Overview
Robert Lee Wolff (1915-1980) studied and taught History at Harvard from 1932 to 1980. He became an assistant professor at Harvard in 1950, full professor in 1955, and Coolidge Professor of History in 1965. Wolff studied and taught Byzantine and Balkan history. He also collected 19th century British novels and taught English courses on Victorian literature. The Papers of Robert Lee Wolff document Wolff’s student work, research, teaching, and administrative responsibilities at Harvard. The collection includes correspondence, lectures, notes, writings, teaching materials, and student work.
Dates
- Creation: 1932 - 1992
Researcher Access
Open for research with the following exceptions: Harvard University records are restricted for 50 years. Personnel and student records are closed for 80 years. Specific restrictions are noted at the series level. Requires review by archivist.
Extent
10.75 cubic feet (29 document boxes and 4 half document boxes)The Papers of Robert Lee Wolff document Wolff’s work as a student and faculty member at Harvard from 1932 to 1980 and include some materials from after his death until 1992. The collection contains correspondence, student work, teaching materials, and lectures and writings. Professional correspondence includes correspondence with colleagues, students, university administrators, and others. Includes correspondence relating to Wolff’s research on Eastern Europe and the Balkans, research on 19th century British literature, and Wolff’s extensive collection of Victorian novels. Also includes correspondence, reports, and meeting minutes relating to various Harvard committees and unrest at Harvard in the 1960s, including topics such as the Vietnam War, the occupation of University Hall in 1969, and the Harvard-Radcliffe merger in 1969-1970. Correspondence also relates to Senator Joseph McCarthy and relations between the Soviet Union and the West. The collection also contains lecture and reading notes, correspondence, papers, and exams for courses Wolff took as an undergraduate and graduate student at Harvard, as well as teaching materials for courses he taught as a teaching assistant while a graduate student. Teaching materials from Wolff’s time as a Harvard faculty member include lectures, notes, exams, and student papers for English, History, and Social Sciences courses that Wolff taught. Other materials include writings, talks, reviews, and editorial opinions, as well as newspaper clippings, grant applications, and letters of recommendation.
Biographical Note on Robert Lee Wolff
Robert Lee Wolff, Coolidge Professor of History at Harvard University, was born in New York City on December 22, 1915 and died in Cambridge, Massachusetts on November 11, 1980. He received from Harvard his A.B., summa cum laude, in 1936, his A.M. in 1937, and Ph.D. in 1947. From 1947 to 1949, he was Assistant Professor and Associate Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin. Wolff returned to Harvard as Associate Professor of History in 1950. He became full Professor in 1955, and Coolidge Professor of History in 1965. Wolff was the Harvard Lecturer at Yale University in 1961, and he taught at Geneva's École Universitaire des Hautes Études Internationales in 1957. From 1960 to 1963, Wolff was Chair of the History Department at Harvard.
Wolff was an established authority on Byzantine and Balkan history. During World War II, he served as assistant to the director of the Balkan section of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). Wolff was also an authority on important aspects of 19th century society and letters in Great Britain. He was an avid collector of first edition 19th century British and Irish novels, amassing over 18,000 volumes of Victorian fiction. Wolff was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Historical Association, the Medieval Academy, the American Philosophical Society, the Somerset Club, the Tavern Club of Boston, the Club of Odd Volumes, and the Knickerbocker Club of New York.
Wolff's major publications include: The Balkans in Our Time (1956; revised, 2nd ed. 1974); Studies in the Latin Empire of Constantinople (1976); A History of Civilization, with Crane Brinton and John B. Christopher, (1955, and later editions); History of the Crusades (1962; 2nd ed. 1969); The Golden Key (1961); Strange Stories (1971); Gains and Losses: Novels of Faith and Doubt in Victorian England (1977); Sensational Victorian: the Life and Fiction of Mary Elizabeth Braddon (1979); and William Carlton, Irish Peasant Novelist: A Preface to His Fiction (1980).
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in 9 series. The collection follows the arrangement of call numbers given to series upon receipt at the Harvard University Archives.
- Correspondence and other papers, 1938-1983 (HUGFP 108.8)
- Notes, correspondence, and other papers as a student, circa 1932-1948 (HUGFP 108.40)
- Student notebooks and exams, 1932-1948 (HUGFP 108.42)
- Lectures and other papers relating to English and History courses, circa 1947-1981 (HUGFP 108.60)
- Research notes and manuscripts of lectures and papers presented, circa 1941-1960 (HUGFP 108.65)
- Biographical materials, 1947-1992 and undated (HUGFP 108.70)
- Correspondence files, 1956-1992 (HUGFP 108.70)
- Talks and lectures, 1948, 1973, and undated (HUGFP 108.70)
- Writings, 1939-1957 and undated (HUGFP 108.70)
Acquisition
Received in several accessions. Specific acquisition information is noted at the series level.
- Gift of Mrs. Robert Lee Wolff [Mary Andrews Wolff], received 1983-01-10, accession 9680.
- Gift of Mrs. Robert Lee Wolff [Mary Andrews Wolff], received 1983-04-25, accession 9709.
- Gift of Mrs. Robert Lee Wolff [Mary Andrews Wolff], received 1988-11-30, accession 11579.
- Gift of Mrs. Robert Lee Wolff [Mary Andrews Wolff], received 1990-12-27, accession 12109.
- Gift of Mrs. Robert Lee Wolff [Mary Andrews Wolff], received 1995-05-22, accession 13086.
Inventory update
This document last updated 2022 May 02.
Processing Information
The finding aid was created by Erin Clauss in May 2021. Information in this finding aid was assembled from legacy inventories and container management data. Titles are transcribed, except those in square brackets. The collection was not re-examined.
Duplicate reprints and off prints, book catalogs, royalty statements, and reprints written by colleagues and used as reference materials were weeded and discarded from accession 13086 in September 2005.
- Title
- Wolff, Robert Lee. Papers of Robert Lee Wolff, 1932-1992 : an inventory
- Description rules
- dacs
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- hua41021
Repository Details
Part of the Harvard University Archives Repository
Holding nearly four centuries of materials, the Harvard University Archives is the principal repository for the institutional records of Harvard University and the personal archives of Harvard faculty, as well as collections related to students, alumni, Harvard-affiliates and other associated topics. The collections document the intellectual, cultural, administrative and social life of Harvard and the influence of the University as it emerged across the globe.
Pusey Library
Harvard Yard
Cambridge MA 02138 USA
(617) 495-2461
archives_reference@harvard.edu