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Lynton K. Caldwell, the “grandfather of biopolitics,” was born in Montezuma, Iowa on November 21, 1913. He received his Bachelor of Philosophy in English with honors in 1935, M.A. in 1938 from Harvard University, Ph.D. in 1943 from the University of Chicago, and honorary LLD in 1977 from Western Michigan University. From 1939-1944 he served an assistant professor of government at Indiana University, South Bend. From 1944-1965 Caldwell continued teaching and researching at multiple universities including the University of Chicago, Northwestern, Michigan, Oklahoma, Syracuse and University of California, Berkeley. In 1965 he returned to Indiana University Bloomington where he became a professor of Political Science and of Public and Environmental Science, remaining until his retirement in 1984.
Professor Caldwell was credited with initiating environmental policy studies and as the originator of the environmental impact statement in the 1969 National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). He was recognized internationally as one of the early leaders in the study of environmental policy, law and administration, and his work influenced the course of national legislation in the environmental protection movement. Caldwell also was part of the committee which established the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University in 1972.
In 1971, Caldwell was named the Arthur E. Bentley Chair in Political Science. (“Chair” later became “Professor”.) He served on numerous boards and committees throughout his career, including the Commission on Environmental Policy, Law, and the Administration of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN); the International Environment Programs of the National Academy of Sciences, and the Natural Areas Advisory Committee at Indiana University. He was also a recipient of the William E. Mosher Award (1963), the Laverne Burchfield Award (1972), and the Marshall E. Dimock Award (1981).
Caldwell was married to Helen Alewel Walcher in 1940, and they had two children, Edwin Lee Caldwell (married to Pauline Wolber) and Lynette Caldwell Emmi (married to Philip Claude Emmi). Dr. Caldwell died on August 15, 2006.
Collection is organized into fifteen series: Biographical, Awards, Correspondence, Research, Professional, Books and Monographs, Articles, Book Reviews, Book Chapters, Notes, Forwards, and Comments, Bibliographies, Other Editorial Work, Selected Unpublished, NEPA Files, Reports and Testimony. The majority of the collection maintains the original order of series which were constructed by Caldwell.
Caldwell's papers include a large amount of published works, but also contain correspondence and material related to conferences and professional organizations. There is a small amount of personal material as well, including photographs and correspondence. The bulk of the collection includes Caldwell's published writing, predominantly on issues of the environment, politics, and environmental policy. Materials related to Caldwell's involvement with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) are found in their own series.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
Several photographs, of both a personal and professional nature, have been removed and can be found in the archives photograph collection. Please contact the Photographs Curator for access.
Additional publications and research materials may be accessed in
Related photographs may be available in the
Accessions 99/056, 2000/069, 2001/011, 2012/122
The donor(s) of this collection have transferred their copyrights for the materials to the Trustees of Indiana University through a Deed of Gift. For more information, please contact the Indiana University Archives staff.
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[Item], Lynton K. Caldwell papers, Collection C432, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington.
This collection was transferred to the University Archives from Lynton Caldwell in September 1999, October 2000, February 2001, and additional materials were picked up from the Caldwell house in 2012.
Processed by Heather J. Stone, 2011.
Additions added in 2013 by Allison Haack.
Further additions incorporated in 2017 by Elizabeth Peters.
The Biographical series (1883-2010) includes biographical information about Caldwell's personal and professional life, and includes bibliographies, awards, scrapbooks, and calendars and a small amount of correspondence organized by year from 1934-2004.
Several photographs, of both a personal and professional nature, were present in this series, and have been removed. They can be found in the archives photograph collection.
All photos are stored with the Archives Photograph Collection. Contact Photographs Curator for access.
The Awards series (1901-2006) consists of awards and certificates given to Caldwell for scholarly and political work. These include diplomas, medals, certificates of appreciation, recognitions, and other accolades.
The Correspondence series (1930-1998) includes letters, cards, and postcards to and from Caldwell. Correspondents include family, friends, and colleagues. Topics include professional activity, travels, and personal affairs.
The Research series (1945-2000) contains materials related to the different research topics that Caldwell pursued both personally and professionally. Some of the research topics include ornithology, natural areas and preserves in Indiana-including Burns Ditch Harbor and the Indiana Dunes-and the environment.
The Professional series (1917-2004) mainly consists of chronological files, which include a limited amount of correspondence as well as professional schedules. Also included are a few subject files.
The Books and monographs series (1943-2006) includes publications such as a copy of Caldwell’s dissertation, “Contributions to thought on Public Administration: Hamilton and Jefferson," (1943), as well as noteworthy titles such as: Environmental Policy, Law, and Administration: A Guide (1979), Biocracy: Public Policy and the Life Sciences (1987), The National Environmental Policy Act: An Agenda for the Future (1998) and International Environmental Policy: Emergence and Dimensions (1984) which received the Sprout Award from the International Studies Association in 1985.
The Articles series (1943-2002) is further organized into fourteen subject-based sub-series that Caldwell created:
Some notable documents in this series include “Environment: A New Focus for Public Policy,” (1963) which earned Caldwell the William E. Mosher Award (1963); “Beyond Environmental Diplomacy: The Changing Institutional Structure of International Cooperation,” (1985) which he presented at the November 1985 United Nations Conference in Ennis, Ireland; and “Coal and Institutional Arrangements,” (1972) which he presented at the 1971 Symposium on Coal and Public Policies at the University of Tennessee.
The Book reviews series (1958-2000) is made up of book reviews written by Caldwell for a variety of authors. The vast majority of the reviews were written after 1970 and concern environmental issues. Books reviewed include, Pollution, Prices, and Public Policy (1975), Regulatory Reform Considered (1987), and The Future of the Land and Sustainable Land Use Planning (1996).
The Book chapters series (1966-2002) contains chapters written by Caldwell for publication in books for which he was not the primary author. Chapters include "Environment and Administration: The Politic of Ecology," in Man and Environment (1971), "Towards Understanding Human Behavior: The Implications of Scientific Advances," in Critical Cornerstones of Public Administration (1985), and "Implementing Policy Through Procedure: Impact Assessment and NEPA," in Environmental Methods Review: Retooling Impact Assessment for the New Century (1998).
The Notes, forwards, and comments series (1961-2001) is comprised of notes, prefaces, introductions, forwards, and comments written by Caldwell for books and articles he did not personally publish. Examples include the introduction for "Political Science and Public Affairs," (1962), and the forward, Regulatory Federalism, Natural Resources, and Environmental Management (1990).
The Bibliographies series (1943-1983) contains a bibliography of Caldwell's work, as well as bibliographies which reference Caldwell's various works. Included in this series are the bibliographies Science, Technology, and Public Policy: A Selected and Annotated Bibliography, 1945-1965 (1965), and Administrative Technology: A Bibliography (1978).
The Other editorial work series (1945-1974) is comprised of a small collection of works on which Caldwell served as editor. These include "Environmental Studies: Papers on the Politics and Public Administration of Man-Environment Relationships," (1967) and "Organization and Administration of Environmental Programmes," (1974).
The Selected unpublished series (1933-2000) contains articles and papers written by Caldwell that were never published. The unpublished works span nearly his entire career, and include works on public administration, government, and environmental issues and policy.
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) files series (1967-2005) is made up of information solely relating to the creation and implementation of the act.
Published articles on NEPA can be found in the Articles series.
The Reports and testimony series (1958-1998) contains multiple works including: A National Policy for the Environment (1968), Materials Policy and the Environment (1978), and Pollution Prevention as a Public Policy—Implications of NEPA (1993).