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Thomas Lindsey Blayney papers

 Collection
Identifier: MS 0064
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

The Thomas Lindsey Blayney Papers, dating from 1893 to 2004, include an autobiographical letter written by Blayney to his sons, from which much information may be obtained about Blayney’s academic and community activities and his military service during World War I. Of special interest also are photographs of Blayney during his service in World War I, the Croix de Guerre medal awarded to him by the French, and the numerous newspaper clippings concerning his academic activities as a faculty member at the Rice Institute (1912-1924) and his role in the expanding cultural life of Houston during this period.

Dates

  • 1893 - 2004

Creator

Access Restrictions

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

Restrictions on Use

Permission to publish material from the Blayney papers must be obtained from the Woodson Research Center.

Biographical Note

Thomas Lindsey Blayney was born in Lebanon, Kentucky, on December 3, 1874. He spent his early childhood in Albany, New York, and after the death of his mother in 1881 moved with his father and younger brother to Frankfort, Kentucky, where his father served as a Presbyterian minister. Blayney graduated from Centre College in Danville, Kentucky, in 1894, and went on to Europe for graduate studies, where he studied philology and comparative literature at Heidelberg University and received M.A. and Ph.D. degrees with honor in 1904.

In 1912 he became one of the founding faculty members of the newly-established Rice Institute in Houston, Texas (later Rice University). During his twelve years on the faculty there (1912-1924), Blayney was also much involved in the expanding civic and cultural life of Houston, particularly in the establishment of what was to become Houston’s Museum of Fine Arts, and in activities as a participant and lecturer in various community organizations. He was among the first faculty members at Rice to volunteer for military service during World War I and served from 1917 to 1919, during which time he was awarded the French Croix de Guerre among other honors. He returned to Rice after the war but left in 1924 to become president of Texas State Women’s College.

In 1926 he went on to become dean of Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, serving in this capacity until his retirement in 1946. His first wife, Gertrude South Blayney, died in 1945; they had two sons, James M. Blayney and Lindsey Blayney, Jr. He later married Ida Walz, and after his retirement moved to Marine-on-St.-Croix, Minnesota, where he died March 13, 1971.

Extent

17 Linear Feet (23 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Papers of Thomas Lindsey Blayney, a founding member of the faculty of Rice Institute (now University) and Professor of German there from 1912- 1924; materials include records of his military service during World War I (1917-1919), and later appointments as president of Texas State Women’s College (1924-26) and dean of Carleton College (1926-46); also included are family memoirs, correspondence, photographs, news clippings, and memorabilia.

Acquisition Information

The Thomas Lindsey Blayney Papers were a gift from David Blayney, received February 6 and March 30, 2004. Deanna Costanzo made a subsequent gift received in June 2009.

Related Material

See also other early Rice Institute material, including the campus newspaper and yearbook (the Rice Thresher and Rice Campanile, respectively), photographs, and alumni scrapbooks.

General

Portions of this collection are available online at: https://scholarship.rice.edu/handle/1911/26634

Subjects

Record Groups

Related Names

Creator

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
Guide to the Thomas Lindsey Blayney papers, 1893-2004
Status
Completed
Author
Joan Ferry
Date
2004
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