Switzer, Samuel Leyens A Guide to the Samuel Leyens Switzer Papers MG 37

A Guide to the Samuel Leyens Switzer Papers MG 37


[logo]

ODU Community Collections

3000 Perry Library
4427 Hampton Blvd.
Norfolk, VA 23529
Business Number: 757-683-5350
libspecialcollections@odu.edu
URL: https://www.odu.edu/library/special-collections

Special Collections Staff

Repository
ODU Community Collections
Identification
MG 37
Title
Samuel Leyens Switzer Papers circa 1910-1985, undated Date acquired: 03/20/1980
URL:
https://archivesguides.lib.odu.edu/repositories/5/resources/189
Quantity
13.2 Linear Feet
Quantity
Five hollinger document cases and three oversize boxes. boxes
Creator
Switzer, Samuel Leyens (1896-1960)
Language
English
Abstract
Department store owner in Vicksburg, Mississippi. Includes correspondence, literary productions, legal documents, newspaper and magazine clippings, maps, memorabilia and photographs. Collection documents his service as an artillery officer in World War I. Of note are maps of Europe detailing battle positions and troop movements in World War I.

Administrative Information

Conditions Governing Use

Before publishing quotations or excerpts from any materials, permission must be obtained from Special Collections and University Archives, and the holder of the copyright, if not Old Dominion University Libraries.

Conditions Governing Access

Open to researchers without restrictions.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Box [insert number], Folder [insert number and title], Samuel Leyens Switzer Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.

Source of Acquisition

Mrs. Bettie Minette Cooper

Method of Acquisition

Loan. Accession #A80-19

Accruals and Additions

Last accession August 15, 2005.


Biographical or Historical Information

Samuel Leyens Switzer was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, on November 26, 1896. He was a son of Simon and Flora Leyens Switzer. In 1902, Sam's father died, leaving his widow Flora with four children: Louis, Minette, Barbara and Samuel. Samuel Switzer's correspondence begins when he journeyed North in 1911 to complete his secondary education at Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire. After Exeter, Sam entered Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, as a member of the class of 1918. Sam's letters home during this period reveal that he was a typical college student interested in fashions, football, girls and grades.

While attending college Samuel Switzer joined Harvard University's Military Reserve Unit. After his sophomore year, in the summer of 1916, Sam attended and successfully completed a United States Army training camp in Plattsburgh, New York. Sam returned to Harvard University in the fall of 1916. When the United States entered World War I in 1917, he spent time training from then until 1918. Switzer eventually rose to the rank of lieutenant.

After the Armistice was signed on November 11, 1918, Lieutenant Switzer traveled through Luxembourg and into Germany. He remained in Kretz and Kruft, Germany, with the American Army of Occupation.At Beaune University he studied French, political science and business law. In May 1919, while still in France, Sam Switzer was awarded his A.B. degree in absentia from Harvard University. He was awarded this degree as a student who had completed three-fourths of the requirements but was unable to complete the entire course due to military service.

On June 15, 1919, Sam Switzer sailed for home with the St. Aignan Special (Beaune University) Casual Company Number 6438. After his arrival in New York City, Lieutenant Switzer proceeded to Fort Shelby, Mississippi, where he was formally discharged from the United States Army on July 29, 1919.

As a civilian, Sam Switzer entered the family business in Vicksburg, Mississippi. The Switzer family owned The Valley Dry Goods Company, the largest department store in the Mississippi Valley. As president of The Valley, Samuel Switzer remained one of Vicksburg's most eminent businessmen. He was active in all phases of civic life and was a devoted member of Anshe Chesed congregation, having served as congregation president and for a number of years as president of the Young Men's Hebrew Association. He was former chairman of the Jewish Welfare Federation and was a member of B'nai B'rith. Samuel Leyens Switzer died on April 14, 1960, in Vicksburg, Mississippi. His family remembered him as being " fervently American as a nationality and Jewish as a religion. "

Scope and Contents

The collection contains the correspondence, publications, photographs, maps, and memorability of Samuel Leyens Switzer, a soldier who fought in World War I as well as a merchant in Vicksburg, Mississippi. The bulk of the material details Switzer's time as a Lieutenant in World War I. Some of the highlights of the collector include letters chronically the daily life of soldiers, photographs of Switzer and fellow officers, and maps containing detailed battle positions and troop movements.

Arrangement Note

The collection is divided into six series: Series I: Correspondence; Series II: Literary Productions; Series III: Printed Material; Series IV: Maps; Series V: Photographic Material; and Series VI: Memorabilia.

Subjects and Indexing Terms


Significant Persons Associated With the Collection

Back to Top

Container List

Series I
Series I: Correspondence
circa 1911-1985, undated
Scope and Contents

This series contains letters to and from Switzer from his days as a student at Exeter and Harvard University, to his time as a soldier in World War I, and as a dry goods merchant in Vicksburg, Mississippi after the War. The bulk of the letters, written mostly to family members, describe the daily life of being a soldier, first as a member of the Harvard University ROTC, and then as a Lieutenant on the front lines in France and Germany. Of particular note is a letter describing the calm after the armistice in November 1918. The series is arranged in chronological order.

Back to Top
Series II
Series II: Literary Productions
1910, 1919
Scope and Contents

This series includes an early composition of young Sam Switzer, as well as the syllabus and class notes from a course in Contemporary International Relations. He took this course at the American University in Beaune, France, from March to June in 1919.

Back to Top
Series III
Series III: Printed Material
circa 1910-1960
Scope and Contents

This series contains legal documents, publications, newspaper and magazine clippings, and books, among others. Most of the series contains information about military affairs.

Back to Top
Series IV
Series IV: Maps
circa 1912-1919, undated
Scope and Contents

This series contains maps of Europe, mostly during the World War I era, and are in French or German. Several maps detail battle positions and troop movements in France and Germany during World War I.

Back to Top
Series V
Series V: Photographic Material
circa 1910-1919
Scope and Contents

This series includes photographic prints and postcards, mostly from the World War I period. Postcards are filed by country and city. The countries represented include France, Germany, Monaco, Spain, and Italy. Postcard packets of the destruction at Verdun and La Marne are also part of the series.

Back to Top
Series VI
Series VI: Memorabilia
circa 1914-1955
Scope and Contents

This series consists of various items such as Switzer's diploma and certificate from Harvard, his diploma from Exeter academy, and his International Dateline certificate from Pan American World Airways.

Back to Top