President's Office Records of William Jasper Kerr, 1907-1964

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Oregon State Agricultural College. Office of the President.
Title
President's Office Records of William Jasper Kerr
Dates
1907-1964 (inclusive)
1907-1940 (bulk)
Quantity
1.75 cubic feet, (5 boxes, including 1 oversize box)
5 microfilm reels
Collection Number
RG 013 - SG 07
Summary
The President's Office Records of William Jasper Kerr document Kerr's presidency of Oregon Agricultural College between 1907 and 1932 and include materials from his tenure as Chancellor of Oregon's higher education system. The collection includes general reference files, correspondence, newsclippings, assorted reports and publications, and materials generated for the Oregon State Board of Higher Education and the Board of Regents. The collection contains materials relating to the college's educational mission, organizational structure, budget, attendance, and curricular offerings, the state of education in Oregon, and the reorganization of the Oregon educational system.
Repository
Oregon State University Libraries, Special Collections and Archives Research Center
Special Collections and Archives Research Center
121 The Valley Library
Oregon State University
Corvallis OR
97331-4501
Telephone: 5417372075
Fax: 5417378674
scarc@oregonstate.edu
Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Languages
English

Historical NoteReturn to Top

William Jasper Kerr was born November 17, 1863 in Richmond, Utah. At a young age, Kerr dropped out of school in favor of a position on his father's railroad construction crew. He later returned to school, earning a B.S. in mathematics from the University of Utah in 1885. Following graduation, Kerr accepted a position teaching in Smithfield, Utah. Shortly thereafter, he was promoted to Superintendent of the Smithfield district. Between 1887 and 1894, Kerr taught mathematics at Brigham Young College and the University of Utah. In 1894, Kerr was appointed President of Brigham Young, a position he held until 1900 when he became President of Utah State Agricultural College. In 1907, Kerr resigned his position at Utah and became President of Oregon Agricultural College.

Kerr's presidency at OAC was defined by a period of prolonged and aggressive growth. During his tenure, the college constructed more than twenty buildings, including the Memorial Union, and more than doubled the total size of the campus to 555 acres. He tightened admissions requirements, expanded curricular offerings, and added talented staff to the college's ranks. Kerr resigned from his post in 1932, ending the longest reign of any OSC president.

After leaving the college, Kerr became the first Chancellor of Oregon's system of higher education. He held this position for three years before retiring. William Jasper Kerr died in 1947 at the age of 83.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The President's Office Records of William Jasper Kerr are comprised of materials from Kerr's tenure as President of Oregon Agricultural College. The collection include a general reference file, correspondence, newspaper clippings, communications with the Oregon State Board of Higher Education, publications, reports to the Board of Regents, survey materials, and biographic materials. The collection contains extensive material relating to the physical and curricular growth of the college, the controversial reorganization of OAC and the University of Oregon, and the state of higher education in Oregon in the early 20th century.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

President's Office Records of William Jasper Kerr (RG 013 - SG 07), Oregon State University Libraries Special Collections & Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

The President's Office records of William Jasper Kerr are arranged into eleven series: I: General Reference File, 1922-1940; II: Correspondence, 1907-1935; III: Clippings, 1908-1935; IV: Oregon State Board of Higher Curricula, 1925-1941; V: Resolutions Adopted by the State Board of Higher Education, 1935; VI: Biography of William Jasper Kerr; VII: Publications, 1908-1964; VIII: The OSC - U of O Controversy, 1937; IX: Reports to the Board of Regents, 1909-1929; X: Reorganization, 1931-1932; XI: College Surveys, 1928-1930. Materials within series are arranged alphabetically and chronologically.

Acquisition Information

These records were transferred to the University Archives by the OSU President's Office. The collection is now held by the Oregon State University Libraries Special Collections & Archives Research Center.

Related Materials

Related Materials

Content related to the Kerr presidency can be found in the Edwin T. Reed Papers and Subgroup 12 of the President's Office Records. Additional materials relating to the presidents of Oregon State University include the President's Office Records (RG 013), the Presidents of Oregon State University Photographic Collection (P 001), the President's Office Photographs Collection (P 092), the President's Office Motion Picture Film and Videotapes Collection (FV P 092), the Board of Regents Records (RG 008), the Board of Trustees Records (RG 033), and the the Oregon State University Memorabilia Collection.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Series I:  General Reference File, 1922-1940Return to Top

Series I contains reports, correspondence, notes, and clippings related to agriculture in Oregon. The material spans the latter portion of Kerr's career at Oregon Agricultural College and his time as the state's Chancellor of higher education. Subjects referenced in this series include agricultural and industrial production, marketing and sales, construction, public works, agricultural sciences, college and government employees, trade law, and government organizations.

Container(s) Description Dates
reel-folder
80.1
Oregon Production Statistics
1933-1937
80.2
Production in Oregon and Washington
1934-1936
80.3
Oregon Private Marketing Firms
1937
80.4
Marketing Agreements - Oregon
1936-1937
80.5
Cauliflower Marketing Agreements - Oregon
1937
80.6
Hops Stabilization Program
1935-1937
80.7
Walnut Control Board
1936
80.8
Marketing Cooperative
1932-1938
80.9
Oregon Agricultural and Industrial Marketing Study
1938
80.10
Marketing Organizations in Oregon and Washington
1936-1937
80.11
Cooperative Organizations - Summary Agriculture and Lumber
1935-1938
80.12
Hood River Apple Growers Association
1934-1937
80.13
Interstate Associated Creameries
1934-1938
80.14
Northwest Dried Food Association
1937
80.15
Oregon Growers Union
1937-1938
80.16
Oregon Prune Control Board Incorporated
1936
80.17
Oregon-Washington Pear Bureau
1936
80.18
Oregon-Washington-California Pear League Inc.
1937
80.19
Pacific Cooperative Poultry Producers
1937-1938
80.20
Pacific Wool Growers, Portland, Oregon
1937
80.21
Southern Oregon Sales Inc., Medford, Oregon
1937-1938
80.22
Tillamook County Creamery Association
1935-1937
80.23
"Oregon's Problem in Maketing Agricultural & Industrial Products"
1938
80.24
Research Production and Marketing - Reports, Correspondence, Memoranda and other material
1936-1939
80.25
Report of Agricultural Investigating Committee - Governor Martin
1937-1939
80.26
Oregon Marketing
1939-1940
81.27
Agricultural and Industrial Marketing
1937-1939
81.28
Marketing Miscellaneous
1937-1940
81.29
Services of Oregon State Agricultural College in Marketing Oregon Products
1937
81.30
Marketing Report Miscellaneous Editorials
1935, 1938
81.31
Marketing Report Miscellaneous News Stories
1935-1939
81.32
Marketing - Chancellor Hunter
1938
81.33
Marketing Report Oregon Journal Editorials
1935-1939
81.34
Marketing Report Oregon Journal News Stories
1935-1939
81.35
Marketing Report The Oregonian Editorials
1935-1939
81.36
Marketing Report The Oregonian News Stories
1937-1939
81.37
"What the State Does in Educational Preparatin for Marketing"
1939
81.38
Division of Marketing State Board of Higher Education
1938
81.39
By-products - Culls
1935-1937
81.40
Cooperative Organization Problems
1930-1937
81.41
Farm Purchasing Associations
1935-1937
81.42
Food Preparation
1935-1936
81.43
Brand Names
undated
81.44
Flax Seed and Flax Fiber Possibilities
1936-1940
81.45
Industrial Uses for Farm Products
1934-1938
81.46
Industrial Uses for Farm Products - Power Motor Alcohol
1934-1937
81.47
Irrigation
1934-1938
81.48
"Possibilities for Livestock Fattening in Oregon"
1936
81.49
Merchandising
1936-1937
81.50
Milk Distribution Problems
1936-1938
81.51
Other Domestic Market Outlets
1936-1938
81.52
Packaging
1936-1937
81.53
Processing
1934-1938
81.54
Producer - Consumer Sales Campaigns
1937
81.55
Prune Industry in Oregon - Governor Sprague
1939-1940
81.56
Special Prune Committee - Glenn Hogg, Chairman
1939-1940
81.57
Marketing Conference State System of Higher Education - Governor Sprague
1939-1940
81.58
Marketing Oregon Prunes
1931, 1938-1940
81.59
Grading of Agricultural Products
1936-1938
81.60
Sugar Beet Industry
1936-1940
81.61
Transportation
1936-1938
81.62
Unfair Trade Practices
1936-1937
81.63
Agricultural Engineering Foundation - San Francisco, California, Oswold Wilson, Mngr.
1937-1938
81.64
Ashland Chamber of Commerce
1937
81.65
Bonneville Dam Project
1937-1938
81.66
Cooperative Grange League Federation Exchange, Inc. Ithaca, New York
1936
81.67
Dairy Cooperative Association, Portland, Oregon
1936-1938
81.68
Eugene Fruit Growers Exchange
1935-1937
81.69
Farm Security Administration (Resettlement Administration)
1937
81.70
Federal Farm Board
1930
81.71
Fruit Growers League, Medford, Oregon
1937
81.72
Winter Pears--Henry Hartman
1935-136
81.73
Idaho Department of State, Boise, Idaho
1937
81.74
National Emergency Council
1936
81.75
National Farm Chemurgic Council, Dearborn, Michigan
1937
81.76
National Youth Administration
1935-1936
81.77
Oregon State Planning Board
1936-1937
81.78
Pacific Northwest Advisory Board
1937-1938
81.79
Pacific Northwest Regional Planning Commission
1935-1937
81.80
Portland Chamber of Commerce - Lumber Products
1935
81.81
Social Science Research Council
undated
81.82
U.S. Forest Service
1936-1938
81.83
Population Developments
1937
81.84
General Correspondence
1933-1938
81.85
J.R. Beck
1936
81.86
H.K. Benson
1937
81.87
"Preliminary Study for Proposed Bonneville Industries"
undated
81.88
A.G.B. Bouquet
1937
81.89
W.D. Bristol
1937
81.90
L.R. Breithaupt, Extension Agricultural Economist
1935-1938
81.91
Gordon G. Brown, Hood River Experiment Station
1935
81.92
W.S. Brown
1936-1937
81.93
Paul Carpenter
1936-1937
82.93
Paul Carpenter (continued)
1936
82.94
R.L. Clark, Bodine and Clark Commission Company
1936
82.95
Berkeley Davis
1937
82.96
William Einzig, Great Western Malting Company Inc.
1938
82.97
A.E. Engbretson
1936-1938
82.98
Eric Englund
1936-1937
82.99
A.C. Forrester, Industrial Distilleries
1935-1937
82.100
Dan D. Freeman, Oregon Manufacturer's Association
1936
82.101
O.G. Hughson
1935-1936
82.102
G.R. Hyslop
1936-1938
82.103
E.R. Jackman, Oregon State College
1937-1938
82.104
Arthur S. King
1937
82.105
George M. Knox, Hood River County Assessor
1937
82.106
L.L. Laws
1940
82.107
Earl G. Mason
1937
82.108
Victor P. Morris
1937
82.109
Harry L. Riches, Marion County Agent
1936
82.110
J. L. Taylor, Vale Chamber of Commerce
1937-1938
82.111
I. H. Vanwinkle, Attorney General
1938
82.112
E.H. Wiegand
1936-1937
82.113
Walter C. Winslow
1938
Reel
180
American Association of University Women
1922-1927
Box
1
Emergency Board Request for Extension Service & Experiment Station
1930
1
Statement of Services Lost to the Institution & State for the Year 1931-32
December 1931

Series II:  Correspondence, 1907-1935Return to Top

Series II includes correspondence relating to the management and operation of Oregon Agricultural College. The series contains correspondence between William Jasper Kerr, OAC faculty, the Association of American Universities, students, figures associated with the institution, and the general public. Topics include equipment and materials for college use, reports from faculty members, the donation of a McCormick Reaper replica, legislation impacting OAC, Extension Service programming, faculty appointments, and budget matters.

Container(s) Description Dates
Reel
82
Microfilmed Correspondence
1907-1929
Box
1
Original Correspondence
1907
1
Original Correspondence
1930-1935

Series III:  Clippings, 1908-1935Return to Top

Series III is comprised of newspaper clippings relating to Oregon Agricultural College. Subjects include state educational funding, college attendance, faculty activities and research, development of the campus, and OAC's curricular offerings. The series contains both photocopies and a selection of original clippings.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box
1
General
1908-1909
1
General
1910
1
General
1911
1
General
1912
1
General
1913
1
General
1932
1
General
1935
1
General
undated
5
Selected originals of newspaper clippings
1909-1932

Series IV:  Oregon State Board of Higher Curricula, 1925-1941Return to Top

Series IV contains official reports and statements made by Oregon Agricultural College to the Oregon State Board of Higher Curricula between 1925 and 1941. The series also contains an outline of a plan for dividing programmatic efforts between the University of Oregon and OAC.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box
1
Brief, Oregon State Agricultural College to the Oregon State Board of Higher Curricula
May 18, 1925
1
Outline of a Suggested Division of Work Between University of Oregon and Oregon State Agricultural College
June 5, 1925
1
Report to the Board of Higher Curricula
April 27, 1928
1
"Statement of Oregon State Agricultural College to the State Board of Higher Curricula"
May 2, 1928
1
"Statements by Representatives of Oregon State College Before Curricula Committee of State Board of Higher Education"
December 8, 1941

Series V:  Resolutions Adopted by State Board of Higher Education, 1935Return to Top

Container(s): Reel 82

This series is comprised of a document entitled "Resolutions Adopted July 22, 1935, by the State Board of Higher Education Regarding Dr. Kerr, Retiring Chancellor."

Series VI:  Biography of William Jasper KerrReturn to Top

Container(s): Reel 82

This series is comprised of an excerpt from Edwin T. Reed's William Jasper Kerr, A Biography.

Series VII:  Publications, 1908-1964Return to Top

Series VII contains publications authored by William J. Kerr and members of Oregon Agricultural College between 1908 and 1964. Topics include the importance of Home Economics during wartime, the construction of the Memorial Union, higher education in Oregon, and the state of land grant institutions. The series also contains programs and materials from the dedication of the Kerr Library.

Container(s) Description Dates
reel-folder
82.1
OSC - Illustrated Booklets
1929-1930
82.2
Relations of Land-Grant Colleges to State University
1908
82.3
OAC - Sources of Income and Departments of Instruction
1908
82.4
National Education Association - Session at Harvard
1910
82.5
Some Land Grant College Problems
1910
82.6
Education and the World War
1917
82.7
The Spirit of the Land Grant Institution
Also in Box 1
1931
82.8
Recent Experiences - Centralized Control of Higher Education in Oregon
1933
82.9
Phi Kappa Phi Journal
1934
82.10
Oregon Problems in Marketing Agriculture and Industrial Products
Also in Box 1
1938
82.11
William Jasper Kerr - dedication of Library address
1964
82.12
Letter to State Board of Higher Education
1931
Box
1
Administrative Regulations
1921

Series VIII:  OSC - U of O Controversy, 1937Return to Top

Container(s): Reel 82

Series VIII is comprised of a memo drafted by Godfrey Vernon Cospon regarding the reorganization of Oregon Agricultural College and the University of Oregon and the ensuing controversy.

Series IX:  Reports to the Board of Regents, 1909-1929Return to Top

This series contains reports to the Board of Regents summarizing the state of Oregon Agricultural College between 1909 and 1914. The series also contains a report for 1929.

Container(s) Description Dates
Reel
82
Reports
1909-1914
Box
1
Report
1929

Series X:  Reorganization, 1931-1932Return to Top

This series is comprised of materials relating to the reorganization of Oregon Agricultural College and the University of Oregon in 1931-1932. The contents of this series relate to the reassignment of subject specialities, programs, faculty, and funding between the two universities.

Container(s) Description Dates
reel-folder
82.1
Agriculture
82.2
Architecture - Landscape
82.3
Art
82.4
Brief - Educational Survey
82.5
Budgetary Material
Also found in Box 5
83.5
Budgetary Material (continued)
83.6
Building Projects - Self-financing
83.7
Commerce
83.8
Cost data
83.9a
Curricula
83.9b
Curricula Committee
83.10a
Dormitories
83.10b
Director of Dormitories
83.11
Education
83.12
Enrollment
83.13
Extension - Radio, Summer School, Research
83.14
Extra Compensation for Staff Members
83.15
Field of Higher Education Developed in Oregon
83.16
Graduate Work
83.17
High School Relations
83.18
Home Economics
83.19
Journalism and News Service
83.20
Library
83.21
Lower Division
83.22
Military
83.23
Miscellaneous
83.24
Mines
83.25
Music
83.26
Normal Schools
83.27
Personnel (Deans and Directors) and Location of School
83.28
Pharmacy
83.29
Physical Education
83.30
Press Bureau and Editor's Office
83.31
Public Speaking
Reports - General
reel-folder
83.32a
Budgetary and Financial
83.32b
Attitudes of University People
83.32c
Executive Secretary's Prerogatives and Authority
83.32d
Methods of Procedure
83.32e
Miscellaneous
reel-folder
83.33
Research
83.34
Rural Organization - College, University
83.35a
Salary Analysis and Personnel
83.35b
Salary Cuts
83.36
Science
83.37
Social Science
83.38
Student Welfare - Housing, Deferred Pledging
83.39
U of O
Box
2
Brief, Oregon State Agricultural College to the Oregon State Board of Higher Education Regarding the Survey of Oregon State Institutions of Higher Learning
April 18, 1931
2
Supplementary Brief, Oregon State Agricultural College to the State Board of Higher Education, In Reply to the Twelve Briefs of the University of Oregon Dated April 20, 1931
April 27, 1931
2
Second Supplementary Brief, Oregon State Agricultural College to the State Board of Higher Education, In Reply to the Eleven Resolutions Proposed by the University of Oregon, May 1, 1931
May 13, 1931
2
Joint Statement to the State Board of Higher Education Submitted by the Presidents of the State University and the State College
May 27, 1931
2
Reply to Dean Faville's Brief on the Commerce School Problem from Oregon State Agricultural College to Oregon State Board of Higher Education
27 May 1931
2
Survey of Public Higher Education in Oregon
1931
2
Course Changes Proposed for 1931/32 Catalog
1931
2
Survey Commission Records
1931-1932
2
Survey Commission Records
undated
2
"A Study of Facts and Figures Bearing on Music"
1932
2
"Basic Data Showing Existing Conditions in the Science Departments of Oregon State College"
1932
5
Science Departments, Oregon State College, Cost of Instruction per Course and by Departments
1931-1932
5
Report to the Oregon State Board of Higher Education Curricula Committee on Vocational Education and Teacher Training
February 1932

Series XI:  College Surveys, 1928-1930Return to Top

This series is comprised of four bound volumes relating to surveys of land grant institutions conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Education. It includes one volume of completed portions of the survey for Oregon Agricultural College, one volume providing a detailed report of the state of higher education in Oregon, and two volumes of results of the survey from other institutions across the United States.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box
3
Oregon State College to U.S. Bureau of Education: Land-Grant College Survey.
1928
3
Survey of Oregon State Institutions of Higher Learning as Made by the United State Office of Education, Department of the Interior.
1930
4
Survey of Land-Grant Colleges and Universities, U.S. Department of the Interior Bulletin. Volume 1.
1930
4
Survey of Land-Grant Colleges and Universities, U.S. Department of the Interior Bulletin. Volume 2.
1930

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • College presidents--Oregon--Corvallis.
  • Education, Higher--Oregon.
  • Universities and colleges--Curricula--Oregon--Corvallis.
  • Universities and colleges--Law and legislation--Oregon.

Corporate Names

  • Association of American Universities.
  • Oregon Agricultural College.
  • Oregon State Agricultural College.
  • Oregon State Board of Higher Curricula.
  • Oregon State System of Higher Education.
  • University of Oregon.

Other Creators

  • Personal Names
    • Kerr, William Jasper, 1863-1947. (creator)
    • Reed, Edwin Thomas, 1872-1948. (creator)
    Corporate Names
    • Oregon State Agricultural College. Board of Regents. (creator)
    • Oregon State College. Office of the President. (creator)
    • United States. Bureau of Education. (creator)