A Guide to the Papers of Thomas Walker Page, 1906-1937 Page, Thomas Walker, Papers 12777

A Guide to the Papers of Thomas Walker Page, 1906-1937

A Collection in
Special Collections
The University of Virginia Library
Accession Number 12777


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Processed by: Special Collections Staff

Repository
Special Collections, University of Virginia Library
Accession number
12777
Title
Papers of Thomas Walker Page 1906-1937
Physical Characteristics
This collection consists of ca. 5000 items (4.0 shelf feet).
Language
English

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

See the University of Virginia Library’s use policy.

Preferred Citation

Papers of Thomas Walker Page, Accession #12777, Special Collections, University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.

Acquisition Information

The collection combines two separate accessions, a gift of Tipton R. Snavely in 1964 (originally accessioned as manuscript #7799), and a smaller bundle of ca. 1000 items given in 1985 by Rose Page Wilson. Two further items, formerly accessioned as manuscripts #227 and #551, have also been included.

Biographical/Historical Information

Thomas Walker Page (1866-1937), named for the well-known Virginia physician and explorer, was born in Albemarle County, Virginia. He was awarded the M.A. degree from Randolph-Macon College in 1886. He also attended the Universities of Virginia and Leipzig, receiving his Ph.D. at Leipzig in 1896. Dr. Page taught at several universities in the following two decades, including the Universities in the following two decades, including the University of Virginia, where he was James Wilson Professor of Economics; he also served on the United States Tariff Board. In 1918, he was appointed to the United States Tariff Commission, of which he later became chairman.

Scope and Content Information

The Thomas Walker Page Papers (1906-1937) consist of approximately 5,000 items (4.0 shelf feet), including personal and official correspondence (1918-1936), extensive notes and writings on economic matters, and various reports and records of the government agencies and charitable institutions with which Dr. Page was associated. Among the latter are reports of the League of Nations, the American Council of Learned Societies, and the National Tax Association.

The nearly apolitical stance and common sense approach for which Dr. Page was known made his opinion one sought after by many of his better known contemporaries. Letters among these papers reveal correspondence with such notables as Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, Warren G. Harding, Herbert Hoover, and Woodrow Wilson. The collection also contains letters to and from Bernard Baruch, F. W. Taussig, Carter Glass and Edwin Alderman. Among letters to Dr. Alderman is one undated and handwritten which reveals the essential nobility of Dr. Page's character as well as his undying loyalty to the University.

Examples of his cogent and thoughtful argumentation can be found not only in his correspondence with colleagues, but through his published and unpublished writings as well. Textbook drafts included in the collection bear primarily on the tariff, as do the copies and drafts of articles that appear here; the tariff and taxation remained the focus of Dr. Page's research throughout his career.

While Page the economist was a rigorous theoretician, his ultimate concerns were practical and social. He fought the public's ignorance of economic matters, writing articles directed at laymen for such popular periodicals as the Saturday Evening Post. He participated fully in debates over taxation during his career, denouncing for example, the "trickle-down" theory used by the Republicans to justify proportionally higher taxation of the poor.

Organization

The collection totals ten manuscript boxes and is organized in eight series. Series I is primarily correspondence (1918-1936), although some lengthy enclosures remain attached; the arrangement is chronological. Series II incorporates book drafts, typescripts and manuscript articles written by Dr. Page. Series III is comprised of class and research notes taken by Dr. Page. These notes cover a variety of topics and are arranged alphabetically by Subject. Series IV is made up of miscellaneous writings authored by colleagues and others, many of whom are unknown. Series V combines reports, proceedings and organizational records of various government agencies and institutions; these are arranged alphabetically. Series VI designated statistical data, mainly charts and graphs of economic variables. Series VII is comprised of printed matter and newspaper clippings. Series VIII contains several folders of biographical information, chiefly concerning professional colleagues of Dr. Page.

Contents List

Series I: Correspondence
Series II: Writings of Thomas Walker Page
Series III: Research and Lecture Notes
Series IV: Miscellaneous Writings
Box 7
Series V: Reports, Proceedings, Organizational Records
Series VI: Statistical Data
Series VII: Printed Materials
Series VIII: Biographical Sketches