An Initial Inventory of his Personal Papers, 1932-1989
In the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library
National Archives and Records Administration
Introduction
John Kenneth Galbraith, economist, professor, author, presidential advisor and ambassador to India in the Kennedy administration, donated the first segment of his personal papers to the Kennedy Library in 1966. Additional papers were donated in 1980 and 1993 and are closed to research.
Ambassador Galbraith has retained the literary property rights to his personal, non-official writings in these papers and in other collections in the Library. Copyright to materials written by government officials is in the public domain. Copyright to items written by individuals not employed by the United States government rests with the authors and their heirs for the period of the author's life plus 50 years or for 100 years after the items were written if the author's date of death is unknown. Users of these materials are advised to determine the copyright status of any document from which they wish to publish.
The materials received in 1966 were made available for research use in March 1975. The papers were processed by Allan Goodrich, Warren Woodbury and Dave Lockhart. The finding aid for these materials was prepared by Allan Goodrich. Because of its personal nature, the series "Financial Papers" was returned to Ambassador Galbraith.
Federal statute requires that documents containing national security classified information be removed from the file. Documents which, if published, would result in unwarranted invasion of personal privacy have been removed. Four hundred eighty-six such items were removed. Withdrawal sheets identifying all withdrawn items have been placed in the file. The Library will review this closed material upon request for the purpose of opening items which no longer require restriction.
Cubic feet of material processed and open: 52
Approximate number of pages: 144,000
Cubic feet remaining to process: 352
Biography
John Kenneth Galbraith was born Oct. 15, 1908, in Iona Station, Ontario, the son of William Archibald (a politician and farmer) and Catherine Kendall. He earned a bachelor`s degree at the University of Toronto in 1931 and a doctorate at the University of California in 1934, the year he began teaching at Harvard University.
He became a U.S. citizen in 1937 and that year married Catherine Atwater. They had four sons, Alan, Peter, James and Douglas.
During World War II, Galbraith was deputy administrator in the Office of Price Administration where he defended permanent price controls.
Galbraith was a close friend and early supporter of President Kennedy, who named him ambassador to India from 1961 to 1963.
Galbraith also wrote speeches for two other Democratic candidates for the presidency, the late Adlai Stevenson in 1952 and 1956, and Sen. George McGovern in 1972.
Though he eventually broke with President Lyndon B. Johnson over the war in Vietnam, he helped conceive Johnson's ‘Great Society’ program and wrote a major presidential address that outlined its purposes.
A prolific and diverse writer, whose more than forty books range over a variety of topics, Galbraith is the author of such classic texts as The Affluent Society and The New Industrial State.
John Kenneth Galbraith died of natural causes on April 29, 2006. He was 97.
Scope and Content Note
The Papers of John Kenneth Galbraith span the years 1932-89, with the bulk of the material originating between 1958-89.
The papers consist principally of incoming and outgoing letters; memoranda; book and article manuscripts; reports, speeches, and other writings; clippings; and other materials which were accumulated by Mr. Galbraith in the course of his career.
The collection documents Mr. Galbraith's varied and multifaceted career and interests as economist, public official, professor, presidential advisor, author and public speaker. Another activity documented is Mr. Galbraith's participation in politics as a member and advisor to the Democratic Party, and particularly to Pesidential candidates Adlai E. Stevenson, John F. Kennedy and George McGovern.
Throughout his career, Mr. Galbraith carried on a voluminous correspondence with friends, associates and contemporaries. Where possible, the original arrangement of the papers has been maintained, with interfiling of stray folders and collation of duplicate files. Reprints of journals and articles have been placed in the Printed Materials Division of the Library and may be consulted there.
List of Series
Series 1. Early Career
Series 2. Early Government Service, 1940-46
Series 3. General Correspondence, 1932-65
Series 4. Project File, 1948-58
Series 5. Harvard University File, 1949-65
Series 6. 1960 Presidential Campaign File
Series 7. White House File, 1961
Series 8. Ambassador to India File, 1961-63
Series 9. Publications
Series 9.1. Book Manuscripts
Series 9.2. Articles
Series 10. Speech File
Series 11. Clipping File, 1946-64
Series 12. Miscellany
Series 13. Printed Materials
Collection Description
Series 1. Early Career.
1/2 box.
Correspondence, syllabi, lecture notes, copies of speeches, resolutions and public statements and other papers collected while assistant professor of economics at Princeton University and chief economist of the American Farm Bureau Federation. Arranged by subject.
Series 2. Early Government Service, 1940-46.
3 1/2 boxes.
Correspondence, primarily carbons of outgoing letters, memoranda, speeches, personnel papers, and other papers. Arranged by office held, and then by subject or type.
Series 3. General Correspondence, 1932-64.
61 boxes.
Arrangement: chronological.
Letters received and sent, telegrams, clippings, reports and other materials relating to John Kenneth Galbraith's activities, writings, speeches and other matters. Folders are arranged alphabetically with a by "general" folder for each letter first, thereafter by specific name or topic. Material within folders is arranged chronologically.
Series 4. Project File, 1948-58.
4 boxes.
Arrangement: by project.
Correspondence, telegrams, memoranda, surveys, reports and other papers created in the course of conducting studies commissioned by Puerto Rico, Canadian Pacific Railroad, and others.
Series 5. Harvard University File, 1949-65.
4 boxes.
Arrangement: by subject or course title.
Correspondence, memoranda, syllabi, lecture notes, class lists, and other papers documenting Galbraith's tenure as professor of economics.
Series 6. 1960 Presidential Campaign File.
2 boxes.
Arrangement: by subject.
Correspondence, memoranda, draft speeches, articles and other papers relating to Galbraith's activities as an advisor to JFK and as a campaigner.
Series 7. White House File, 1961.
3 boxes.
Correspondence, speech drafts, memoranda for the President, and other papers documenting Mr. Galbraith's work as an advisor to the President. Also correspondence and clippings relating to Mr. Galbraith's nomination as ambassador to India. Begins with correspondence, then speeches, followed by miscellaneous subject files.
Series 8. Ambassador to India File, 1961-63.
9 boxes.
Arrangement: chronological.
Contains speeches, articles and clippings of Indian newspapers' accounts of Mr. Galbraith's activities as ambassador to India. Clippings are further divided by region.
Series 9. Publications.
Series 9.1. Book Manuscripts.
9 boxes.
Arrangement: by book title, thereunder by type of material.
AMS, typescripts, galleys, page proofs of many of Galbraith's works. Also includes unpublished manuscripts. Folder titles are the names titles of books. The material is then further arranged by type.
Series 9.2. Articles.
7 boxes.
Arrangement: alphabetical by title.
AMS, typescripts, galleys, tear sheets, and reprints of articles published (and unpublished) by Galbraith.
Series 10. Speech File.
4 boxes.
Arrangement: alphabetical by title.
AMS, typescripts, reading copies, and reprints of speeches delivered by Galbraith. Includes scattered correspondence relating to speaking appearances.
Series 11. Clipping File, 1946-64.
3 boxes.
Arrangement: chronological, then by title or subject.
First two boxes are arranged chronologically. Third box is arranged by book title or subject.
Series 12. Miscellany.
1 box.
Arrangement: by type of material.
Address book, 1937-38, with notes on Danish and Swedish agriculture; appointment books, 1959-64; identification cards; poetry; and other materials arranged by type of material.
Series 13. Printed Materials.
8 boxes.
Correspondence with journals arranged alphabetically, followed by copies of journals and reprints arranged by kind and then chronologically.