Solon J. Buck
Encyclopedia
Solon Justus Buck was the Second Archivist of the United States
.
His academic career, never straying very far from his interest in the history of agricultural communities, started with a brief appointment to Indiana University
followed by two years at the University of Illinois, which he left for the University of Minnesota
in 1914, becoming also superintendent of the Minnesota State Historical Society. During his long tenure in Minnesota he fought hard for the state's history, helping organize county historical societies, founding a quarterly periodical, and moving the Historical Society from the basement of the State Capitol to its own building.
In 1931, Buck was appointed professor of history at the University of Pittsburgh
, and when the U. S. National Archives
were established in 1935 he was tapped to be Assistant Director, then in 1941 the second Archivist of the United States. In 1948, he joined the Library of Congress
as chief of the Manuscript Division, then as Assistant Librarian until his retirement in 1954.
As might be expected from such a career, Buck's gifts lay in organization, with a particular talent for bibliography; he became an international authority in archival economy. His obituary in the American Historical Review says of him: "He was a perfectionist with an infinite mastery of detail. He held all his associates to his own high standards of perfection. He was merciless on incompetents, but held the respect of those who worked with him."
His works include Illinois in 1818, a sort of preamble to the Illinois Centennial History series; The Granger Movement, Travel and Description 1765‑1865 (Ph. D. thesis, Harvard, 1911), which at his death was still considered the classic treatment of the subject; The Agrarian Crusade (1919); and, with his wife Elizabeth Hawthorne Buck, The Planting of Civilization in Western Pennsylvania (1939).
He married Elizabeth Hawthorn on June 20, 1919. They had three children: Roger Conant, Mary Margaret, and Stephen Farrington.
He had been in poor health the last few years of his life and he died soon after a fall in which he broke his hip, in Washington, D.C.
(Incorporates text from Bill Thayer's site, by permission.)
Archivist of the United States
The Archivist of the United States is the chief official overseeing the operation of the National Archives and Records Administration. The first Archivist, R.D.W. Connor, began serving in 1934, when the National Archives was established as an independent federal agency by Congress...
.
His academic career, never straying very far from his interest in the history of agricultural communities, started with a brief appointment to Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
followed by two years at the University of Illinois, which he left for the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
in 1914, becoming also superintendent of the Minnesota State Historical Society. During his long tenure in Minnesota he fought hard for the state's history, helping organize county historical societies, founding a quarterly periodical, and moving the Historical Society from the basement of the State Capitol to its own building.
In 1931, Buck was appointed professor of history at the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
, and when the U. S. National Archives
National Archives and Records Administration
The National Archives and Records Administration is an independent agency of the United States government charged with preserving and documenting government and historical records and with increasing public access to those documents, which comprise the National Archives...
were established in 1935 he was tapped to be Assistant Director, then in 1941 the second Archivist of the United States. In 1948, he joined the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
as chief of the Manuscript Division, then as Assistant Librarian until his retirement in 1954.
As might be expected from such a career, Buck's gifts lay in organization, with a particular talent for bibliography; he became an international authority in archival economy. His obituary in the American Historical Review says of him: "He was a perfectionist with an infinite mastery of detail. He held all his associates to his own high standards of perfection. He was merciless on incompetents, but held the respect of those who worked with him."
His works include Illinois in 1818, a sort of preamble to the Illinois Centennial History series; The Granger Movement, Travel and Description 1765‑1865 (Ph. D. thesis, Harvard, 1911), which at his death was still considered the classic treatment of the subject; The Agrarian Crusade (1919); and, with his wife Elizabeth Hawthorne Buck, The Planting of Civilization in Western Pennsylvania (1939).
He married Elizabeth Hawthorn on June 20, 1919. They had three children: Roger Conant, Mary Margaret, and Stephen Farrington.
He had been in poor health the last few years of his life and he died soon after a fall in which he broke his hip, in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
External links
- Archivists of the United States, 1934 - Present
- Illinois in 1818 (on Thayer's American & Military History site)
(Incorporates text from Bill Thayer's site, by permission.)