Skip to main content

Walter S. Davis papers

 Collection
Identifier: Mss-009

Scope and Contents

The collection holds Davis's College of Puget Sound (CPS) diploma and his 32d degree Masonic certificate, and notes on the UPS Trustees meetings (1916-?), a short paper (4-5 pages) on the history of CPS from 1898 to 1930 in several versions, and a number of notebooks devoted to notes on the history of CPS. In addition there is a copy of his Cornell University master's thesis and a number of his student lecture notebooks while there. Also contains a letter to him from Ezra Meeker (Jan. 12, 1923), and his retirement memory book holding many congratulatory letters from former students, friends and community people throughout the area. In addition there is a bound copy of a genealogy of the Davis family entitled "Our Pioneer Ancestors".

Dates

  • Creation: 1858-1957
  • Creation: Majority of material found within 1866 - 1891

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open to researchers by appointment.

Conditions Governing Use

Property rights reside with the University of Puget Sound. For information about permission to reproduce or publish, please contact Archives & Special Collections.

Collins Memorial Library provides access to its collections in order to support research and education. Some materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the use or reproduction of some items may be restricted by the terms of the gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, or university policy. It is the user's responsibility to determine and satisfy copyright or any other use restrictions when publishing or otherwise disseminating materials found in the collections.

Biographical / Historical

Walter Scott Davis was born in Indiana on 29 December 1866. He graduated from DePauw University in 1889 and earned a master’s degree at Cornell University in 1892. Davis studied at the University of Leipzig in 1892, the University of Chicago 1893-1896, Harvard University summer 1903, and the University of Wisconsin summer 1905. Between 1897 and 1907 Scott taught high school in Richmond, Indiana, during which time he was secretary of the Wayne County Historical Society. In 1907 Davis joined the faculty of the University of Puget Sound and taught history and political science. He was head of the history department of the college from 1907 to 1943. He served as a senator in the Washington State legislature and was known thereafter as Senator Davis. Davis was considered to be the historian of the college and authored a history of the college that appeared in the 1921 Tamanawas. Professor Davis retired in 1943 and died at age 76 on 19 June 1943.

Extent

1.5 Cubic Feet (3 boxes; 2 bound volumes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Walter S. Davis was a Washington State Senator (1912-1928) and a professor of history and political science at the College of Puget Sound (now University of Puget Sound), in Tacoma, Washington, from 1907-1943. The collection contains mainly CPS-related correspondence, papers, notebooks, lecture notes, and also genealogical information.

Arrangement

Collection is arranged by format.

Title
Guide to the Walter S. Davis Papers
Status
Completed
Author
Elizabeth Knight, Kara E. Flynn
Date
2011
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English
Sponsor
Funding for preparing this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

Repository Details

Part of the University of Puget Sound, Archives & Special Collections Repository

Contact:
Collins Memorial Library
1500 N. Warner Street #1021
Tacoma 98416-1021 United States us