barrett.xml Finding Aid for the Edward C. Barrett Collection on Early Caltech History 1891-1950 Barrett (Edward C.) Processed by Caltech Archives Staff. Caltech Archives
Archives California Institute of Technology 1200 East California Blvd. Mail Code 015A-74 Pasadena, CA 91125 Phone: (626) 395-2704 Fax: (626) 793-8756 Email: archives@caltech.edu URL: http://archives.caltech.edu/
©2007

California Institute of Technology. All rights reserved.

 Machine-readable finding aid derived from ColdFusion web application and SQLServer relational database. Date of source: Revised November 2007. Finding aid written in: English. Finding aid prepared using Finding aid prepared using: "Describing Archives: a Content Standard." Descriptive Summary Edward C. Barrett Collection on Early Caltech History, 1891-1950 10036-MS Barrett, Edward C. 1880-1952 1 linear foot California Institute of Technology. Caltech Archives
Pasadena, California 91125
Edward Cecil "Ned" Barrett was for many years the only business officer of the California Institute of Technology and of its forerunner institution, Throop University/Polytechnic Institute. The collection contains historical and administrative documents relating to the early years of Caltech and Throop, as well as correspondence of Caltech's founders and early leaders, including A. A. Noyes, James A. B. Scherer, Arthur Fleming, George Ellery Hale, and Robert A. Millikan. Archives, California Institute of Technology. English Access

The collection is open for research. Researchers must apply in writing for access.

 Publication Rights

Copyright may not have been assigned to the California Institute of Technology Archives. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Caltech Archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the California Institute of Technology Archives as the owner of the physical items and, unless explicitly stated otherwise, is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.

 Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Edward C. Barrett Collection on Early Caltech History, 10036-MS, Caltech Archives, California Institute of Technology.

 Acquisition Information

The Edward C. Barrett collection was preserved in the Caltech president's office until 1967, when the material was transferred to the Millikan Library. In 1968 the papers were turned over to the newly created Institute Archives.

 Biography

Edward Cecil "Ned" Barrett was born March 20, 1880, in Springfield, Massachusetts. As a boy, he moved with his family to Iowa, where he attended the University of Iowa, receiving a bachelor's degree in 1906. In 1911 he began his long tenure at Caltech--then still Throop Polytechnic--as business agent and secretary to the Board of Trustees. He became assistant treasurer to the Board in 1912 and was appointed lecturer in business law in 1914. He was secretary of the Executive Council during the whole period of that body's existence under the leadership of Robert A. Millikan, from 1921 to 1945. In 1934 Barrett was named comptroller of the Institute.

Barrett died in Pasadena on February 23, 1952.

 Scope and Content

The Barrett collection was revisited in 2007, at which time it was decided not to disturb the original arrangement of the papers, which dates back to circa 1970. Despite Barrett's long tenure at Caltech--41 years--the collection is small. There are three short series. The first contains an assortment of files pertaining to the business matters of the Institute, as well as some notes by Barrett himself about the history of Caltech, which he planned to write. The second series consists of correspondence pertaining to the founders and early leaders of Caltech, namely George Ellery Hale, Arthur Amos Noyes, Robert A. Millikan, Arthur Fleming, Henry M. Robinson, James A. B. Scherer, and a number of early trustees, donors, and faculty members. There is overlap between the two series, in that correspondence is interfiled among administrative papers in the first series. The third series represents a small miscellany pertaining to the history, governance, and early finances of Caltech.

The collection is organized into the following series: Series 1. Historical and Administrative Papers Series 2. Correspondence Series 3. Miscellaneous Papers

Related Material

Related collections in the Caltech Archives with important material on the early history of Caltech are: the James A. B. Scherer Papers, the George Ellery Hale Papers, and the Robert A. Millikan Papers.

 Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects California Institute of Technology--History Container List Series 1. Historical and Administrative Papers 1 1 Writings and notes on the history of Caltech undated 127 pages. 1 2 Writings and notes on the history of Caltech: Notes on J. A. B. Scherer correspondence undated 83 pages.

Includes some shorthand notes.

 1 2.1 Throop University: Articles of incorporation 19 Sep 1891 Three copies. 1 3 Throop Polytechnic Institute: Subscription papers 1894-1898, undated 26 items. 1 4 Throop Polytechnic Institute: Subscription papers 1908-1910, undated 6 items. 1 5 Throop Polytechnic Institute: Financial records 1908-1920 28 items. 1 6 Administrative documents, folder 1 Resolutions of Executive Committee 1904 James A. B. Scherer to Wallace Buttrick 1909 Arthur H. Fleming to Board of Trustees, Throop Polytechnic Institute 1909 Edward C. Barrett to James A. B. Scherer 1914-1915 C. J. Willett to Edward C. Barrett 1915 Cornell University undated Harvard University to Edward C. Barrett 1916 Stanford University to Edward C. Barrett 1916 Columbia University to Edward C. Barrett 1916 University of California, Berkeley, to Edward C. Barrett 1916 Arthur A. Noyes to Edward C. Barrett 1916 Norman Bridge to Edward C. Barrett 1916 George S. Patton to Edward C. Barrett 1916 Finance Committee 1917 Board of Trustees 1917, ca. 1920 T. W. Haymond to Edward C. Barrett 1917 Faculty Tea 1918 Edward C. Barrett to Arthur H. Fleming 1919 22 items. 1 7 Administrative documents, folder 2 Plan for the Development of Throop College into the California Institute of Science and Engineering 1920 James A. B. Scherer to Arthur H. Fleming 1920 Faculty Administrative Committee 1920-1921 Report of the Administrative Committee of the Faculty 1921 Report of Direction, Aims, Accomplishments, Needs and Financial Condition 1923 Report of the Committee on Student Health 1923 Report: Robert A. Millikan to Board of Trustees 1923 William Lacey to Frederic Hinrichs 1923 Executive Council 1924 V. Kalichevsky and B. Golikoff to James A. B. Scherer 1924 Report: Robert A. Millikan 1924 Pledge: Arthur H. Fleming and Henry M. Robinson 1925, 1927-1929 Board of Trustees minutes 1926 H. W. O'Melveny to Edward C. Barrett 1926 Henry M. Robinson to Edward C. Barrett 1926 Edward C. Barrett to Arthur H. Fleming 1926 Henry M. Robinson to George E. Farrand undated Edward C. Barrett to Henry M. Robinson 1926 Synopses of Trust Agreements and Annuity Agreements 1927 Summaries of Agreements with Respect to Funds [1927?] George E. Farrand to Edward C. Barrett 1927 Board of Trustees announcement 1927 General Education Board to Robert A. Millikan 1927 Robert A. Millikan to Allan C. Balch 1927 Edward C. Barrett to Executive Council 1928 William R. Smythe to Executive Council 1930 Athenaeum: Constitution and By-Laws undated 58 items. 1 8 Administrative documents, folder 3 Robert R. Blacker to Institute 1929 Edward C. Barrett to Allan C. Balch 1929 Memorandum for Finance Committee 1930, 1934 Board of Trustees minutes 1930 Arthur H. Fleming to E. F. Duke 1931 Henry M. Robinson to Edward C. Barrett 1931 Crellin annuity 1931 H. W. O'Melveny to Edward C. Barrett 1931 Executive Council minutes 1931, 1934 E. F. Duke to Finance Committee 1931 Memorandum regarding Student Houses 1932 R. L. Daugherty to Board of Trustees 1932 Harvey S. Mudd to Robert A. Millikan 1932 George Ellery Hale and others to Allan C. Balch 1933 Edward C. Barrett to Trustees 1933 Edward C. Barrett to Robert A. Millikan 1933 William W. Clary to Edward C. Barrett 1934 Harry Chandler to Edward C. Barrett 1933-1934 Edward C. Barrett to Harry Chandler 1934 Henry M. Robinson to George Ellery Hale 1934 Frederic C. Walcott to Henry M. Robinson 1934 Charles J. Dunn to William B. Munro 1943 William B. Munro to Charles J. Dunn 1943 49 items. 1 9 Report of the Chairman of the Executive Council (Robert A. Millikan) 1922 3 items. 2 1 Norman Bridge Laboratory BSS to Mr. Mayers 1920 William C. Crowell to Board of Trustees 1920 Arthur H. Fleming to Walter Lloyd Smith 1920 George E. Hale to Arthur H. Fleming 1920 Announcement of the dedication of the building 1922 Expression of Appreciation to Norman Bridge 1922 Expression of Appreciation to Mrs. Norman Bridge 1925 Robert A. Millikan to Henry W. O'Melveny 1926 Edward C. Barrett to Arthur H. Fleming 1932 13 items. 2 2 Fleming Trust 1920, 1922-1923, 1935, undated 18 items. 2 3 Faculty Robert A. Millikan to J. P. Buwalda 1925 Chester Stock to Robert A. Millikan 1925 Robert A. Millikan to Chester Stock 1925 Arthur A. Noyes to Edward C. Barrett 1928 Clinton Judy to Edward C. Barrett 1929 Thomas Hunt Morgan to Arthur A. Noyes 1930 Royal Sorensen to Executive Council 1931 Charles Palache to Ian Campbell 1934 8 items. 2 4 Student Affairs Harvard University 1928 Occidental College 1928 Pomona College 1928 Princeton University 1928 University of Redlands 1928 University of Southern California 1928 Yale University 1928 Tuition increase 1930 Minutes of a Meeting of the House Presidents 1931 Report of the Committee on Campus Life and Interests 1934 Regulations in Regard to Fellowships and Graduate Scholarships 1934-1935 15 items. 2 5 Miscellaneous 1915, 1918, 1949, undated 8 items. Series 2. Correspondence 2 6 George Ellery Hale Edward C. Barrett to Hale 1920-1921 Agence de Librairie et de Publications to Hale [1920?] Hale to Edward C. Barrett 1920-1921 Robert A. Millikan to Hale 1920 Hale to Arthur H. Fleming 1920-1921 A. O. Leuschner to Hale 1920 Monroe E. Deutsch to Hale 1920 Hale to Arthur A. Noyes 1921 Arthur H. Fleming to Hale 1921 Arthur A. Noyes to Hale 1921 Hale and Arthur A. Noyes to Edward C. Barrett 1921 65 items. 2 7 Arthur A. Noyes Noyes to Edward C. Barrett 1929-1932, undated Edward C. Barrett to Noyes 1929, 1931-1932 Linus Pauling to Edward C. Barrett 1929 Noyes to Mrs. Edward C. Barrett 1930 Noyes to Mrs. Herman E. Dolk 1932 68 items. 2 8 James A. B. Scherer, folder 1 Edward C. Barrett to Scherer 1911, 1917 Arthur H. Fleming to Scherer 1911 Henry M. Robinson to Scherer 1911, 1913 Henry M. Robinson to Throop Polytechnic Institute 1912 Scherer to Henry M. Robinson 1912-1913 Nellie C. [Mrs. Robert R.] Blacker to Scherer 1917 Scherer to Edward C. Barrett 1917 Norman Bridge to Edward C. Barrett 1917 Scherer to Seward C. Simons 1917 39 items. 2 9 James A. B. Scherer, folder 2 Edward C. Barrett to Scherer 1918 Walter H. Adams to Scherer 1918 Scherer to Edward C. Barrett 1918 Scherer to Arthur H. Fleming 1918 Clinton K. Judy to Scherer 1918 Edward C. Barrett to Chief of Air Service 1918 Edward C. Barrett to Arthur H. Fleming 1918 Edward C. Barrett to Adjutant General, War Department 1918 P. L. Campbell to Scherer 1918 Edward C. Barrett to P. L. Campbell 1918 George Ellery Hale to Scherer 1918 Students to Executive Committee of the Faculty 1918 Scherer to George Ellery Hale 1918 Robert A. W. Bultmann to H. C. Van Buskirk 1918 Joseph Maier and Frank Bridgeford to Frederick Beckman 1918 Munson J. Dowd to Frederick Beckman 1918 R. E. Hambrook to Frederick Beckman 1918 Munson J. Dowd to Professor Thomas 1918 R. I. Rees and others to Scherer 1918 Edward C. Barrett to War Department Committee on Education and Special Training 1918 Scherer [?] to Frederick Beckman 1918 Executive Committee Meeting minutes 1918 Oct 28 Inga Howard to Edward C. Barrett 1918 96 items. 2 10 James A. B. Scherer, folder 3 Inga Howard to Edward C. Barrett 1919 Edward C. Barrett to Scherer 1919 Inga Howard to Scherer undated Edward C. Barrett to James B. Pond 1919 Earnest C. Watson to Scherer 1919 Edward C. Barrett to Dr. Eyting 1919 Glen Levin Swiggett to Scherer 1919 32 items. 2 11 Miscellaneous correspondence Edward C. Barrett to Henry M. Robinson 1920 M. H. Sherman to Harry Chandler 1920 Harry Chandler to Arthur H. Fleming 1920 Henry M. Robinson to Arthur H. Fleming 1921 H. H. G. Nash to Edward C. Barrett 1939 5 items. Series 3. Miscellaneous Papers 2 12 Engineering and Science 1950 Jan 2 13 Budget reports 1919-1924 2 14 Endowment funds 1918-1948 2 15 Papers of historical value various