941 regarding Australia and New Zealand.
An index of correspondents is located at the end of the finding aid.
Series II. Works, 1924-1978 This series spans six decades, from one of Grattan's earliest articles published in 1924 to his contribution to a work on Australia and the Pacific published in 1978. It includes eight subseries: Books, Articles, Book Reviews, Lectures and Speeches, Broadcast Talks, Miscellaneous Published, Unpublished or Proposed Works, and Unidentifed Works.
The Books subseries contains the most material and is arranged to reflect Grattan's
activities as author, contributor to, or editor of the represented works. Under the
Under the
The Articles subseries contains typescripts of published and unpublished articles.
Correspondence and research materials are included with the typescripts of
Typescripts of published book reviews include Grattan's reviews of Patrick White's
Under Lectures and Speeches are a number of untitled typescripts which have been
listed by their subject matter. Of interest are lectures Grattan gave in Australia
between 1937 and 1938, particularly a lecture given at the Hawkesbury Agricultural
College in July 1937 entitled
Broadcast Talks contains typescripts of talks broadcast over Sydney radio stations during Grattan's second visit from 1936-38. There is also a copy of a talk on Fiji, broadcast on Fiji radio in 1960 while Grattan was en route to Australia.
Unpublished Works contains material relating to two books which Grattan proposed to
write and have published. Although neither work was completed or ever published,
records included here show the early phases of planning and writing.
There are no published bibliographies of Grattan’s works, but two helpful resources are Jack Healy's manuscript of a Grattan bibliography, covering the years 1922 to 1966, and Grattan's annual reports of his publications as a faculty member at UT, covering the years 1965 to 1971.
Series III. Response to Works, 1929-1968 (bulk 1929-32, 1955-67) Critical response to
a number of Grattan's books and one major article is documented through reviews and
commentaries published between 1929 and 1967. A scrapbook covering the years 1929 to
1932 contains published reviews of his early works. Included are reviews of
American reviews of Grattan's
Reviews of Grattan's article
Responses to articles by Grattan by various readers are also located in the Series I. Correspondence files for specific publications.
Series IV. Research Materials, 1941-1975, undated Grattan’s research materials focus largely on Australia and other south pacific locations, but include materials related to countries around the world. The materials date from the early 1940s to mid-1970s, with the bulk focused on the period from the 1920s through the 1940s, and World War II specifically. Included are notes and notebooks, clippings, bibliographies and book dealers’ catalogs.
Series V. Academic and Curatorial Activities, 1965-1974 Class rosters, student grade
lists, typescript papers submitted by students, correspondence and administrative
records, and material relating to the Grattan Collection of Southwest Pacificana
represent Grattan's activities at the University of Texas at Austin between 1965 and
1974. The series includes two subseries: Academic Activities and Curatorial
Activities. The bulk of the material is included under the first subseries. Grattan
taught a number of courses on history and American literature during this period.
Administrative and student records relating to such courses as
Curatorial Activities materials include book orders, notes on magazine files and correspondence to university officials regarding the development and funding of the Collection. There is also material on the three lecture series given by Sir Robert Menzies, former Prime Minister of Australia, who retired in 1966, when he visited the University of Texas at Austin between November 18 and 25, 1969. Grattan was called upon to introduce Menzies at the lectures.
Series VI. Personal Papers, circa 1920-1977 Grattan’s personal papers include biographical and family information, personal academic records, photographs, financial and legal documents and records of his numerous awards, honors, and organizational memberships. The materials are in alphabetical order by folder heading.
Series VII. Book Withdrawals, undated This series contains manuscript materials removed from Grattan books transferred to the Ransom Center’s library. They are filed in the Library of Congress call number order of the books from which they were removed.