Summary
Overview
Keeley, James H. (James Hugh), 1895-1990.
James Hugh Keeley, Jr. Papers
1898-1975 (mostly 1921-1975)
46.9 linear feet, 15 archival boxes, 2 9x12 photo boxes, 1 custom box and 38 record center boxes
This collection is stored at Mudd Manuscript Library and ReCAP.
Portions of this collection are stored offsite at the ReCAP facility. Please see Access and Use section below for details.
Requests will be delivered to Public Policy Papers, MUDD Reading Room
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Abstract
The James H. Keeley Jr. papers document Keeley's career in the Foreign Service from 1920 through the 1960s. Over the course of his career, Keeley served in Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Canada, Greece, Belgium, and Italy.
Description
Description
Consists primarily of correspondence but also includes writings, clippings, various personal records, and photographs that document Keeley's career in the Foreign Service. Series 1 contains personal and office correspondence that details the foreign service world and the political climate in countries where Keeley was stationed. Series 2 is not extensive and supplements Series 1. Most of the material details Keeley's work as consul general in Athens, Greece (1946-1947) and his involvement in the Allied Mission for Observing the Greek Elections and also includes official and family correspondence. Series 3 documents Keeley's personal life. Of specific interest are drafts of articles Keeley wrote, including those about life in Damascus (circa 1924-1928). The first subseries of Series 4 contains correspondence between Keeley and his immediate family. The second subseries contains correspondence between both Keeley and his wife, their siblings, parents and extended family. Series 5 contains personal and family photographs and a photo album that documents family life in Damascus, including the Druze revolt of 1925. Photos of Bedouins in Syria (circa 1923) and Palestinian scenes after the earthquake of 1927 are included.
Collection Creator
Biography
James H. Keeley, Jr. (1895-1990) was born in Curwensville, Pennsylvania. He attended the Military School of Aeronautics, Princeton University, in 1917, and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the American University of Beirut in 1931. After serving as a pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War I, Keeley worked in the restaurant business until 1920 when he joined the Foreign Service.
Keeley's early career in the Foreign Service featured a series of postings in the Middle East: vice consul at Istanbul, Turkey, 1920-1923; consul at Damascus, Syria, 1923-28; and consul at Beirut, Lebanon, 1928-1931. From there Keeley moved to Montreal, where he served for four years, and then to Salonika, Greece, where he was consul from 1936-1939. After the outbreak of war in Europe, Keeley returned to Washington, where he held a variety of State Department posts, including chief of the Special War Problems Division from March 1943-September 1944.
In the fall of 1944 Keeley returned to Europe, serving in Antwerp and then Athens until 1947. In 1948 Keeley was named American minister to Syria, which made him the chief American diplomatic representative in Syria at that time. Keeley held this position until 1950.
In 1950 Keeley returned to the United States, spending two years as a fellow in international relations at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, and the 1952-53 academic year as chairman of the Near East Seminar at the State Department Foreign Service Institute. In June 1953 he became consul-general in Palermo, Italy, and served there until his retirement in the early 1960s.
Keeley married Mathilde Vossler in December 1922. They had three sons: Hugh Morgan (“Budge”), Edmund LeRoy (“Mike”), and Robert.
Collection History
Acquisition
Gift of Keeley's sons, Edmund and Robert, and his daughter-in-law, Darlene Keeley in 1996 (ML1996-1).
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Grace Kashangaki in 1999 and Helene van Rossum in 2002. Finding aid written by Grace Kashangaki in 1999 and Helene van Rossum in 2002.
Sponsorship
These papers were processed with the generous support of Edmund and Robert Keeley and Princeton University's Department of Hellenic Studies.
Access and Use
Access Restrictions
All materials dated through December 31, 1947 are open to the public. Materials created after January 1, 1948 are closed during the lifetimes of the donors.
Materials post-dating 1947 are closed.
Access Restrictions
Materials post-dating 1947 are stored off-site.
Please consult with Mudd Manuscript Library about having the collection recalled to Mudd Library for your use. This process normally requires 48-72 hours notice.
Use Restrictions
Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Curator of the Public Policy Papers. The family has retained the collection's literary rights. Researchers are responsible for determining any questions of copyright.
Preferred Citation
James Hugh Keeley, Jr. Papers; 1898-1975 (mostly 1921-1975), Public Policy Papers, Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, Princeton University Library.
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