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Stockton Axson papers

 Collection
Identifier: MS 0338
Finding aid note: Stored off-site at the Library Service Center. Please request this material via woodson@rice.edu or call 713-348-2586.

Scope and Contents

This collection contains the correspondence and other material of Stockton Axson, first head of the Rice English department and one of its most famous lecturers and teachers. The collection includes photographs, newspaper clippings, letters to family, telegrams, unpublished manuscripts, and a scrapbook.

Dates

  • 1912 - 1935

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Stored off-site at the Library Service Center. Please request this material via woodson@rice.edu or call 713-348-2586.

Access Restrictions

This material is open for research.

Restrictions on Use

Permission to publish material from the Stockton Axson papers must be obtained from the Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library.

Biographical Note

Dr. Stockton Axson, the son of Presbyterian Minister Samuel Edward and Margaret (Hoyt) Axson, was born in Rome, Georgia, on June 6, 1867. He attended Wesleyan University where he received a B.A. (1890), an M.A. (1892), and an LHD (1914). He also attended Johns Hopkins University and Knox College before becoming a teacher of English at the University of Vermont in 1892. He was staff lecturer for the American Society for University Extension from 1894 to 1896, taught at Adelphi College in Brooklyn from 1896 to 1899, and from 1899 to 1914 was professor of English at Princeton University.

In 1914, Axson moved to Texas to teach at the Rice Institute (now Rice University). He was made head of the English department and became a recognized authority on Shakespeare. During his career he published numerous lectures and reviews. He also took an interest in government affairs through the influence of his brother-in-law and personal friend President Woodrow Wilson. From 1917 to 1919, Axson served as national secretary of the American Red Cross and was very involved in national politics through President Wilson. He returned to Rice at the end of World War I and continued to teach there until his death on February 26, 1935.

During his time at Rice, Dr. Axson was a very prominent and respected member of the Houston community. He quickly became one of the most famous lecturers and teachers at the university. After his death, a memorial fund was established in his name and was used to purchase 2100 English plays written between 1700 and 1800, a fitting gift for a dedicated scholar of 17th and 18th century literature. Today the collection remains in the Woodson Research Center Special Collections and Archives in Fondren Library at Rice University.

Extent

1.5 Linear Feet (3 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract:

This collection contains the correspondence and other material of Dr. Stockton Axson, first head of the Rice English department and one of its most famous lecturers and teachers. Included are photographs, newspaper clippings, letters to family, telegrams, unpublished manuscripts, and a scrapbook.

Acquisition Information

This collection was a gift donated by Mr. and Mrs. Edward Elliott, sister (Margaret) of Stockton Axson.

Subjects

Record Groups

Related Names

Creator

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
Guide to the Stockton Axson papers, 1912-1935
Status
Completed
Date
2008
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the Woodson Research Center, Rice University, Houston, Texas Repository

https://library.rice.edu/woodson
Contact:
Fondren Library MS-44, Rice University
6100 Main St.
Houston Texas 77005 USA

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Harmful Content Statement
© 2023 Woodson Research Center
Fondren Library, Rice University
Physical Address: 6100 Main, Houston, Texas 77005-1827
Mailing Address: MS-44, P.O. Box 1892, Houston, Texas 77251-1892