Table of ContentsCollection OverviewCollection Inventory+/-Biographical Note/Historical NoteContent DescriptionCollection UseAdministrative InformationSubjects |
Collection Overview +/-
Collection Inventory +/-
box 1, folder 1:
Biographical information
(1968 November - 1969 December)
box 1, folder 2:
College charter, undated
box 1, folder 3:
Correspondence, Incoming and outgoing
(1909 March - 1910 April)
box 1, folder 4:
Correspondence, Incoming and outgoing
(1910 May-June)
box 1, folder 5:
Correspondence, Incoming and outgoing
(1910 June-October)
box 1, folder 6:
Correspondence, Outgoing
(1911 May-November)
box 1, folder 7:
Correspondence, Incoming and outgoing
(1911 December - 1912 October)
box 1, folder 8: Resolutions and other legal matters (1910 September - 1911 February)
box 1, folder 9: Third party correspondence (1910 March-April)
Biographical Note/Historical Note +/-Robert Montgomery Stevenson was born July 17, 1848. He attended the preparatory Normal School, Normal, Illinois, followed by Blackburn University and Wabash College where he received his B.A. in 1875. Following college, Stevenson attended McCormick Seminary (1875-1877) and graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary. Stevenson married Emma Louisa Arnold on June 13, 1878. They had two daughters: Ramona (later Mrs. Wilbur Huffer of Muncie, Indiana) and Minnie (married name Minnie Stevenson Hughes). Upon ordination as a Presbyterian minister, Reverend Stevenson served as pastor of churches in Ramo, Pennsylvania (1878-1879), Georgetown, Colorado (1881-1883), and Bozman, Montana (1883-1889). He was pastor of Fruitvale Church in Oakland, California from 1889-1890 and Westminster Church in Sacramento, California from 1890-1897. Poor health forced him to resign and pursue post-graduate work at McCormick Seminary. Stevenson's next pastoral positions were at First Church, Madison, Indiana (1897-1900), Second Church, Omaha, Nebraska (1900-1902). From 1902-1913 he held positions in Presbyterian colleges, including Vice-President of Bellevue College in Bellevue, Nebraska near Omaha, and his term as 3rd President of Westminster College, Salt Lake City, Utah from 1905-1912. Stevenson is referred to in some sources as the 2nd President of Westminster College, not including General John Eaton in the numbering, as Eaton was president under the earlier name of the institution, Sheldon Jackson College. As president of Westminster College, Stevenson spent much of his time and effort in fund raising activities, for the most part in the eastern states, communicating by telegram and letters. Because there were only two faculty members, less than a dozen students (6 sophomores and 4 freshmen), and no endowment when Stevenson took office, the college did not meet the requirements to receive financial aid from the Presbyterian Church's Board of College Aid. Stevenson made the decision to change the college from a four-year to a two-year degree program until enrollment increased and took other steps to improve the college's financial health. Unfortunately, all Stevenson's efforts were unable to lift the college's fiscal situation, and college classes were suspended in 1909. At that point, the high school classes of the Salt Lake Collegiate Institute remained as the only academic program under the auspices of the college. Stevenson's relationship with Westminster's Board of Trustees, and specifically with Robert G. McNiece (Dean of the College and Secretary of the Board), and lack of support from the non-Mormon community of Salt Lake City, deteriorated to the point that Stevenson offered his resignation, effective November 1, 1912. During his tenure Converse Hall was dedicated. Converse Hall, the flagship and first building on new campus, was originally built as a multipurpose administration and classroom building with funding from John H. Converse, a wealthy Presbyterian businessman in Philadelphia and then-president of Baldwin Locomotive Works. The cornerstone was laid August 23, 1906 under the presidency of Rev. Robert M. Stevenson; the building was completed July 1907. It was not occupied for another two years due to a lack of funding for a heating system, furniture or boarding facilities for students. Ferry Hall, named after benefactors William and Jeannette Ferry, was also built during Stevenson's years as president. The building was designed to house forty female students and six teachers, and provide women's art and music studios. Stevenson House, later built on the Westminster campus, was named after Rev. Robert M. Stevenson and was used for student housing. It sits on the southwest corner of the campus near Stock Hall, and is currently used as a campus staff residence. Following his years at Westminster College, from 1913 until circa 1927, Rev. Stevenson was pastor at Fair Oaks and Orange Vale churches in California. He was a visiting pastor at First Church, Berkeley, California between 1922 and 1927. In all, Stevenson was engaged in active Presbyterian work for 49 years. Stevenson's wife Emma died in 1934. He himself died April 9, 1939 in San Anselmo, California at the age of 90. Sources consulted:
Content Description +/-The collection consists of correspondence, newspaper clippings, notes, and various legal documents representing the administration of Robert M. Stevenson, 3rd president of Westminster College, Salt Lake City, Utah. Stevenson served as president from August 29, 1905 until his resignation November 1, 1912. Newspaper accounts of Stevenson's appointment recognized his business abilities and noted his earlier fundraising successes. Westminster College was in a severe financial condition at the time and Stevenson devoted most of his seven years in New York City raising funds to keep the doors of Westminster College open. The largest portion of the collection materials is correspondence to and from Stevenson discussing the college's financial conditions and other fundraising issues. Most of these letters are addressed to or from William M. Paden, chairman of the Westminster College Board of Trustees between March 1909 and October 1912. Other issues discussed in the correspondence include the writing of the college charter, the Sheldon Jackson estate, and the planning and construction of the women's building, Converse Hall, and Ferry Hall. A letter dated May 11, 1911 from Stevenson to Paden discusses an article in Collier's Magazine on plural marriage and attacks from former President Theodore Roosevelt. Stevenson's frustration is evident in some of his correspondence and culminates in October 1912 with his resignation. His telegram stated it, "was impossible to approve of the course pursued by the secretary and treasurer of Westminster College." The third party correspondence consists of three letters from college attorneys. E.B. Critchlow and C.S. Varian, concerning the college charter, the deed from Sheldon Jackson, and other legal issues. The Biographical Information file contains materials largely related to an attempt in 1968-1969 by Westminster College to locate a picture and/or biographical information on Robert Stevenson. It includes a series of letters between Westminster College, the Presbyterian Historical Society in Philadelphia, the Princeton Theological Seminary, and the San Francisco Theological Seminary. The file also includes a copy of a 1905 newspaper clipping announcing Stevenson's appointment as president and a copy of Stevenson's Princeton Theological Seminary Necrological Report. The College Charter file contains an undated copy of Westminster College's College Charter written during Stevenson's presidency. Various Board of Trustees draft resolutions, a financial report, and a collateral note are included in the Resolutions and Other Legal Matters file. Collection Use +/-Restrictions on Access: Open to public research. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law. Twenty-four hours advance notice is encouraged. Restrictions on Use: It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances. Permission to publish material must be obtained from the director of the Giovale Library. Preferred Citation: Robert M. Stevenson Westminster College President's subject files, 1905-1969 (bulk 1910-1912), ACC-010, Giovale Library Archives, Westminster College, Salt Lake City, Utah. Administrative Information +/-Arrangement: Materials in the collection are arranged into the following 5 subject categories:
The Correspondence file is subarranged chronologically. Processing Note: Processed February 2003 by Krystle Cook. Creator: Stevenson, Robert M. (Robert Montgomery), 1848-1929 Language: Collection materials are in English. Quantity: 0.2 linear feet Language of the Finding Aid: English. Author of the Finding Aid: Finding aid written February 2003 by Krystle Cook; expanded with addition of biographical note written 2011 by Sarah Shaw. EAD Creation Date: 2011 April 24 by Sarah Shaw Standard: Describing Archives : A Content Standard (DACS) Subarea: ArchivesRelated Material: Related collections and photographs in Giovale Library Archives:
Subjects +/-Corporate Names: Converse Hall (Salt Lake City, Utah)--History--Sources Subject Terms: Buildings--Utah--Salt Lake City--History--Sources Form or Genre Terms: Articles Personal Names: Critchlow, E. B. Geographical Names: Salt Lake City (Utah)--Buildings, structures, etc.--History--Sources |
