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COLLECTION Identifier: HOLLIS 601619

Harvard Law School Chancery Club records

Overview

The records of the Chancery Club of Harvard Law School, including financial, administrative and membership documents.

Dates

  • Creation: 1926 - 1962

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Access to these papers is governed by the rules and regulations of the Harvard Law School Library. This collection is open to the public, but is housed off-site at Harvard Depository and requires 2 business-day advance notice for retrieval. Consult the Historical and Special Collections staff for further information.

Conditions Governing Use

The Harvard Law School Library holds copyright on some, but not all, of the material in our collections. Requests for permission to publish material from this collection should be directed to the Historical and Special Collections staff. Researchers who obtain permission to publish from the Harvard Law School Library are also responsible for identifying and contacting the persons or organizations who hold copyright.

Extent

2.5 linear feet (6 boxes)

The Chancery Club Records, 1926-1962, contain financial, administrative and membership documents for the club, the bulk of which are from 1950-1960. Also included are documents pertaining to the purchase of 9 Chauncy St, which became the home of the Chancery Club in 1959. The collection includes ledgers, correspondence, meeting minutes, and a few photographs.

Historical/Biographical Information

"Organized informally before the First World War, The Chancery Club was chartered in 1926 under the corporation laws of Massachusetts. Its purposes, as set forth in the By-laws, are to "provide and maintain Club facilities for its members and their guests, to promote social contact and professional association, and to further the study of Jurisprudence among the members of the Harvard Law School."

The Chancery Club House served as the club's social center as well as providing housing for eighteen members. Informal dances, faculty smokers, beer and cocktail parties, and bi-weekly bridge tournaments were among some of the activities held by the club.

"Chancery has a membership of about 160 men and has grown into a sizable business enterprise run efficiently through an extensive committee system under the supervision of a Board of Governors. Such committees as Social, Membership, New-Member, Athletic, and Finance furnish a basis for wide membership participation in Club administration."

This information is taken from an overview submitted by the club for inclusion in the 1949 Harvard Law School Yearbook. The full entry can be be found on page 148 of the yearbook.

Series List/Description

  1. Series I. Financial Records, 1950-1962.

    Bank statements, accounting books,dues information; arranged chronologically.

  2. Series II. Administrative Records, 1948-1961. Minutes and memorandum; arranged chronologically.
  3. ___ Subseries A. Purchase of 9 Chauncy St., 1957-1959. Correspondence, plans, specifications; arranged chronologically.
  4. Series III. Membership Records, 1926-1962.

    Correspondence, membership books; arranged chronologically.

  5. Series IV. Chancery Club Files, 1948-1949.

    The series existed as a discreetseries in a file box. The box was labelled 1948-1949, though thedocuments within the box spanned a wider time period (1926 - 1950).This series appears to respresent the business dealing of the clubfor one academic year. The original folders were kept, and are filed behind the new archival folders. The original order of the folders was maintained.

Physical Location

Harvard Depository

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Consult Curator of Modern Manuscripts.

Processing Information

Processed by Meenchul Kim and Margaret Peachy, April 2010

Title
Harvard Law School. Chancery Club Records, 1926-1962: Finding Aid
Author
Harvard Law School Library, Cambridge, MA 02138
Language of description
und
EAD ID
law00234

Repository Details

Part of the Harvard Law School Library, Historical & Special Collections Repository

Harvard Law School Library's Historical & Special Collections (HSC) collects, preserves, and makes available research materials for the study of the law and legal history. HSC holds over 8,000 linear feet of manuscripts, over 100,000 rare books, and more than 70,000 visual images.

Contact:
1545 Massachusetts Avenue
Langdell Hall
Cambridge MA 02138 USA
(617) 495-4550