Records of the Office of the President (Henry Anson Buttz), 1835-1920

Drew University Archives

36 Madison Avenue
Madison, NJ 07940
Phone: 973-408-3532
Fax: 973-408-3770

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Summary Information

Creator(s)

Buttz, Henry Anson, 1835-1920

Title and dates

Records of the Office of the President (Henry Anson Buttz), 1835-1920

Abstract
The Records of the Office of the President Henry Anson Buttz, 1835-1920 collection contains correspondence, publications, and fundraising information from Henry Anson Buttz, a Methodist minister and professor. Buttz served as President of Drew Theological Seminary from 1880-1912, the longest presidential term in Drew's history. The collection mainly consists of correspondence between Buttz and members of the Board of Trustees. It also documents early efforts to raise money for the Seminary, including correspondence between Buttz and donors as well as documentation related to two specific fundraising initiatives: the McClintock Association and the Janes Memorial Professorship

Size
.3 linear feet (1 box)

Location
Drew University Archives
Madison, NJ

Language(s) of materials
English

Biography

Henry Anson Buttz (1835-1920) was the fourth president of Drew Theological Seminary, later Drew University. Buttz attended New Brunswick Theological Seminary and the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), where he attained an A.B. in 1858 and an M.A. in 1861. He had nine pastoral appointments, including one at the Morristown Methodist church, until he came to Drew in 1868. He was soon named professor of Greek and New Testament exegesis. Buttz was one of "the Great Five" revered professors who led Drew for decades. Upon President Hurst's departure in 1880, Buttz was elected to the seminary's presidency. For thirty-two years, Buttz improved the small endowment Drew had and oversaw the construction of five buildings on campus, including the Cornell Library, an Administration Building and Chapel (now Seminary Hall), and S.W. Bowne Refectory (now Hall). Although he resigned the presidency to a younger generation in 1912, Buttz continued as professor until 1918.  Buttz is buried in Hancock Cemetery in nearby Florham Park, New Jersey.

Scope and Content Note

The records and papers of Henry Anson Buttz span the years between 1881 and 1920. The bulk of the records are from 1880 to 1912. Correspondence within the collection relates to fundraising and the day to day tasks of running a theological school. Buttz was in frequent contact with the seminary's treasurer, James W. Pearsall, and another trustee, William White. Correspondence with the latter in 1893 includes references to Mr. William Hoyt and Mr. Samuel W. Bowne's plans for a new dormitory (now Hoyt-Bowne Hall) and a 15 July 1894 letter addressing sadness at the death of Isabel (a daughter?).

There is also correspondence between important Drew Theological School donors, including Rebecca Wendel and Samuel W. Bowne. Finally, the collection contains correspondence between Buttz and a Mrs. Joseph Graydon, the sister of Drew's first President, John McClintock, and treasurer of the McClintock Association until her death in 1900.

Publications in the collection include a pamphlet that is not already bound in the Drew University Archives Faculty/Alumni Publications collection.

The third series consists of contains printed appeals and receipts related to the Janes Memorial Professorship, begun by President John Fletcher Hurst after Janes's death in 1876 and continued during Buttz's tenure. Bishop Edmund S. Janes was instrumental in the founding of Drew Theological Seminary, and may have had a hand in determining the location of the Seminary.

The final series contains personal papers, including a list of student jobs and rules from 1902-1903, Buttz's resignation as a faculty member in 1918, an oral history from Drew's second president, Randolph Sinks Forster, that Buttz transcribed, and typescript copies (produced in 1962) of an address Buttz gave in November 1912 after he had resigned the Presidency. The manuscript of this address is not in the collection.

Arrangement Note

The Records of the Office of the President (Henry Anson Buttz), 1835-1920 are arranged into four series:
Series 1: Correspondence
Series 2: Publications
Series 3: Papers, Janes Memorial Professorship
Series 4: Personal Papers

Access and Use

Access
The Records of the Office of the President (Henry Anson Buttz), 1834-1920 collection is available for research.

Restrictions on Use and Copyright Information
One photocopy may be made of each document for the purpose of research. Permission to publish must be obtained from the Drew University Archivist. Some materials may be too fragile to reproduce easily. The researcher is responsible for further copyright restrictions.

Acquisition and Appraisal 

Provenance and Acquisition
Unknown

Appraisal
Initial appraisal and processing completed by Rae M. Jones, the first University Archivist

Accruals
One letter from Buttz to a Mr. Crossett accepting an invitation to meet New York Governor Charles H. Hughes was purchased by University Archivist Barent Johnson for $10 from a Methodist Book Dealer [recorded by Kenneth Rowe, September 28, year unknown].

Related Materials

Related Archival Materials
The Drew University Archives has numerous collections with materials related to Henry Anson Buttz. The Faculty Biography collection contains two folders on Buttz. The University Archives also has restricted records from the Board of Trustee from 1867 onward. Several of Buttz's published books are held within the Faculty/Alumni Publications Collection. The Manuscripts Collection in has several of Buttz's own student notebooks, and the Student Documents collection contains notebooks from students taking classes that Buttz taught. Photographs of Buttz and a collection of books he owned can be found in the Henry Anson Buttz and Charles Fremont Sitterly Collection.

Related Finding Aids
Henry Anson Buttz and Charles Fremont Sitterly Collection, 1845-1963
Student Documents, 1886-1942

Publications
Cunningham, John T. University in the Forest: The Story of Drew University.
Sitterly, Charles Fremont. The Building of Drew University.

Processing and Other Information

Processing Information
This collection was processed by Matthew Beland in May 2012. The finding aid was written by Matthew Beland in May 2012.

Descriptive Rules Used
Finding aid content follows the guidelines suggested by Describing Archives: A Content Standard.

Sources Used
Cunningham, John T. University in the Forest: The Story of Drew University.
Joy, James Richard, ed. The Teachers of Drew: A Commemorative Volume issued on the occasion of the 75^th Anniversary of the Founding of Drew Theological Seminary, October 15, 1942.
Sitterly, Charles Fremont. The Building of Drew University.
Tipple, Ezra Squire. Drew Theological Seminary, 1867-1917.

Language(s)
English

Preferred Citation
Identification of item; Date (if noted); Records of the Office of the President (Henry Anson Buttz), 1835-1920, Box and Folder Number; University Archives, Drew University Library, Madison, New Jersey

Subject Headings

Personal Names
Bowne, Samuel W., 1842-1910
Buttz, Henry Anson, 1835-1920
Janes, Bishop Edmund S.
Pearsall, James W.
White, William

Corporate Names
Drew Theological Seminary

Subjects
Drew University. Theological School

Contents List

Series 1: Correspondence

Series Description
The Correspondence of Henry Anson Buttz gives an account of efforts to raise funding for the seminary and describes the day to day tasks of running a theological school.

Arrangement Folders are arranged chronologically with correspondents listed.

Series 2: Publications

Series Description

The Publications of Henry Anson Buttz contains unbound pamphlets that are not otherwise held in the Drew University Archives.

Arrangement
Documents are arranged chronologically.

Series 3: Papers, Janes Memorial Professorship

Series Description
The Janes Memorial Professorship papers consist of an appeal for funding for the professorship.
Receipts and correspondence from donors to the fund, and accounts of payments made, are located in the next folder.

Arrangement
Documents are arranged chronologically

Series 4: Personal Papers

Series Description
The Personal Papers of Henry Anson Buttz contain several important documents related to Buttz's tenure at Drew and early Drew History. They include Buttz's resignation letter as a faculty member in 1918, an oral history from Drew's second president, Randolph Sinks Forster that Buttz transcribed, and typescript copies (produced in 1962) of an address Buttz gave in November 1912. The original of the address is not in this collection.

Arrangement