Overview
The collection documents the work of Professor Nathan Isaacs while teaching business law at the University of Cincinnati and Harvard Business School. The collection contains speeches, writings, correspondence, research notes and course materials.
Dates
- Creation: 1915-1941
Creator
- Isaacs, Nathan (1886-1941) (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research. Some materials may be stored offsite; access requires advance notice. HBS Archives collections require a secondary registration form, please contact specialcollectionsref@hbs.edu for more information. Access may be restricted. Details at the repository.
Extent
2.25 linear feet (5 boxes, 1 oversize folder, and 2 volumes)The papers of Nathan Isaacs (1886-1941) document his teaching career at the University of Cincinnati and Harvard Business School. The collection consists of course materials, articles, speeches, teaching notes, research notes, manuscripts and related ephemera.
Of particular note is a brief history of Business Law courses taught by Isaacs at HBS; records related to Business Law courses taught at the Yale-HBS degree program during the late 1930s; and typescripts, articles and speeches regarding contemporary legal and economic issues.
Biographical Note:
Professor Nathan Isaacs was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1886, one of eight sons of Abraham and Rachel Isaacs. He was a graduate of the University of Cincinnati (BA, 1907; MA, 1908; Ph.D., 1910) and Cincinnati Law School (1910). He became Professor of Law (1912-1918) at the University of Cincinnati and also served as Assistant Dean (1916-1918).
Professor Isaacs served as Captain of Military Intelligence during World War I. Soon after the war ended he joined Harvard University as an Ezra Ripley Thayer Teaching Fellow (1919-1920). He taught law at the University of Pittsburgh (1920-1923) and later joined Harvard Business School as Lecturer of Business Law (1923-1924) and Professor of Business Law (1924-1941). He was also a member of the faculty of the Harvard University Graduate School of Public Administration (1936-1941).
In addition to teaching, he was active in religious and civic organizations. He was appointed a director of Gimbel Bros., a department store in New York City (1933) and was elected member of the Advisory Council of the American Arbitration Association (1931). Professor Isaacs was married to Ella Davis and had one daughter. He died December 18, 1941.
Series Outline
The collection is arranged in the following series:
- Series I. Correspondence and Subject Files, 1915-1940
- Series II. Teaching Material, 1922-1941
- Series III. Articles and Speeches, 1917-1941
- Series IV. Biographical Information, 1924-1941
Physical Location
ARCFA
Provenance:
Gift of Mrs. Nathan Isaacs, May 1970; additions gift of Paul Wotitzky, May 2008
Processing Information
Processed: May 1994 by Carole Foster
Reboxed and re-foldered: September 2007 by Dominique Tremblay
Finding aid revised: June 2008 by Rachel Wise
Creator
- Isaacs, Nathan (1886-1941) (Person)
- Title
- Isaacs, Nathan, 1886-1941. Nathan Isaacs Papers, 1915-1941: A Finding Aid
- Author
- Baker Library
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- bak00049
Repository Details
Part of the Baker Library Special Collections and Archives, Harvard Business School Repository
Baker Library Special Collections and Archives holds unique resources that focus on the evolution of business and industry, as well as the records of the Harvard Business School, documenting the institution's development over the last century. These rich and varied collections support research in a diverse range of fields such as business, economic, social and cultural history as well as the history of science and technology.
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