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Henry Goddard Leach Papers

An inventory of his papers at Syracuse University


Finding aid created by: -
Date: 1969

Biographical History

Henry Goddard Leach (1880-1970) was an American author, educator and poet. He was editor of the intellectual and literary national periodical The Forum (1923-1940), president of the American-Scandinavian Foundation (1926-1947), president of the Poetry Society of America (1934-1937), an active member of the Adirondack Trail Improvement Society, and a leading intellect of his time.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Henry Goddard Leach Papers contains correspondence, unpublished essays, articles, diaries, lectures, photographs, clippings, juvenilia and other material. Apart from a few boxes accessioned and processed in 1964, the collection is unprocessed and remains in its original folders and containers, as arranged by Leach. Most of the diaries, lectures and photographs are stored in flip-top cases with Leach's typed labels on the outside; these are indicated in the inventory below by the notation "(boxed)". Leach's titles for these boxes have been retained and are given in quotation marks. Where an item had no title, one has been supplied.

Highlights of the collection include:

Letters and papers of Leach's father, Dr. Alonzo L. Leach (referred to by Leach as "A.L.L."), who served as a medical officer with the Union Army during the Civil War
H. G. Leach's "diary," kept almost daily from early in the 1900s to the early 1960s, with commentary on events both public and private over three generations; most of these are not bound volumes but rather boxes of typed sheets along with souvenirs and memorabilia such as programs, photographs, clippings, etc.
Bound volumes of The Forum, which under Leach's editorship was known as "the magazine of controversy" and which Carl Sandburg dubbed "the barometer of American intelligence"
Photographs of and correspondence with scores of notable writers and intellectuals who were regular contributors to The Forum
An autographed drawing of George Bernard Shaw (the box list does not specify where this item is)
Numerous volumes of poetry, including some of Leach's own, and correspondence with many leading poets, along with material relating to the Poetry Society of America, of which Leach was president during the 1930s
Books and papers on Scandinavian affairs and the American Scandinavian Foundation, of which Leach was secretary and president for thirty years; these may (or may not) be the items listed below as "correspondence-subject files"
Manuscript of lectures and speeches given by Leach at colleges across the country, and material from his days as a teacher at Groton and Harvard University
Files of the Adirondack Improvement Society, of which Leach was an active member for decades; the box list does not specify which these are, but they may (or may not) be the items listed below as "correspondence-subject files"

Arrangement of the Collection

The bulk of the collection is unprocessed and remains in original order.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Unprocessed portions of the collection are not available for research. Please contact Special Collections Research Center for more information.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

Subject Headings

Persons

Leach, Alonzo.
Leach, Henry Goddard, 1880-1970.

Corporate Bodies

Adirondack Trail Improvement Society.
American-Scandinavian Foundation.
Poetry Society of America.
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Medical care.
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Personal narratives.

Associated Titles

The Forum.

Subjects

American literature -- 20th century.
Authors, American.
Periodical editors -- United States.
Scandinavia.
Scandinavian Americans.

Genres and Forms

Articles.
Clippings (information artifacts)
Correspondence.
Diaries.
Juvenilia.
Lectures.
Manuscripts (document genre)
Photographs.

Occupations

Authors.
Editors.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Henry Goddard Leach Papers,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of Henry Goddard Leach, 1964, 1969.

Table of Contents

Processed (1964 accessions)

Inventory