Dwight D. Miner papers on the history of Columbia University, 1938-1978

Miner's correspondence, manuscripts, typescripts, manuscript and typescript notes, and printed materials relating to the history of Columbia University. Interfiled with Miner's papers are the correspondence, manuscripts, and notes of Columbia librarian Roger Howson (1882-1962) who had been writing a history of the University at the time of his retirement in 1948. Howson and Miner's correspondence is chiefly with Columbia University administrators, faculty, staff, and alumni and deals entirely with the history of the university. The two major Columbia correspondents are Provost Frank D. Fackenthal and Secretary Philip M. Hayden. There are manuscript and typescript drafts of chapters and parts of chapters by Howson and Miner, but neither's history was ever completed or published. These drafts along with the related correspondence, notes, and typescript copies of original manuscripts from Columbia's archives and manuscript collections are filed together under the appropriate headings in the Name and Subject Files. In addition there are two partially completed typescript drafts of each history.

Also included are two incomplete typescripts for the history of the College of Physicians and Surgeons and the Faculty of Pure Sciences written by various individuals. These histories were meant to be included in THE BICENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY (1954) which was edited by Miner. The collection contains over 120,000 note cards on the history of the University and approximately 750 photostatic copies of original manuscripts with references to Columbia in other repositories. Among these copies are selected photostats from the Francis Lieber Papers at the Henry Huntington Library.

In the notes and cards both by Howson and by Miner, source materials are abbreviated: PAN (President's Annual Reports), CP (now known as Columbia College Papers), CAN (Columbia Alumni News), CUQ (Columbia University Quarterly), TM (Trustee Minutes).