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Collection Overview

Creator:
Princeton University. Office of the Treasurer.
Title:
Office of the Treasurer Records
Repository:
Princeton University Archives
Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/9z902z85j
Dates:
1754-2009 (mostly 1939-2006)
Size:
205 boxes, 2 folders, 2 items, and 98 Volumes
Storage Note:
  • Mudd Manuscript Library (scamudd): Box 1-205
Language:
English

Abstract

The Office of the Treasurer is Princeton University's administrative office charged with the coordination and execution of the receipt, disbursement, custody, and safeguarding of the financial assets and resources of the University. The Office of the Treasurer records document the custodianship of Princeton University's finances and contain correspondence, annual reports, budgets, audited statements, and other finance-related materials which are related to the University's assets, investments, cash flow, and spending practices.

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

The Office of the Treasurer Records document the ongoing activities of Princeton's administrative office charged with custodianship of the University's finances. The records contain correspondence, annual reports, budgets, audited statements, and other materials which are related to the University's assets, investments, cash flow, and spending practices. The records often delve into minutiae, such as annual budgets for departments or campus organizations and approvals for spending. Despite this, when taken as a whole they provide a fairly comprehensive picture of the financial operations of a major American university in the twentieth century.

Please see series descriptions in contents list for additional information about individual series.

Collection Creator Biography:

Princeton University. Office of the Treasurer.

The Treasurer of Princeton University is charged with the coordination and execution of the receipt, disbursement, custody, and safeguarding of the financial assets and resources of the University. In discharging these responsibilities the Treasurer works closely with the Provost, the Priorities Committee, the Office of the Controller, department heads, and other principal academic and administrative officers of the University.

The Office of the Treasurer is among the oldest at Princeton; it was created in 1748, a year after the first President to the College was appointed. During the 18th and most of the 19th century, the position was held part-time, usually by a trustee or member of the faculty and the first full-time treasurer was not appointed until 1885. In the early days of the position, duties primarily consisted of tracking the college's accounts and income/expenses. Most of the early treasurers held the office for relatively short periods of time which resulted in great inconsistencies in record keeping, however starting in the late 1790's, the treasurer's office appeared to take on a greater level of importance within the University administration. Around this time annual reports and a more systematic kind of financial management began to take place.

The expansion of the college into a full-fledged University necessitated even greater oversight of the institution's finances, and the position was summarily expanded into a full-fledged administrative office with a support staff. Throughout the 20th century the Treasurer proved to be one of the central figures in the ongoing development of the University.

The expansion of the college into a full-fledged University necessitated even greater oversight of the institution's finances, and the position was summarily expanded into a full-fledged administrative office with a support staff. Throughout the 20th century the Treasurer proved to be one of the central figures in the ongoing development of the University. In 2005, the Board of Trustees approved the combination of the titles Vice President for Finance and Treasurer, resulting in the establishment of a new office, Finance and Treasury, with increased financial responsibilities.

Treasurers of the College of New Jersey

Andrew Johnston (1748-1750)

Jonathan Sergeant (1750-1777)

James Caldwell (1777-1779)

William Churchill Houston (1779-1783)

Samuel Stanhope Smith (1783-1786)

Thomas Wiggins (1786-1787)

John Beatty (1787-1788, 1788)

Richard Stockton (1788)

Isaac Snowden (1788-1791)

John Harrison (1791-1795)

Walter Minto (1795-1796)

Enos Kelsey (1796-1810)

Samuel Bayard (1810-1828)

James Sproat Green (1828)

George Stafford Woodhull (1828-1829)

John Van Doren (1829-1839)

John Vredenburgh Talmage (1839-1845)

Charles Smith Olden (1845-1869)

Lyman Sanford Atwater (1869-1870)

William Wirt Harris (1870-1885)

Edwin Curtis Osborn (1885-1896)

Treasurers of Princeton University

Edwin Curtis Osborn (1896-1901)

Henry Green Duffield (1901-1930)

George C. Wintringer (1930-1941, acting to 1933)

George A. Brakeley (1941-1953)

Ricardo A. Mestres (1953-1972)

Carl W. Schafer (1972-1987)

Raymond Clark (1987-2001)

Christopher McCrudden (2001-2007)

Collection History

Acquisition:

The papers which constitute Series 1: General Records were originally part of the Pyne-Henry Collection (AC125). The rest of the records were transferred from the Office of the Treasurer over the period from 1959 to 2008.

Accruals

Additional accruals of records are expected from the Office of the Treasurer on a continual basis.

Appraisal

No information on appraisal is available.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Daniel Brennan with assistance from Joshua Muketha '10, Nick Cox '10, and Sarah Vitali '11 in summer 2008. Finding aid written by Daniel Brennan in October, 2008. Subseries 6B: Raymond Clark Chronological Files was added and the finding aid amended by Christie Peterson in September 2011. An inventory of ledgers was added in 2019 by Phoebe Nobles. Early records that relate to the estate of James Lesly (AR.2020.015) added by Phoebe Nobles in 2022.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

Materials older than 30 years that do not pertain to student academic performance or discipline, trustee issues, or faculty personnel matters are open, with the exception of Subseries 7D. Access to Subseries 7D is restricted indefinitely. Materials in Series 8 are restricted for 75 years from the date of their creation due to the discussion of personnel issues.

Conditions Governing Use

Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. For quotations that are fair use as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission to cite or publish is required. The Trustees of Princeton University hold copyright to all materials generated by Princeton University employees in the course of their work. If copyright is held by Princeton University, researchers will not need to obtain permission, complete any forms, or receive a letter to move forward with non-commercial use of materials from the Mudd Library. For materials where the copyright is not held by the University, researchers are responsible for determining who may hold the copyright and obtaining approval from them. If you have a question about who owns the copyright for an item, you may request clarification by contacting us through the Ask Us! form.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Credit this material:

Office of the Treasurer Records; Princeton University Archives, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/9z902z85j
Location:
Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library
Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library
65 Olden Street
Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
(609) 258-6345
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Storage Note:
  • Mudd Manuscript Library (scamudd): Box 1-205

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Related Materials

In the course of carrying out its duties, the Office of the Treasurer works with nearly every University administrator and department. Topics that are touched upon in the Office of the Treasurer Records can also often be found in the records of other offices, including but not limited to the Office of the President Records, the Office of the Secretary Records, the Office of the Dean of the College Records, and the Office of the Dean of the Faculty Records, and the General Counsel Records. The also library holds a separate collection of the records of the Office of the Controller (AC161).

In addition to these materials, the library holds the collected financial ledgers and account books of the University dating from 1791 until the 1980s. The earliest of these ledgers can be found in AC128, Series 1. Other, mostly later ledgers can be found in AC161, Office of the Controller Records.

Additional records generated by the Office of Financial Vice President and Treasurer during Carl Schafer's term in those roles (1976-1987) can be found in AC233 Office of the Vice President for Finance and Treasurer Records. Due to the 2005 creation of the Office of the Vice President for Finance and Treasurer, records of treasurers from 2008 onward will be found in AC233.

Names:
Princeton University