Contents

Collection Overview

Biographical Note

Scope and Contents of the Collection

Organization of the Collection

Search Terms

Edward Smith Parsons (AC 1883) Papers, 1883-1943 (bulk 1916-1921)

Finding aid prepared by Sarang Gopalakrishan, Peter Nelson.

Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

© 2003

Biographical Note

Edward Smith Parsons was born in Brooklyn, New York, on August 9, 1863. He was educated at the Brooklyn Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute, Amherst (BA 1883) and Yale (BD 1887), and was ordained in the Congregational Church in 1887. After serving as parson of the First Congregational Church in Greeley, Colorado, for four years, he joined the faculty of Colorado College as an English professor in 1892. Parsons was vice-president of the college (1898-1916, and dean of the Department of Arts and Sciences (1901-1917). However, his vocal opposition to President William F. Slocum (AC 1874), which caused Slocum to resign, made him unpopular with the trustees, who in turn forced his resignation in 1917. Parsons' dismissal caused considerable public outrage, and the trustees offered to reinstate him conditionally. Parsons declined the offer, however, and moved to Marietta College (Ohio), where he served as President from 1919 to 1936 and as President Emeritus from 1936 to 1943.

Parsons was a founder of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, an active member and official of the YMCA, and a member of various other social and academic organizations. He edited Milton's Minor Poems for the Cambridge Series, and wrote several scholarly articles, including "The Earliest Life of Milton" (English Historical Review, January 1902; republished as part of Colorado College Studies, vol. X, 1903); "A Christian Critique of Socialism"; "The Social Message of Jesus"; etc. Parsons married Mary Augusta Ingersoll on December 4, 1889, and was the father of six children. He died in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on April 22, 1943.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

Correspondence and news clippings, mainly regarding Parsons' dismissal from Colorado College as a result of his opposition to President William F. Slocum (AC 1874); diaries; scholarly notes and papers on John Milton; and miscellaneous booklets.

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Search Terms

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Organization of the Collection

This collection is organized into five series:

• 1. Correspondence, 1903-1943
• 2. Diaries, 1883-1943
• 3. Scholarly Research on John Milton, 1877-1933 and n.d.
• 4. Miscellaneous, 1915-1917
• 5. News Clippings, 1903-1921

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Series 1: CORRESPONDENCE, 1903-1943

Series 1, Correspondence, 1903-1943, is organized into two sub-series:

A. Correspondence and Notes Regarding Parsons' Dismissal from Colorado College, 1916-1921. Notes include statements made by female employees and a group of faculty members at the college regarding the conduct of President Slocum, and documentation of Dean Parsons' dismissal from the college by the board of trustees. Material in this sub-series is organized chronologically by year.

B. Miscellaneous Correspondence, 1903-1943. The bulk of this correspondence dates from 1940-1943 and concerns an article that Parsons was preparing for publication, "Concerning 'The Earliest Life of Milton'," which was published in June 1942. Correspondence is arranged chronologically.

Sub-Series A: Correspondence and Notes Regarding Parsons' Dismissal from Colorado College

Sub-Series B: Miscellaneous Correspondence

Series 2: DIARIES, 1883-1943

Series 2, Diaries, 1883-1943, are personal notes entered on an almost daily basis. Several of the diaries are "Line-a-Day" books with each page showing entries for the same day over a four or five year period. There is a gap in the diaries from 1889 to 1899.

Series 3: SCHOLARLY RESEARCH ON JOHN MILTON, 1877-1936 AND N.D.

Series 3, Scholarly Research on John Milton, 1877-1933 and n.d., consists of notes and articles related to Parsons' scholarly research about the poet John Milton.

Series 4: MISCELLANEOUS, 1915-1917, n.d.

Series 4, Miscellaneous, 1915-1917, consists of printed matter related to Parsons' work during World War I after leaving Colorado College.

Series 5: NEWSCLIPPINGS, 1903-1921

Series 5, News Clippings, 1903-1921, consist of loose newspaper clippings and a scrapbook documenting Parsons' career.