Collection context
Summary
- Creator:
- Latourette, Kenneth Scott, 1884-1968
- Date:
- 1905-1970
- Abstract:
- The papers contain extensive documentation of Latourette's personal life, scholarly activities, and involvement in various organizations. Latourette was a professor of missions and Oriental history at Yale University. He held leadership positions in the American Baptist Convention and Foreign Mission Society, American Historical Association, Far Eastern Association, International Committee of Y.M.C.A.'s, Japan International Christian University Foundation, United Board for Christian Colleges in China, World Council of Churches, and Yale-China Association.
- Extent:
- 70 Linear Feet
- Language:
- English
Background
- Acquisition information:
- Gift of Kenneth Scott Latourette
- Rules or conventions:
- Scope and Content:
The papers are arranged in six series:
- I. Correspondence
- II. Diaries and Ledgers
- III. Personal Items and Memorabilia
- IV. Writings, Clippings, Notes - Original sequence
- V. Manuscripts
- Series VI. Writings - Addendum
The papers contain extensive documentation of Latourette's personal life , scholarly activities, and involvement in various organizations. The material organized in 1974 is given minimal description in this register. The material added in 1983, has been processed according to current YDSL standards and is described in more detail.
The first series, Correspondence, is divided into three Sections: Family Correspondence, General Correspondence, and Postcards. The Family Correspondence section contains letters to and from Latourette's more immediate relations. There are various letters addressed to "Uncle Ken" in the General Correspondence section because of that term's common usage among Latourette's students. The General Correspondence documents the full range of Latourette's involvements. A list of prominent correspondents is contained in the first folder of this series. Two bound volumes of letters written to Latourette by his colleagues at the time of his retirement are located in the oversize box of Personal Items and Memorabilia, Series III.
Material added to Series I in 1983 includes letters and papers related to Latourette's involvement in various organizations and projects. Latourette was, for example, Chairman of the Committee on Research of the International Missionary Council and in that capacity sought to assemble every few years a list of unpublished studies on missions topics. The material filed under International Missionary Council in Series I includes letters to and/or from prominent individuals in the field of missions such as Henrik Kraemer, John R. Mott, Julius Richter, D. M. Schlunk, Bengt Sundkler, and A. L. Warnshuis. Correspondence and papers filed under the Federal Council of Churches of Christ in America contain interesting material related to a statement by Latourette about the "Cairo Communique" of December 1943 and subsequent responses.
The second series, Diaries and Ledgers, contain five diaries from the years 1905 to 1916 and two ledgers from the years 1917 to 1921 and 1922 to 1924. Latourette's experiences as a faculty member of Yale-in-China, 1910-1912, are documented in the diaries.
Series III, Personal Items and Memorabilia, contains photographs, degrees,citations, artifacts, and biographical documentation.
Series IV, Writings, Addresses, Notes, contains articles, book reviews, pamphlets, and papers by Latourette, reviews of Latourette's works, material related to his family, and manuscripts. Series V and VI contain similar material that was added to the papers in 1983 and 2003.
- Biographical / Historical:
Date Event 1884 Aug 6 Born in Oregon City, Oregon, son of DeWitt Clinton and Rhoda (Scott) Latourette 1904 B.S., Linfield College, McMinnville, Oregon 1906 B.A., Yale 1909 Ph.D., Yale 1909 Traveling secretary, Student Volunteer Movement for Foreign Missions 1910 Faculty member, College of Yale in China, Changsha, China (forced to return for health reasons) 1914 Professor of history, Reed College, Portland, Oregon 1916 Professor of history, Denison University, Granville, Ohio 1918 Ordained to the Baptist ministry 1921 Professor of missions, Yale 1927 Professor of missions and Oriental history 1938 Received Order of Jade from Chinese government 1938 Chairman, Department of Religion, Graduate School, Yale 1946 Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Religion, Yale 1953 Professor Emeritus, Yale 1968 Dec 26 Died in Oregon City, Oregon Latourette held leadership positions in the following organizations:
- American Baptist Convention and Foreign Mission Society
- American Historical Association
- Far Eastern Association
- International Board, Y.M.C.A.
- Japan International Christian University Foundation
- United Board for Christian Colleges in China
- World Council of Churches
- Yale-in-China Association
- Processing information:
Place names were modernized in the description, with the name originally used in the collection material or in an older version of the finding aid in parenthesis: e.g. "Beijing (Peking)" or "Benin (Dahomey)". Original alphabetization was maintained: e.g. "Beijing (Peking)" will still be alphabetized under "P."
- Arrangement:
- I. Correspondence
- II. Diaries and Ledgers
- III. Personal Items and Memorabilia
- IV. Writings, Clippings, Notes - Original sequence
- V. Manuscripts
- VI. Writings - Addendum
Indexed Terms
- Subjects:
- Missions -- China
Missions
Authors
Clergy
Educators - Names:
- American Baptist Foreign Mission Society
American Historical Association
Association for Asian Studies
Japan International Christian University Foundation, Inc
United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia
World Council of Churches
Yale-in-China Association
Young Men's Christian Associations of North America. International Committee
Bates, M. Searle (Miner Searle), 1897-1978
Beach, Harlan P. (Harlan Page), 1854-1933
Latourette, Kenneth Scott, 1884-1968
Mott, John R. (John Raleigh), 1865-1955
Porter, David R. (David Richard), 1882-1973
Van Dusen, Henry P. (Henry Pitney), 1897-1975
Weigle, Luther A. (Luther Allan), 1880-1976
Access
- LOCATION OF THIS COLLECTION:
- CONTACT:
-
203-432-5274divinity.library@yale.edu