Collections : [Wesleyan University -Special Collections and Archives]

William John James (1860-1941) was College Librarian from 1891 to 1929 and Assistant Treasurer of Wesleyan from 1908 to 1929.

William Manchester (1922-2004) was a noted author of eighteen books and dozens of articles. His first book, Disturber of the Peace, was a biography of H.L. Mencken published in 1951. Manchester wrote three novels during the 1950s, after which he published A Rockefeller Family Portrait in 1959, based on a series of magazine articles on John D. Rockefeller and the two generations that followed him. Manchester wrote one more novel before returning to non-fiction in 1962 with Portrait of a President, a study of John F. Kennedy. Manchester suddenly rose to national prominence in 1964 when Jacqueline Kennedy selected him to write the authorized account of John F. Kennedy's assassination. Robert F. Kennedy was also closely associated with the project. Two years later, Mrs. Kennedy sued Manchester to prevent its publication, setting off a controversy that played out on the front pages of newspapers around the world. Following a settlement, The Death of a President was published in 1967. With his reputation established, Manchester steadily published works of non-fiction: The Arms of Krupp (1968) chronicled the German munitions family; The Glory and the Dream (1974) provided an analysis of American history, 1932-1973; Controversy and Other Essays in Journalism (1976) included Manchester's own account of the Death controversy; American Caesar (1978) profiled Gen. Douglas McArthur; Goodbye, Darkness (1980) was Manchester's memoir of his World War II Pacific combat experiences; The Last Lion (1983 and 1988), a two-volume biography of Winston Churchill; and A World Lit Only By Fire (1992), an overview of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Manchester was associated with Wesleyan University for more than 40 years, first as an editor for American Education Publications (the publisher of My Weekly Reader and other periodicals formerly owned by the University) starting in 1955, and later as a writer-in-residence and adjunct professor.

A lifelong Democrat, William M. Citron served as a member of the Connecticut State Assembly, Connecticut State Legislature, and had two terms in the United States Congress as a representative for Connecticut. He served in the Army in both World War I and World War II. Citron was an outspoken opponent of anti-semitism and, in 1935, wrote to the U.S. Olympic Committee to urge that American athletes boycott the Olympics scheduled to take place in Berlin in the summer of 1936. He also made remarks (printed in the Congressional Record), that the United States' attendance at the Olympic events would give tacit approval to the racist practices of the Nazi government. In addition, Citron introduced legislation to regulate development along the Connecticut River and to provide flood control. His career was most active during the Great Depression, and he was a participant in the New Deal.

William North Rice (1845-1928) was a graduate and long-time faculty member and administrator at Wesleyan University. As a student, he was a member of Phi Nu Theta. He was known as a scientist, minister, and educational expert.

William Phoebus Lyon (1813-1884), was the founder and senior principal of the Irving Institute, a private boarding school for boys in Tarrytown, New York. On August 5, 1840, the honorary degree of A.M. was conferred upon him by Wesleyan University. In the summer of 1841, Lyon traveled to Middletown in order to observe the final examinations of the Wesleyan student body.

The Women's Studies Program was created in 1980 and became a major in 1989. In 2006, the program was renamed Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.

During World War I, Wesleyan had a brief period when it adopted several programs to train students to become soldiers and officers. Wesleyan had a total of 1,169 men involved in the war effort, of whom 26 died. The majority of Wesleyan men were involved in the Army, S.A.T.C., and Navy.

The Young Men's Republican Club was Wesleyan's first Republican political organization. It was founded on June 21, 1856, with the goal of aiding in the election of John C. Fremont to the presidency of the United States. A significant number of Wesleyan students were vocal supporters of the Republican Party in the early years, and much of their rhetoric centered on their opposition to slavery in Kansas.

The Center for the Arts (CFA) gallery was renamed the Ezra [Wesleyan class of 1947] and Cecile Zilkha Gallery in the fall of 1982 in honor of a gift from The Zilkha Foundation, Inc. The Gallery features contemporary art installations as well as faculty and student work.