Contents and Arrangement Collection View
Scope and Contents

The Gordon Alexander Craig Papers document several projects the historian was involved with while a professor at Princeton. These include the Marine Corps History Project for which Craig served as chairman of the editorial board, and which resulted in the 600 page volume The U.S. Marines and Amphibious War (1951).

Also included in the collection are a set of correspondence and clippings relating to the loyalty oath controversy at the University of California in 1950-1951. In response to the matter which involved several tenured faculty members being dismissed for refusing to take a loyalty oath, Craig headed a group to compose a letter of protest to the California Board of Regents that was signed by most Princeton University faculty.

Collection Creator Biography:

Craig, Gordon Alexander, 1913-2005

Gordon Alexander Craig was an American historian specializing in German and diplomatic history. Gordon Alexander Craig graduated from Princeton as the valedictorian of the Class of 1936. As an undergraduate in 1935 Craig visited Germany with a group of Princeton graduates. There his witness of the beginnings of the Nazi regime's rise to power left an indelible mark on his academic life. After graduation Craig was awarded a Rhodes scholarship, leading him to studies at Oxford for two years before returning to Princeton to complete his doctoral dissertation in 1938. In the Second World War Craig served with the Marines in the South Pacific.

During his career Gordon Alexander Craig held professorships at Princeton (1950-1961) and Stanford (1961-1979). After transferring to emeritus status in 1979 he remained publicly visible as a historian, serving as president of the American Historical Association in 1986 and frequently reviewing books on German and European history for the New York Review of Books. Craig died of a heart attack in 2006 at the age of 91.

Acquisition:

Gordon Alexander Craig gave these files to the University Archives on June 2, 1961.

Appraisal

Appraisal has been conducted in accordance with Mudd Library guidelines.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Dan Brennan in 2009. Finding aid written by Dan Brennan in 2009.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. The Trustees of Princeton University hold copyright to all materials generated by Princeton University employees in the course of their work. For instances beyond Fair Use, if copyright is held by Princeton University, researchers do not need to obtain permission, complete any forms, or receive a letter to move forward with use of materials from the Princeton University Archives.

For instances beyond Fair Use where the copyright is not held by the University, while permission from the Library is not required, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact 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:

Gordon Alexander Craig Papers; Princeton University Archives, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/sn009x84d
Location:
Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library
Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library
65 Olden Street
Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
(609) 258-6345
Storage Note:
  • Mudd Manuscript Library (scamudd): Box 1
Related Materials

The Library holds faculty and alumni files for Gordon Alexander Craig.

A larger collection of Gordon Alexander Craig Papers is held by the Stanford University Archives.

Subject Terms:
Historians -- United States.
Loyalty oaths -- United States.
Names:
United States. Marine Corps
Princeton University
Craig, Gordon Alexander, 1913-2005