Preferred Citation

[Description and dates], Box/folder number, [22/6F/204 or 22/6F/358], Selig Adler Papers, 1928-1985, University Archives, The State University of New York at Buffalo.

See the Archives' preferred citations instructions for additional information.

Terms of Access and Use

The bulk of the Selig Adler Papers, 1928-1985, are open for research. Some material restricted; consult archivist.

Copyright

Copyright of papers in the collection may be held by their authors, or the authors' heirs or assigns. Researchers must obtain the written permission of the holder(s) of copyright and the University Archives before publishing quotations from materials in the collection. Most papers may be copied in accordance with the library's usual procedures unless otherwise specified.

Acquisition Information

The Selig Adler Papers consist of files located in 22/6F/204 and 22/6F/358. Materials in the collection were donated to the University Archives by Selig Adler on February 20, and May 14, 1969; August 18, 1971; April 20 and May 6, 1974; July 14-30, 1975; March 20, May 22 and June 24, July 22 and July 29, 1980, Additional materials donated by the Adler Estate, July 18, 1985. Related materials donated by Norma Segal, May 21-22, 1975; and Milton Plesur, December 11, 1984.

Processing Information

Collection processed by Archives staff, circa 1980

Finding aid revised by Archives staff in 1993.

Finding aid revised and encoded by Sheryl Saxby, June 2006.

1909	Born January 22 in Baltimore, Maryland
1927	Graduated from New Utrecht High School, Brooklyn, New York
1928	Entered College of Arts and Sciences, University of Buffalo
1931	B.A., summa cum laude, University of Buffalo
1932	M.A., University of Illinois
1934	Ph.D., University of Illinois
1934-1937	High School teacher, Buffalo (Grover Cleveland and Kensington)
1936	Married Janet Sukernek
1938-1947	Part-time instructor, University of Buffalo summer programs
1943-1944	Taught civilians and Air Force cadets at University of Buffalo
1947	Assistant Professor of History, University of Buffalo
1950	Associate Professor of History, University of Buffalo
1952	Full Professor of History, University of Buffalo
1952-1953	Visiting professor, University of Rochester
1952-1979	Appointed by Governor Dewey to Kosher Law Advisory Board
1957	Published The Isolationist Impulse: It's Twentieth-Century Reaction
1957-1963	Director, Master of Science in Social Studies program
1958-1980	Samuel P. Capen Professor of American History
1960	Published (with Thomas E. Connolly), From Ararat to Suburbia: A History of the Jewish Community of Buffalo
1961-1965	Chairman, Educational Policy and Planning Committee of Faculty Senate
1961-1965	Executive Committee, Arts and Sciences College
1961-1965	Vice President, University Senate
1962	Chairman, Faculty Committee on merger with State University of New York
1963	Chairman, Faculty Conference on merger with State University of New York
circa 1962-1969	State University of New York Faculty Senate and Faculty Senate Executive Committee
1965	The Uncertain Giant, 1921-1941: American Foreign Policy Between the Wars
1966	Chairman, History Department
1966-	Chairman, State Education Department College Proficiency Examination in American History Committee
circa 1968-1969	Visiting professor at Cornell
1974	State University of New York Faculty Exchange Scholar
1975	Distinguished Service professor
1980	Retired from University of Buffalo
1980-	Archivist, Jewish Federation of Greater Buffalo
?-1984	Archivist, Jewish Archives of Greater Buffalo at State University College at Buffalo
June 1984	Archives dedicated as Selig Adler Jewish Archives of Greater Buffalo
1984	Died, November 8, Buffalo

Series I. Biographical Materials

This series contains biographical information on Selig Adler as well as material regarding Adler's studies at the University of Buffalo (1928-1931), including notes on courses taught by Julius Pratt and Nathaniel Cantor. The series also includes material from Adler's graduate work at the University of Illinois (1931-1934), including notes on immigration history taught by Marcus Corson.

This series consists of five subseries: General Materials; University of Buffalo, 1928-1931; University of Buffalo, Department of History; University of Buffalo, General Files; and University of Illinois.

			Subseries A. General Materials
1.1				Adler biographical material, n.d.
1.2				Adler clipping file, 1959-1985
			Subseries B. University of Buffalo, 1928-1931
1.3				Exams and term papers, 1928-1931
1.4				Junior tutorial, circa 1929-1930
1.5				Julius Pratt's courses, 1929-1931
1.6				Pratt's "U.S. Since the Civil War," notes and papers, circa1930s
1.7				Niles Carpenter's Course, 1931
1.8				Programs and directories, 1930-1931
			Subseries C. University of Buffalo, Department of History
2.3				General files, 1934, 1952, 1967-1975
2.4				Minutes, 1972-1973; includes "Parody of History Department Meeting, October 11, 1972," written by David Abosch - marked restricted: consult Archivist
2.5				Letters of recommendation, 1959-1976
2.6				Correspondence regarding Samuel P. Capen Professorship, 1959, 1973
2.7				Correspondence regarding Distinguished Service Professorship, 1974-1975
2.8				Salary, 1959-1979
2.9				Correspondence regarding retirement, 1980
2.10				Student papers, 1969, n.d.
			Subseries D. University of Buffalo, General Files
3.1				Faculty Senate, Educational Policy Committee, 1959-1961
3.2-3.4				Senate Educational Policy Committee, 1961-1963
3.5				Conference on Year-Round Education, 1960, 1965
3.6				Religious Studies, 1967-1970
3.7				School of Information and Library Studies (SILS) Dean Search Committee, 1970
3.8				Task Force on University Goals, 1970
3.9				State University of New York Senate Committee on University Faculty Programs, 1970
3.10				"History of Grosvenor Library," n.d.
4.1-4.2				Correspondence - general, 1945-1968
4.3-4.8				Correspondence regarding published works, 1933-1975
			Subseries E. University of Illinois
1.9				General files, 1931-1934, 1954
1.10				International Law, notes and papers, 1931-1932
1.11				Marcus Hanson Course, "Immigration History," notes, 1932
2.1				Papers, 1931-1934
2.2				Grover Cleveland High School debate speeches, 1934-1953

Series II. Publications

This series consists of publications by Selig Adler.

This series is arranged in chronological order.

5.1			"The Senatorial Career of George Franklin Edmunds, 1866-1891" (abstract), 1934
5.2			Abstracts in The United States, 1865-1900, 1942-1944
5.3			Book reviews by Adler, 1949-1953, 1964, 1969
5.4			"War Guilt and American Disillusionment, 1918-1928," 1951
5.5			"The Role of the Bible in American History," 1955
5.6			Isolationist Impulse, original ending (manuscript), 1957
5.7			"How I Came to Write The Isolationist Impulse...,"1961
5.8			"The Operation on President McKinley," 1963
5.9			"A Future for American Isolationism?", 1968
5.10			"That Persistent Isolationist Impulse" and "The Campus Factor," (drafts), 1968-1969
5.11			"The Ghost of Isolationism," (copy and drafts), 1969
5.12			"Cordell Hull and the Good Neighbor Policy," (draft), 1969
5.13			Drafts - reviews and articles, 1969-1970
5.14			"World Wars," 1971
6.1			"Franklin D. Roosevelt and Zionism: the Wartime record," 1972
6.2-6.3			Outlines for article on Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) and Zionism, circa 1972
6.4			"Hoover Foreign Policy and the New Left," (manuscripts, drafts and correspondence), 1972-1974
6.5			"The United States and the Holocaust," 1974
6.6			"American Jewry and that Explosive Statehood Question, 1933-1945," 1976
6.7			"The United States and the Middle Eastern Dilemma," 1976
6.8			"The Roosevelt Administration and Zionism: the Pre-War Years, 1933-1939," 1978
6.9			" Franklin D. Roosevelt Foreign Policy: An Assessment," (rough outline for enclosed reprint), 1978
7.1			" Franklin D. Roosevelt Foreign Policy: An Assessment," drafts, 1978
7.2			"An Overview of Jewish History," 1979
7.3			An American Historian: Essays to Honor Selig Adler, 1980
7.4			"Rating Presidents of this Century" and "All the Presidents' Women," 1981
7.5			"The Aftermath: Resurgence of Isolationism," n.d.
7.6			Recent Isolationism - drafts for articles, n.d.
7.7			Recent Isolationism - articles, n.d.
7.8-7.10			Drafts - articles and reviews, n.d.
7.11			Bibliography - usage of forms, n.d.

Series III. Public Lectures and Speeches

This series consists of notes and related materials for speeches given by Selig Adler. Included in the series are also lecture correspondence and contracts as well as lecture appointment books.

8.1-8.2			Lecture programs, 1932-1974
8.3			Lecture correspondence and contracts, 1970
8.4			Lecture appointment books, 1957-1970
8.5			Speech in honor of Julian Park, 1954
8.6			Remarks at Dinner for John T. Horton, 1967
8.7			Remarks at Immaculata College, 1968
8.8			University of Buffalo Roundtable, "Black Revolution and Civil Rights," 1967
8.9			"Campus Unrest," notes, 1969
8.10-8.11			"Student Unrest in the 1960s," lecture background materials, outline, notes, 1969-1971
8.12			"Crisis on the College Campus," lecture, background material, 1969-1971
9.1			Resurgence of Isolationism, East Stroundsburg State College, 1970
9.2			Present Crisis of Freedom, copy and drafts, 1970
9.3			American Reaction to the Holocaust, 1972
9.4			Class of 1931, 50th Reunion, 1981
9.5			"Uses and Meaning of History," n.d.
9.6			"Black Revolution and Civil Rights," circa 1967-1968
9.7-9.9			Student Unrest, n.d.
10.1			"Judaism," n.d.
10.2-10.3			American Historical Association Program Committee, n.d.
10.4			American Historical Association Program Committee, 1966-1967
10.5			America-Holy Land Project, 1975
10.6			America-Holy Land Project, 1973-1974
10.7			America-Holy Land Project, 1972
10.8			America-Holy Land Project, 1970-1971

Series IV. Course Notes and Exams

This series consists of material, including notes and exams, from courses taught by Adler.

This series is arranged chronologically by course number. Files of a more general nature are at the end of the series.

11.1			Army Specialized Reserve Training Program - history exams, 1944
11.2			History 121 - abandoned
11.3-11.5			History 122 - abandoned
11.6			History 121-222: United States History, 1948-1969
11.7			History 121-122: United States History, 1962-1964
11.8			History 170: United States History since 1865, 1973-1978
11.9			History 170: 20th Century America since 1929, 1967
12.1			History 241-242: United States History, 1969-1972
12.2			History 307 - 1958 exam
12.3			History 355 - discarded notes, n.d.
12.4			History 355: History of United States Foreign Policy, 1971-1972, 1975-1978
12.5			History 419 - old exams, 1945-1965; "America in the 20th Century," (first half)
12.6			History 419 - lecture notes; "America in the 20th Century," (first half)
12.7			History 419-420: American History since 1933, 1961-1968
12.8			History 420 - exams, 1948-1963
12.9			History 423: Old South, Civil War, Reconstruction, 1958-1960
12.10			History 423 - exams, 1949-1961; "The Old South, the Civil War and Reconstruction"
12.11-12.12			History 423 - lecture notes, 1945-1961; "The Old South, the Civil War and Reconstruction"
13.1			History 435 - lecture notes, 1945-1963; "United States Diplomatic History," (first half)
13.2			History 435 - exams, 1944-1959; "United States Diplomatic History"
13.3			History 436 - discarded notes
13.4			History 439 - exams, 1947-1967; "American Intellectual History"
13.5			History 439 - lecture notes; "American Intellectual History"
13.6			History 439 - American Intellectual History, 1957-1967
13.7			History 440 - exams, 1949-1966; "American Intellectual History"
13.8			History 440 - lecture notes; "American Intellectual History"
14.1			History 455 - [Foreign Policy], 1971
14.2			American Foreign Policies - notes, semester I and II, n.d.
14.3			History 455 - Pre-1914, early notes, n.d.
14.4-14.6			Government 493 - American Party System notes, n.d.
14.7			History 502: Research Techniques, 1967-1979
14.8			History 503: Between the Wars, 1919-1939, Domestic Problems, 1972-1979
14.9			History 520: [American History, 1750-1900], 1962-1964
14.10			History 531: Research, 1953-1965
14.11			History 537: Coming of the Civil War, 1961-1962
15.1			History 562: United States in the 20th Century, n.d.
15.2			History 585 - Cold War, n.d.
15.3			History 585: 20th Century American Diplomacy, 1979
15.4			History 592: Interpretations - United States, 1977-1979
15.5			History 606: Research Techniques in European-American Cultural Relationships, 1967
15.6			History 623 [formerly 522]: American Historiography, 1942-1976
15.7			History 626: America in the 1920s, n.d.
15.8			History 630: [Foreign Diplomacy], 1970
15.9			History miscellaneous - outlines, documentation, instructions, 1959-1972
15.10			Senior Comprehensive Exams - Department Exams, 1935-1965

Contributors

Adler, Selig, 1909-

State University of New York at Buffalo. University Archives.

Subject Terms

Isolationism

United States--Foreign relations

Zionism

State University of New York at Buffalo. Dept. of History

University of Buffalo. Dept. of History

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign--Graduate work

State University of New York at Buffalo--Archival resources.

Genre Terms

clippings

speeches

lecture notes

examinations (documents)

publications

correspondence