Princeton University History

The Princeton University Archives consists of over 15,000 linear feet of records including administration records (presidents, provosts, deans, and department records, faculty files, undergraduate and graduate alumni files); photographs and other audiovisual materials; and publications that document the history of Princeton University. The University Archives is also the repository for Princeton senior theses and doctoral dissertations.

Additional historical information about Princeton University

Alexander Leitch's A Princeton Companion (Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1978) contains biographies of University presidents, trustees, deans, noted alumni, and prominent professors. Other topics include academic department histories, athletics, campus buildings, research, and student activities. Unviersity members can access the book via JSTOR.

A host of historical facts about Princeton University are available online through the University's main web page.  In addition to A Princeton Companion, researchers will find links that provide further details on the Presidents of Princeton University, Princeton's History, the Princetoniana Committee, and information on the American Revolution and Princeton.

The Daily Princetonian Archives are available online as well.

Collections with Divisional Holdings

  • Edwin Mortimer Hopkins Papers

    The collection documents the undergraduate and graduate career of Edwin Mortimer Hopkins at Princeton, and consists primarily of orations, poetry, and literary essays. Notable are an essay describing his experiences at the University's Sesquicentennial Celebration as well as a card signed by president James McCosh identifying Hopkins as the recipient of the Class of '61 Prize.

  • Daily Princetonian General records

    Consists of subject files from the editorial offices of the Daily Princetonian covering topics such as award banquets, journalism seminars, managerial records and by-laws of the paper. Also included are some financial records and stock certificates, and several special issues and fund-raising books published by the paper. The bulk of the materials are from the 1950s through 1970s, representing only one portion of the newspaper's long history. A small amount of material from the late 1980s through the early 2000s is also present.

  • Tom Reed Papers

    The collection consists of computer graphics and illustrations created by Reed of
    Princeton-related subjects such as James Madison and Albert Einstein, as well as
    artwork for Association of Princeton Graduate Alumni reunions. The collection also
    contains biographical information about Reed.

  • Joseph Faber email correspodence

    Consists of paper printouts of the email correspondence of Joseph Faber from 1995 to
    1997. The email documents Faber's time as a student at Princeton University in the
    mid-1990s. The collection consists primarily of correspondence between Faber and
    fellow students, friends, and family, but a small amount of material related to
    academic work, student employment and other topics is also present.

  • Princeton Music Collection

    This is a collection of music written about Princeton University including traditional songs such as \Old Nassau,\ \The Princeton Cannon Song,\ and \The Triple Cheer.\A substantial part of this corpus is a chronological collection of the Carmina Princetonia from its first publication in 1869 until its centennial anniversary in 1969, with only the twelfth and twentieth editions missing.

  • Bicentennial Celebration Records

    The Bicentennial Celebration Records contain material documenting the planning
    and organization of the yearlong festivities by the Bicentennial Committees, as
    well as material relating to the conferences, convocations, and other events
    that were held in honor of Princeton’s 200th anniversary. The records contain
    correspondence, writings, speeches, reports, pamphlets, newspaper clippings,

  • Pyne-Henry Collection

    The Pyne-Henry Collection is a diverse group of documents, letters and writings relating to Princeton University, covering an array of topics primarily concerning student life and administrative activities. The collection consists of letters, essays and orations, reports, memoranda, minutes, proclamations, accounts and class lists, and Trustee Minutes.

  • Historical Photograph Collection: Alumni Photographs series

    Consists of formal portraits of Princeton University alumni arranged chronologically by class year.

  • Office of the Secretary Records

    This collection chronicles the administrative responsibilities and activities of the secretaries of the University. Included are correspondence, memoranda, and notes concerning committee activities. Also included are press releases, discussions pertaining to trustee matters, scholarship information, and biographical files on honorary degree recipients.

  • English Dramatic Association of Princeton University Records

    Consists of three posters advertising productions by the English Dramatic Association
    of Princeton University.

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