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Harald S. and Marguerite I. Patton papers

 Collection
Identifier: UA-17.437

Scope and Contents

Harald Patton papers primarily document his World War I experiences. The correspondence consists of letters written by Patton to Marguerite Irene Taylor, who later became his wife, friends and relatives, and dates almost entirely from 1915 to 1919. Included is a journal (in letter form) describing his voyage to England in 1915 on the troopship Northland. There are also postcards, photographs, and a scrapbook.

Marguerite Patton papers includes correspondence, articles of incorporation, reports, and memoranda relating to the 1893 World's Colombian Exposition in Chicago. Most of these papers (1890-1893) relate to Robert A. Waller, an insurance agent, who was also a member of the board of directors and the executive committee of the World's Colombian Exposition Corporation. Also, legal papers of Lawyer William H. Arthur including litigation papers (1894-1896) for a case concerned with an employee injury, in which he defended the Schriver Laundry Company. Her papers also include two mimeographed reports relating to public welfare organizations submitted to the Welfare and Relief Commission for its information and consideration.

Dates

  • Creation: 1884 - 1941

Creator

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 Note

Lieutenant Colonel Harald Smith Patton was born on January 4, 1889. He received a B.A. degree from the University of Toronto in 1912. During World War I, he served with the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry until he was wounded in action in France. After recovering, he became an area supervisor for the Canadian Young Men's Christian Association, first in England and then in France.

Following the war, Patton studied at Harvard University where he earned A.M. and Ph.D. degrees in 1921 and 1926. He was appointed lecturer in economics at the University of Alberta and later served on the faculty of the University of Cincinnati. In 1929, he joined the Michigan State College (now Michigan State University) as the head of the Department of Economics. He joined the U.S. Army in 1943 and served until his accidental death on September 1, 1945, where he was on military leave from the college. His academic interests centered on international and agricultural economics. While at M.S.C. he also served as Assistant Advisor in International Economic Affairs for the U.S. Department of State (1937-1938) and the Pentagon (circa 1945).

Marguerite Irene Taylor Patton was born on October 21, 1893 in Toronto, Ontario. She married Harold Smith Patton on September 4, 1923 in York, Ontario. She and her husband both immigrated to the United States in 1925. She lived in East Lansing with her husband and earned a Bachelor of Music in Applied Music from Michigan State College in 1932. She lived in East Lansing until Harald died in 1945. Marguerite was an assistant professor of economics for Western Michigan College of Education, now known as Western Michigan University. After the death of her husband, from June 1946 to August 1948, Marguerite was the reports officer of the public safety branch in the U.S. section in Berlin. She was also an acting U.S. delegate on the denazification subcommittee of the Central Council of Germany.

Marguerite died at the age of 79 on November 8, 1972. She is buried next to her husband in Arlington National Cemetery.

Extent

1.5 Cubic Feet

Language of Materials

English

Custodial History

Gift of Marguerite I. Patton

Legal Status

Donor(s) have transferred any applicable copyright to Michigan State University but the collection may contain third-party materials for which copyright was not transferred. Copyright restrictions may apply. Property Rights: Michigan State University.

Processing Information

Changed record group from 00059 to UA 17.437 to reflect Harald Patton's connection to Michigan State University. Merged c.00423 (Marguerite I. Patton papers) and c.00422 (Michigan Welfare and Relief Study Commission records) into UA 17.437.

When this collection was first processed, all of these papers were together. At some point, Harald's, Marguerite's, and the Michigan Welfare and Relief Study Commission papers were separated into three distinct collections. It was decided these three separate collections should be merged back together and be renamed the Harald S. and Marguerite I. Patton papers . J. Russell, December 2019.

Title
Harald S. and Marguerite I. Patton Papers
Status
4 Published And Cataloged
Date
April 1968
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the University Archives and Historical Collections Repository

Contact:
Conrad Hall
943 Conrad Road, Room 101
East Lansing MI 48824 US
517-355-2330