David Starr Jordan papers, 1874-1929, bulk 1895-1929
A Guide to the Papers at the Indiana University Archives
Electronic finding aid encoded by Ryan K. Lee
Summary Information
Repository
Indiana University Archives
1320 East Tenth Street
Herman B Wells Library E460
Bloomington, IN 47405-7000
Phone: 812-855-1127
Email: archives@indiana.edu
http://www.libraries.iub.edu/archives
Creator
Jordan, David Starr, 1851-1931.
TitleDavid Starr Jordan papers,1874-1929, bulk 1895-1929
Collection No.
C297
Extent
3.4 cubic feet (4 boxes)
Language
Materials are in English.
Abstract
David Starr Jordan was born in
Gainesville, New York on January 19, 1851 to Hiram J. and Huldah Lake (Hawley) Jordan.
He received his BA and MS degrees from Cornell University in 1872. In 1879 Jordan was
hired as professor of Natural History at Indiana University, and in 1885 he was elected
as the seventh president of IU. Jordan held that position until 1891, when he left IU to
become Stanford University’s first president. Jordan died in 1931. The David Starr
Jordan papers total 1.2 cubic feet and span the years 1874-1929. The Jordan papers are
divided into two series: Correspondence and Publications, lectures, and
addresses.
Access Restrictions
This collection is open for research.
Advance notice is required.
Biographical Note
David Starr Jordan was born in Gainesville, New York on January 19, 1851 to Hiram J. and
Huldah Lake (Hawley) Jordan. After home schooling and attendance at area schools, Jordan
won the local scholarship to the newly founded Cornell University. By his junior year in
Ithaca, Jordan was named instructor in Botany. Upon completion of his thesis, "Wild
Flowers of Wyoming County" in 1872, Cornell awarded Jordan both his BS and MS
degrees.
Following his years at Cornell, Jordan held several short-term teaching posts before
coming to Indiana in 1874 as an instructor at Indianapolis High School. He joined the
Butler University faculty in 1875, and in 1879, he left Butler for Indiana University,
where he was a professor of natural history. In a short time, the popular professor
received recognition as an outstanding educator and scientist. In 1885, Jordan was named
the 7th President of the University. He was the youngest person as well as the first
non-clergyman to hold that position. The election to this post came as a complete (and
unwelcome) surprise to Jordan, who was really hoping to receive a permanent position
with the United States Fish Commission. As reported in the Bloomington Saturday Courier
(January 17, 1885), at a scheduled lecture shortly after the election, Jordan stated,
"Let me speak frankly, my friends. I enter these new relations to my adopted state with
no feeling of exultation or of gratified ambition....If the duties of the President kill
the work of the naturalist, these duties must be taken by another hand."
Dr. Jordan served as Indiana University President until 1891. During his tenure Jordan
initiated or promoted several important changes at IU. Among the most important changes
were 1) Transformation of the faculty. During Jordan's tenure, the number of IU faculty
members increased from 18 to 29. Many of these new faculty represented the type of
scholar/teacher that Jordan felt was needed in the modern university; 2) Allowing
students more freedom in selecting a major and in designing their own curriculum; and 3)
Increasing the number of departments and courses.
Jordan was so successful in this position that in 1891 Senator and Mrs. Leland Stanford
asked him to head a new university named for their deceased son. He accepted the
position, and persuaded 6 IU professors and 37 students to accompany him to Stanford.
Jordan held the post of President at Stanford until 1913, when he moved to the position
of Chancellor of Stanford. In 1916, he retired and assumed the position of Chancellor
Emeritus until his death in 1931.
Arrangement
Collection is organized into two series: Correspondence and Publications, lectures, and
addresses
Scope and Content Note
The David Starr Jordan Papers total 3.4 cubic and span the years from 1874-1929. This
collection does not include any records from the period 1885-March, 1891, when Jordan
was president of Indiana University. These records can be found in the Office of the
President records, Collection C77.
The Jordan papers are divided into two series: Correspondence and Publications,
lectures, and addresses. The Correspondence series consists of twelve letters arranged
chronologically spanning the years 1880-1899. Five of the letters were written by Jordan
and seven are written to him. Two of the letters relate to Jordan's research interests
(1880 letters), and three letters (1891 letters and 1899 letter) relate to
qualifications of candidates for faculty positions. The 1883 letter written by Jordan
from Germany describes his thoughts after hearing about the 1883 fire that destroyed the
IU Science building and most of Jordan's collection of specimens. The 1884 letter from
M.K.D. urges Jordan to accept the IU presidency, if elected. The remaining five letters
from 1884 relate to discussions of John Coulter as a candidate for the IU President
position, and a description by Coulter of his requirements for a biological laboratory
at IU.
The Publications, lectures, and addresses series totals approximately 3.3 cubic feet of
records, is arranged chronologically, and spans the years from 1874-1929. This
collection of writings represents much of Jordan's scholarly output during his lifetime,
but it is by no means complete. The general subject content of the series breaks down as
follows: scholarly writings related to his research on fishes and vertebrate animals,
including his Manual of the Vertebrate Animals of the Northern United States; works on
contemporary topics such as war and peace, eugenics, evolution, education and the state
of the universities; and several works containing Jordan's poetry, including his
publication
To Barbara.
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Indexing Terms
-
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
IUCAT, the IU Libraries' online
catalog. Materials about related topics, persons or places can be found by searching the
catalog using these terms.
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Separated Material
Six items containing biographical information about Jordan were removed and placed in
his reference file.
Related Material
See also Jordan records as President of IU, Collection C77; see also the Jordan reference
file for biographical information about him; see also the records of Jordan as President
of Stanford-originals at the Stanford University Archives and microfilm at the IU
Archives, Accession 0159.
Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
Accessions 94/038 and 94/033.
Usage RestrictionsThe donor(s) of this collection have not transferred their copyrights for the materials to the Trustees of Indiana University.
For more information, please contact the Indiana University Archives staff.
The Indiana University Archives respects the intellectual property rights of others and does not claim any copyrights for
non-university records, materials in the public domain, or materials for which we do not hold a Deed of Gift. Responsibility
for the determination of the copyright status of these materials rests with those persons wishing to reuse the materials.
Researchers are responsible for securing permission from copyright owners and any other rights holders for any reuse of these
materials that extends beyond fair use or other statutory limitations.
Digital reproductions of archival materials from the Indiana University Archives are made available for noncommercial educational
and research purposes only. If you are the copyright holder for any of the digitized materials and have questions about its
inclusion on our site, please contact the Indiana University Archivist.
Preferred Citation
[Item], David Starr Jordan papers, Collection C297, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington.
Processing InformationProcessed by Philip Bantin.
Completed in 2005. Updated and revised in 2010.
Series:
Correspondence, 1880-1899
Box 1
David Starr Jordan to Rosa Smith, 11 October 1880
View item(s)
David Starr Jordan to "Dear Friend," 15 November 1880
View item(s)
Elliott Coues to DSJ, 15 February 1882
View item(s)
re: cancelled visit to IU
David Starr Jordan to "Dear Friend," 4 August 1883
View item(s)
re: Fire at Indiana University. Probably to President Lemuel Moss.
"M.K.D." to David Starr Jordan, 16 November 1884
View item(s)
David Starr Jordan to David Banta, 29 November 1884
View item(s)
John Coulter to David Starr Jordan, 30 November 1884
View item(s)
John Coulter to David Starr Jordan, 4 December 1884
View item(s)
Asa Gray to David Starr Jordan, 6 December 1884
View item(s)
David Starr Jordan to James L. Mitchell, 12 December 1884
View item(s)
Enoch A. Bryan (President of Vincennes University) to David Starr
Jordan, 15 August
1891
View item(s)
Enoch A. Bryan (President of Vincennes University) to President of IU
(letter forwarded to Jordan who was in Palo Alto, CA), 15 August 1891
View item(s)
J. Laurence Laughlin to David Starr Jordan, 19 May 1899
View item(s)
Series:
Publications, lectures, and addresses, 1874-1929,
undated
Box 1
"A Key to the Higher Algae of the Atlantic Coast, Between Newfoundland
and Florida,"
American Naturalist, Vol. VIII,
July,
1874
(photocopy)
"Synopses of 31 Lectures on Geology by Dr. David Starr Jordan to Senior
Class Fall term 1880, Indiana University" By Robert A. Woods, BS 1881
(photocopy)
"A Talk About Names by Prof. David S. Jordan to the Students of Indiana
University, Saturday Morning," 30 April 1881 "
(2 copies)
"Ulrich Von Hutten: Part I" in
The
Current
, Vol. 6, Dec. 4,
1886
(photocopy)
"Ulrich Von Hutten: Part I" in
The
Current
, Vol. 6, Dec. 11,
1886
(photocopy)
"Darwinism. A Brief Account of the Darwinian Theory of the Origin of
Species," 1888
(photocopy)
"Report of the Alumni Trustee to the Alumni of Cornell University,"
1888
Science Sketches, 1888,
1896
(3 copies)
The Story of the Innumerable Company,
Stanford University Press, 1895
Care and Culture of Men, 1896
"Science and Non-Science," 1897
Footnotes to Evolution, 1898
"The Strength of Being Clean, Address delivered on the occasion of the
Forty-Fifth Anniversary of the Young Men's Christian Association of San
Francisco," Jan. 30, 1898
"An Apology for the American University,"
The
Conservative Review. A Quarterly
, No. II, Vol. II, November 1899
A Manual of the Vertebrate Animals of the Northern
United States
, 8th Edition, Chicago, A.C. McClurg and Company,
1899
"The Question of the Phillipines. An Address Delivered Before the
Graduate Club of Leland Stanford Junior University on February 14,
1899 "
(2 copies)
"The Strength of Being Clean. A Study of the Quest for UnEarned
Happiness," A White Cross Address, Boston, Beacon Press, 1900
(2 copies)
Standeth God Within the Shadow,
1901
Animal Life, 1901,
1903
(2 copies)
The Blood of the Nation. A Study of the Decay
of the Races Through the Survival of the Unfit, Boston, American Unitarian
Association
, 1902
The Philosophy of Despair,1902
The Philosophy of Hope,1902
The Call of the Twentieth
Century
,1903
(2 copies)
Box 2
Matka and Kotik, 1903
The Voice of the Scholar, 1903
Animal Studies, 1903,
1909
(2 copies)
Life's Enthusiasms, Boston, American
Unitarian Association, 1906
(2 copies)
California and the Californians,
1907
The Human Harvest, 1907
"With No Mark or Brand," Address at the 16th Annual Commencement of the
Leland Stanford Junior University, 22 May 1907
"On a Collection of Fishes From Echigo, Japan," From the Proceedings of
the United States National Museum, Vol. XXXIII, 12 December 1907
The Human Harvest. A Study of the Decay of Races
Through the Survival of the Unfit
, Boston, American Unitarian
Association, 1907
The Higher Sacrifice, Boston, The Beacon
Press, 1908
Fish Stories, 1909
The Religion of a Sensible American,
1909
The Scientific Aspects of Luther Burbank's
Work
, 1909
The Blood of the Nation, 1910
The Call of the Nation. A Plea for Taking Politics
out of Politics
, Boston, American Unitarian Association, 1910
(2 copies)
"War and Manhood," Address Given in Boston, July 4, 1910
The Hereditiy of Richard Roe,
1911
Eric's Book of Beasts, 1912
Unseen Empire. A Study of the Plight of Nations that
Do Not Pay Their Debts
, Boston, American Unitarian Association,
1912
America's Conquest of Europe
"Statement of President Jordan made at Commencement," 19 May 1913
(2 copies)
To Barbara. With Other Verses, 1913
(3 copies)
"What Shall We Say," Series of Articles Written for World Peace
Foundation, 1913-1916,
undated
(Incomplete, Includes Numbers 4-5, 8, 22-25, 27-28, 31, 33, 35-37, 41-47,
49-55, 58, 67-69, 71-75, 77)
Box 3
War and Waste, 1914
War's Aftermath, 1914
"The Security League in American Colleges," A Letter in Response to a
Circular Letter Issued by the American Security League, 3 October 1915
"What Shall We Say," 1915
Alsace-Lorraine, A Study in Conquest:
1913
, Indianapolis, The Bobs-Merrill Company, 1916
Ways to Lasting Peace, 1916
"World Peace and the College Man," Delivered Before the University of
Pennsylvania, 19
November 1915. The George Dana Boardman Lectureship in Christian
Ethics. Published by the University of Pennsylvania, 1916
Democracy and World Relations, New York,
World Book Company, 1920
(2 copies)
Days of a Man, 2 volumes, 1922
Ulrich Von Hutten. A Knight of the Order of
Poets
, New York, World Book Company, 1922
War and the Breed. The Relation of War to the
Downfall of Nations
, New York, World Book Company, 1922
(2 copies)
"On the Family of Achiridae or Broad-Soles, With Description of a New
Species Achirus Barnharti from California," Reprinted from the University of
California Publications in Zoology, Vol. 26, No. 1, 26 December
1923
"A Collection of Fossil Fishes in the University of Kansas From the
Niobrara Formation of the Cretaceous," Reprinted from the Kansas University
Science Bulletin, Vol. XV, No. 2, December, 1924
"Men Told Me, Lord," Copy of a Poem by Jordan that was published in
The World’s Great Religious Poetry,
1925
Box 4
The Religion of a Sensible American, Boston,
The Beacon Press, 2nd Printing, 1926
(1st printing 1909)
The Higher Foolishness, 1927
Manual of the Vertebrate Animals,
1929
The Trend of the American University,
Stanford University Press, 1929
"The Colors of Letters," Manuscript with Corrections, undated
"A Consideration of Herbert Spencer's Essay on Education," undated
"In Search of Truth," undated
"Individual Freedom and Magna Charta Day," undated
(copy)
"The League of Nations," Reprint from the Star Press, San Francisco,
undated
"On the Disappearance of Great Men From Public Life," undated
(copy)
"The Terms of Peace," undated
"Trend Toward Peace," Reprint from the San Francisco Journal, undated