Robert V. Keeley Papers, 1918-2008

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Collection Overview

Title:

Robert V. Keeley Papers

Repository:

Public Policy Papers

Permanent URL:

http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/dc1r66jb78z

Dates:

1918-2008

Size:

23 boxes

Storage Note:

Mudd Manuscript Library (scamudd): Boxes O-000009, S-000216 to S-000238

Language:

English

Abstract: Robert Vossler Keeley ('51) was a U.S. Foreign Service member and writer who served in a number of posts. The Robert V. Keeley Papers consist of reports, correspondence, writings, journals, and photographs from the breadth of Keeley's career, including his Foreign Service postings in Uganda, Cambodia, Mauritius, Zimbabwe, and Greece, as well as correspondence and other materials created and kept by Robert Keeley's wife, Louise Keeley.

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

The Robert V. Keeley Papers consist of reports, correspondence, writings, journals, and photographs from the breadth of Keeley's Foreign Service Career, including his postings in Uganda, Cambodia, Mauritius, Zimbabwe, and Greece. Additionally, there is a significant amount of correspodence, journals, and other materials from Keeley's education and early career, as well as some files from his career immediately following retiring from the Foreign Service. There are also three boxes of correspondence and other materials created and kept by Robert Keeley's wife, Louise Keeley.

Collection Creator Biography:

Keeley

Robert Vossler Keeley '51 was a U.S. Foreign Service member and writer who served in a number of posts. The son of diplomat James Hugh Keeley, Jr. and brother of writer and Princeton Professor Edmund Keeley, Robert Keeley was educated abroad and attended Princeton University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in English literature in 1951. He married Louise Benedict Schoonmaker, with whom he had two children, in 1951. Keeley served in the U.S. Coast Guard during the Korean War. His early Foreign Service career assignments were in Uganda, Cambodia, and on the Interagency Task Force for the Indochina Refugees. Later, Keeley served as Ambassador to Mauritius (1976-1978), as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs (1978-1980), and as Ambassador to Zimbabwe (1980-1984) and Greece (1985–89). Additionally, Keeley had postings in Jordan and Mali. Later in his career, Keeley was active in the American Foreign Service Association, and wrote two memoirs based on his experiences in Greece and Uganda. He also founded the Five and Ten Press, which published his own work. Keeley died in 2015.

Collection History

Acquisition:: The collection was donated by Christopher Keeley in 2015 and 2018. The accession numbers associated with these donations are ML-2015-031, ML-2015-042, and ML-2018-015.
Appraisal: Approximately 30 boxes of materials deemed non-archival were separated from the original accessions prior to processing.
Processing Information: The collection was processed and the finding aid written by Will Clements in 2022.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

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. For instances beyond Fair Use, 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.

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