Robert Brank Fulton papers, 1921 -- 1936

Creator:

Fulton, Robert Brank and China International Famine Relief Commission

Abstract:

Robert Brank Fulton graduated as part of the UTS class of 1938, was ordained in the Presbyterian Church, and was actively involved in teaching and relief work with the Yale Christian Association and through teaching positions throughout China. The collection contains reports on famine prevention and relief efforts by the China International Famine Relief Commission, as well as a publication entitled "The C.I.F.R.C. Fifteenth Anniversary Booklet."

Extent:

0.5 linear feet 0.5 linear feet; 1 box

Language:

English .

Scope and content:

This collection contains narrative reports, maps, and tables on ecumenical-led famine prevention and relief efforts through engineering projects in China by the China International Famine Relief Commission, as well as a publication entitled "The C.I.F.R.C. Fifteenth Anniversary Booklet." The commission's connection to Fulton's career is likely tied to his teaching in Hunan and Wuchang during the early parts of his career.

Biographical / historical:

Robert Brank Fulton was born in Clinton, Illinois on July 6, 1911. He earned his Bachelor of Arts from Yale in 1932, later pursuing and earning a doctorate from 1941 to 1943. From 1935 to 1938, Fulton earned his Bachelor of Divinity (the equivalent of a Master of Divinity today) from Union Theological Seminary in New York, and was subsequently ordained in the Presbyterian Church in 1938. In his early career, Fulton fostered his relationship to Yale and the Presbyterian Church through his teaching and administrative work in New England and China. From 1932 to 1933, he worked as secretary for the Yale Christian Association in New Haven. Some of Fulton's early ecumenical and teaching work took place in China, initially at the Yali Middle School in Changsa, Hunan from 1933 to 1935. He later worked as a lecturer in philosophy and ethics at Yenching University from 1939 to 1941, and later as assistant professor of applied Christianity and Economic Thought at Huachung University, Wuchang, China, from 1947 to 1950. Complimentary to his teaching, Fulton served as a representative of the American Trustees of Yale-in-China from 1943 to 1947.

In the states, Fulton taught as a student assistant on Madison Avenue in New York from 1935 to 1936, at the YMCA's Friendly Religious Community from 1937 to 1938, and then as an assistant administrator at Dewitt Memorial before taking a head residency at Rainsford House, New York City from 1938 to 1939. Following his return from Wuchang, Fulton served as chaplain and assistant professor of religion at Union College in Schenectady, New York, from 1951 to 1953. He held another chaplaincy-professorship at Lake Forest College (Illinois, 1953-1956) before traveling to Puerto Rico to be a professor and head of the Religion and Philosophy department at Inter-American University in San German, a position he took in 1956. He continued to be involved in Christian higher education abroad throughout his life.

Acquisition information:: The exact provenance of this collection is unknown.
Processing information:: The soft-bound C.I.F.R.C. volume was conservation treated at Columbia University Libraries in February, 2014. During processing, materials were placed in a new, flat acid-free box. The finding aid was created by Rebecca Nieto in 2017 with the support of the Henry Luce Foundation and the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, and edited by Leah Edelman in 2020.
Arrangement:: This collection is arranged in one chronological series.
Rules or conventions:: Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Other information:: Union Theological Seminary Archives: UTS 1, papers of faculty and students

Access and use

Restrictions:

This collection is open for research.

Onsite storage.

Terms of access:

Some material in this collection may be protected by copyright and other rights. Information concerning copyright, fair use, and reproduction requests can be consulted at Columbia's Copyright Advisory Office.

Preferred citation:: Item description, UTS1: Robert Brank Fulton Papers, 1921-1936, box #, folder #, The Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University in the City of New York.

Location of this collection:: Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary

Burke Home Page
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Contact:: burke@library.columbia.edu

Collection