William Appleman Williams Papers, 1877-2012![View associated digital content. View associated digital content.](themes/scarc/images/dl.gif)
William Appleman Williams (1921-1990), an influential American historian and writer, was a member of the History faculty at Oregon State University from 1968-1986. He is regarded to be a founder of the "revisionist school" of American diplomatic history. A prolific author, Williams's The Contours of American History (1961), was named, by the Modern Library, one of the 100 best non-fiction books written in English in the twentieth century. The Williams Papers consist of correspondence, newspaper clippings, books, photographs and memorabilia.
Access to the William Robbins and Edward P. Crapol materials in Series 1 is restricted due to provisions set by the donors. Permission for access to the Robbins materials may be granted only by the donor. For more information about access to restricted materials, please see our Guide to the Special Collections and Archives Research Center.
The contents of box-folders 1.10, 1.15, 1.20, 1.21, 1.24, 6.8, and 6.21 from Series 1, Correspondence, have been digitized and are available upon request. Williams' Master's thesis and dissertation from Series 2 have also been digitized. Videos held in the collection have been migrated to digital format and are available online.
Final arrangement by Chris Petersen.
After the passing of Gerald McCauley in May 2024, restrictions were removed from his collection of correspondence in Series 1 (see boxes 1.002 and 1.003). A review of the contents of that correspondence was completed in July 2024 and, seeing no reason for concern in the content of that correspondence, signed by Department Head, Julie Judkins. This report resides in the collection folder.
Restrictions were subsequently lifted from correspondence between Williams and OSU Emeritus Professor William Robbins (box-folder 1.006.5). A signed statement to that effect is also retained digitally in the collection folder.