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Preston E. James Papers

An inventory of his papers at the Syracuse University Archives


Finding aid created by: Jaihyun Park and Meg Mason
Date: 2018



Biography

Preston E. James (1899-1986) was a geography professor at Syracuse University.

James was born February 14, 1899, in Brookline, Massachusetts. In September 1916, he entered Harvard University. In 1918, instead of journeying to Montana for a scheduled geological field trip, James was sent to Harvard R.O.T.C field camp to make a detailed topographic survey of the local area. In September, James volunteered for military service and was assigned to the Infantry Officers School in Camp Lee, Virginia. He performed with distinction and completed the courses for a Second Lieutenant's Commission. When the war ended in November of 1918, he returned to Harvard. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1920, and a year later he completed an Master of Arts degree specializing in meteorology and climatology. In February 1921, he entered Clark University Graduate School of Geography where, under the guidance of Wallace W. Atwood, he commenced two years of study that led to completion of a doctoral degree. James traveled through Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, and the Andes, noting and sketching natural regions and influences. This journey provided him with his dissertation subject, "Geographic Factors in the Development of Transportation in South America," considered the first U.S. geographic research in South America. James continued to study South American geography, particularly the geography of Brazil, for the rest of his career.

By the spring of 1923, James received teaching job offers from several universities. He chose the University of Michigan and remained there for the next twenty years. While a professor at Michigan James conducted field work in Trinidad, Canada, Brazil, Portugal, France, England, and Mexico. When the United States joined World War II, James and other geographers were called upon to answer the demand for geographic mapping. After the war there was a newfound interest in geography on many college campuses, and James was highly sought after due to his expertise and knowledge in the field.

George B. Cressey, chair of the Syracuse University Department of Geology and Geography, invited James to come to Syracuse. James accepted the position and stayed with Syracuse University from 1945 until his retirement in 1970. He succeeded Cressey as chair of Syracuse University's Department of Geology and Geography in 1950 and raised the reputation of the department. James was very active in associations and committees, including serving as president of the Association of American Geographers (AAG) and chairing multiple committees for the Pan American Institute of Geography and History (PAIGH). In 1970, he cofounded the Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers (CLAG) and served as an officer for many years. During his career, he published over 100 academic articles, sixteen books, and multiple textbooks. Most of his publications concerned Latin America, and many in the field credit him for advancing geographic knowledge of the area. James also served as a visiting professor at the University of Brazil from 1949 to 1950, University of Edinburgh in 1957, and University of Puerto Rico in 1971.


Scope and Content Note

The Preston E. James Papers includes biographical material, correspondence-subject files, course material, memorabilia, photographs, printed materials, research files, and writings.

Biographical material contains a biography sheet of James and an interview between Syracuse University geography professor David Robinson and James regarding James' life and work.

Correspondence-subject files consists of correspondence, minutes, notes, and reports. The majority of material relates to James' work with various associations and organizations, including the Association of American Geographers, American Geographical Society, American Association of University Professors, American Council of Learned Societies, Pan American Institute for Geography and History, and United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Course material includes class notes, examinations, lecture notes, and syllabi from courses James taught while at Syracuse University from 1948 to 1968.

Memorabilia includes awards, certificates, ephemera from travels, a flag, a poster, programs, and items from service during World War II. The flag is of Brazil and the poster is for a lecture that James delivered at Syracuse University. The series also contains a painted reed mat and identification forms while traveling South America.

Photographs are primarily of the many countries and landscapes that James traveled to on geographical research visits. While there is a small amount of personal photographs in the series, the majority of the photographs are academic in nature. Many of the photographs provide a snapshot of both urban and rural Latin American life in the early to mid-20th century. Also included are photographic postcards from several South American countries as well as Mexico, Portugal, and Egypt. The postcards appear to be for research purposes and contain no personal inscriptions or messages. Lantern slides in the series are images of Brazil, Peru, Trinidad, and the state of Wyoming as well as topographic maps of Syracuse, New York and South America.

Research files contain clippings, field notebooks, maps, notes, and reports of areas of interest, mainly South America.

Writings by James comprise James' addresses, articles, book reviews, PhD dissertation, essays, lectures (presented to broad audiences as opposed to his university students), papers (presented at conferences), proposals, and reports.

Writings by others includes books, journal articles, magazine articles, and newsletters. These writings pertain either geography or James and include reviews of his books and interviews with him. Two items of note: a U.S. News and World Report article featuring an interview with James titled "A New Look at Latin America" and a book titled Studying Latin America: Essays in Honor of Preston E. James, edited by David J. Robinson.


Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

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

Because the lantern slides are fragile, they are restricted. Please consult with an archivist to obtain permission to view them.

Access to audio recordings requires advance notice to produce a use copy.

Use Restrictions:

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


Related Material

The University Archives holds clipping and portrait files of James as well as the Syracuse University Geography Department Records and the Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers (CLAG) Records.


Selected Search Terms

Names

James, Preston E. (Preston Everett), 1899-1986.
Robinson, David J. (David James), 1939-
American Association of University Professors.
American Council of Learned Societies.
Association of American Geographers.
International Geographical Union.
National Research Council (U.S.). -- Committee on Geography.
Pan American Institute of Geography and History.
Syracuse University -- History.
Syracuse University.
Unesco.

Subjects

Area studies.
Geography -- Education.
Geography -- Fieldwork.
Geography.
Latin America.
College teachers.
Higher education.

Types of Material

Audiocassettes.
Clippings (information artifacts)
Correspondence.
Field notes.
Geological maps.
Lantern slides.
Lecture notes.
Maps (documents)
Negatives (photographs)
Photographs.
Reports.
Sound recordings.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Preston E. James Papers,
University Archives,
Special Collections Research Center
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of Preston E. James in 1968; transfer from Syracuse University Geography Department in 1974; various additional small gifts through 2015.


Arrangement

The collection is arranged alphabetically. Correspondence-subject files are arranged alphabetically by sender's last name, organization, or subject. Course material is arranged by course. Memorabilia is arranged by type of material. Photographs are arranged by format (lantern slides, postcards, prints and negatives) and within each format arranged by location. Research files are arranged by location and type of material. Printed material is arranged by title and type. Writings are subdivided by type (addresses, articles, book introductions, etc.) and arranged by title within each subdivision. Writings by others is arranged by author's last name, the only exception being writings about James that appears first in the series, which is arranged by title or publication.


Table of Contents

Biographical material

Correspondence-subject files

Course material

Memorabilia

Photographs

Research files

Writings by James

Writings by others


Inventory