William Frank Staley papers

Collection

Identifier: UA-10.3.172

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The William F. Staley collection includes a class of 1888 M.A.C. yearbook with WF Staley embossed on front and book mark at his picture. Throughout the yearbook, death dates have been written by some of the portraits. Also included is a 50th Anniversary photograph of the class of 1888 (W. F. Staley is 4th from left front) with notations on back, and a photograph of the Staley family.

Dates

Creation: 1888 - 1938

Creator

Staley, William Fay (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to publish material from this collection must be obtained from University Archives & Historical Collections, Michigan State University.

Biographical/Historical

William F. Staley (1867-1957) was a member of the Class of 1888 at Michigan Agricultural College (now Michigan State University). He earned his B.S. in agriculture.

While a senior at M.A.C., he was the captain and pitcher of the Browns and the senior class baseball teams. He was a member of the Union Literary Society and the class marshal.

Following graduation, he worked as a farmer and a teacher in Lyons, Michigan. Staley was the principal of schools in Pewamo, Michigan from 1888 to 1890.

He earned his LL.B. (1892) and LL.M. (1893) at Georgetown University.

He worked as a clerk and as an examiner of mineral claims in the General Land Office in Washington, D.C. before moving to Portland, Oregon where he was employed as an assistant to the solicitor with the Department of Agriculture.

Staley was born in Lyons, Ionia County, Michigan to Charles and Alice Staley.

He married Cynthia M. Bean on October 6, 1897 in Washington, D.C.