Collection inventory

Summary
Creator:	Crafer, T. W. B.
Title:	Thomas Woodside Bentley Crafer Papers
Dates:	1894-1948
Size:	3 boxes (3 linear feet)
Abstract:	The Thomas Woodside Bently Crafer Papers contain notebooks, lecture notes, photographs, postcards, correspondence and other materials relating to his education and career as a professor.
Language:	English
Repository:	University Archives, Special Collections Research Center Syracuse University Libraries 222 Waverly Ave., Suite 600 Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center/university-archives

Biography

Thomas Woodside Bentley Crafer (1872-1962) taught economics and served as the chair of the Economics Department at Syracuse University for 22 years.

Thomas W. B. Crafer was born on May 24, 1872 in Provincetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada to John Edmund Crafer and Sarah Woodside. He received his first college diploma from Mayville Normal School, North Dakota. He earned a Bachelor of Laws from Boston University in 1899 and was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar. Shortly after, he enrolled in the University of North Dakota and received a Bachelor of Arts in 1906. Crafer continued his education and received a Master of Arts from the University of Wisconsin in 1908 and another from Harvard University in 1909. He then returned to the University of Wisconsin and received his Ph.D. in economics in 1910.

After Crafer graduated from the University of Wisconsin he taught at Middlebury College until 1911. From 1911 to 1913 he taught at the University of Pittsburgh, followed by Laurence College where he served as Chair of Economics until 1920.

Crafer came to Syracuse University as the chairman of the Department of Economics in 1920. When he joined the faculty of the College of Liberal Arts his department consisted of one instructor besides himself, Lloyd Sweeting. Over the course of 20 years the department grew to nine faculty members. In honor of Crafer’s 20th anniversary at the University, the economics faculty members and several of his former students orchestrated a dinner party and presented him with a portrait painted by Robert Goodnough to be donated to the University. In addition, the Thomas W. B. Crafer Scholarship Fund was established to aid aspiring economics students. Having laid the foundations for the current economics department in the Maxwell School, Crafer retired from teaching as professor emeritus in 1942.

Thomas Crafer had married Nellie H. Latimer in 1913. Together they raised two sons from her previous marriage, James Robert Showalter and John L. Showalter.

Thomas W. B. Crafer died on December 25, 1962.

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Scope and Content Note

The Thomas Woodside Bentley Crafer Papers span 1894 to 1948 and are divided into four series.

The Education Series consists of materials from Crafer’s education at Boston University, the University of North Dakota, and the University of Wisconsin. The majority of the materials are notebooks and notes from law and economics classes. There are also several papers written by Crafer, including his dissertation from the University of Wisconsin.

The Personal Materials Series includes items relating to Crafer’s wife and sons. There are photographs, notebooks, and school papers. In addition there is correspondence to Crafer and his wife after the death of their son James Robert Showalter while he was serving in the armed forces during World War II.

The Syracuse University Series consists of correspondence pertaining to the Department of Economics. In addition there are lectures, lecture notes, student papers, and monographs written by T. W. B. Crafer. There are also several photographs of Syracuse University buildings from the 1930's.

The items in the Teaching Materials Outside of Syracuse University Series consist primarily of lecture notes as well as student papers and other related materials from Crafer’s teaching career at the University of Pittsburgh, Laurence College, and the American Institute of Banking.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

Please note that the collection is housed off-site, and advance notice is required to allow time to have the materials brought to the Reading Room on campus.

Use Restrictions

Written permission must be obtained from University Archives,
Special Collections Research Center
Syracuse University Libraries and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

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Related Material

The Archives holds a clipping file on Thomas Woodside Bentley Crafer.

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Selected Search Terms

Names

Subjects

Types of material

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Thomas Woodside Bentley Crafer Papers,
University Archives,
Special Collections Research Center
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

There is no information pertaining to the Archives' acquisition of the Crafer Papers.

Processing Information

All materials were placed in acid-free folders and boxes.

Finding Aid Information

Created by: Kyle C. Wilson
Date: 2007
Revision history: Processed and converted to EAD by Zachary Burnham, 2013.

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Arrangement

The items are arranged in alphabetical order within series.

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Inventory

	Education
		Boston University
Box 1			Law School Notes 1899
Box 1			Notebook: Law School—Dakota Constitution 1898-1899
Box 1			Notebook: Law School—Easements 1899
Box 1			Notebook: Law School—Equity 1898-1899
Box 1			Notebook: Law School—Equity Jurisprudence Vol. I 1898
Box 1			Notebook: Law School—Equity Jurisprudence Vol. II 1898
Box 1			Notebook: Law School—Equity Jurisprudence Vol. III 1899
Box 1			Notebook: Law School—Equity Jurisprudence Vol. IV 1899
Box 1			Notebook: Law School—Greek and Latin Exercises 1894
Box 1			Notebook: Law School—Lectures on Massachusetts Practice 1894
Box 1			Notebook: Law School—Male Heirs undated
Box 1			Notebook: Law School—National Life and Character undated
Box 1			Notebook: Law School—Partnerships 1899
Box 1			Notebook: Law School—Railroads and Corporations 1898
Box 1			Notebook: Law School—Real Property 1898-1899 (3 folders)
Box 1			Notebook: Law School—Recitations and Contracts 1897-1898
Box 1			Notebook: Law School—Rent undated
Box 1			Notebook: Law School—Writ of Protection 1898-1899
			Unidentified Paper—International Relations undated
		University of North Dakota
Box 2			Notebook: Economics 1906
Box 2			Notebook: Political Economy—Woman’s Studies 1907
Box 2			Notebooks: American History, Applied Sociology 1906
Box 2			Notes—Irish Economics undated
		University of Wisconsin
Box 2			“Comparative Study of the Efficience of Organization of the Glass Bottle Blowers’ Association of the United States and Canada and the Amalgamated Glass Workers’ International Association of America” 1908
Box 2			Crafer’s Doctoral Thesis—"The Administration of Public Poor Relief in Wisconsin and Minnesota: A Comparative Study" 1910 (2 folders)
Box 2			Notebook: Collateral Readings circa 1910
Box 2			Notebook: Economic History 1908 (2 folders)
Box 2			Notes—Economics 1910
Box 2			Notes: Economics—Theory of Diminishing Returns circa 1910
Box 2			Notes on Index Cards 1908
Box 2			Notes—Political Science 1910
Box 2			"The Zuni Indians" circa 1908

	Personal Materials
Box 2		Child Conservation League of America 1916
Box 2		City Bank Trust Co. Checkbook 1925
Box 2		Elbs, John G.—Correspondence 1924
MC 0-3		Fullwinder, P., and Crafer, T. W. B.—Let the Starry Flag Advance: Patriotic Song 1918
Box 2		“Great or Near Great Utterances of Noted Americans” undated
Box 2		Showalter, James Robert, and Showalter, John L.—Portrait Photographs undated
Box 2		Showalter, James Robert: Death of—Correspondence 1942-1948 (3 folders)
Box 2		Showalter, James Robert—Notebook 1921
Box 2		Showalter, John L.—Appleton High School Basketball Photograph April 17, 1920
Box 2		Showalter, John L.—Correspondence 1922-1924
Box 2		Showalter, John L.—Personal Items 1922
Box 2		Wisconsin Club—Photographs and Photograph Negatives undated
MC 1-4		18th Wisconsin Older Boys’ Conference—Group Photograph November 26, 1920-November 28, 1920

	Syracuse University
Box 2		Bulletins 1934-1935
Box 2		Class Assignment List 1920
Box 2		Correspondence 1920-1942
Box 2		Economics 117—Lectures undated
Box 2		Law and Economics Lecture Notes—Trust Estates undated
Box 3		Lecture Notes—Immigration undated
Box 3		Newspapers—Daily Orange, Syracuse Herald, Vital Speeches 1936 1938 1936
Box 3		Notes—18th Amendment undated
Box 3		Notes on Shakespeare, Newspapers Articles, Poems, and Quotes 1931-1934
Box 3		Student Papers 1922 (2 folders)
Box 3		Syracuse University Photographs 1930's
Box 3		Unidentified Monograph undated (2 folders)
Box 3		Unidentified Monograph—Second Part undated
Box 3		Zeta Phi—Gamma Chapter 1924

	Teaching Materials Outside of Syracuse University
		American Institute of Banking
Box 3			Commercial Law 1930
Box 3			Commercial Law Quiz Questions 1930
		Laurence College
Box 3			Lecture—Business Law undated
Box 3			Rolleston, T. W.—Ireland and Poland: A Comparative Study 1917
Box 3			Student Papers circa 1917
Box 3			“The Race Problem: Its Origins and Solutions” 1914
Box 3			The Survey March 21, 1914
Box 3			University of Chicago Bulletin of Information 1916
		University of Pittsburgh
Box 3			Correspondence and Newspaper Clippings 1911
Box 3			Economic Survey undated
Box 3			Lecture Notes—Ancient Cultures undated
Box 3			Lecture Notes—Classes of Bonds undated
Box 3			Lecture Notes—Corporation undated
Box 3			Lecture Notes—Corporation Finance undated
Box 3			Lecture Notes—Economic History undated
Box 3			Lecture Notes—Economic Law undated
Box 3			Lecture Notes—Negro Question undated
Box 3			Lecture Notes—Patent System 1911
Box 3			Lecture Notes—Readings in Sociology undated
Box 3			Lecture Notes—Sociology, Sphere of Economics 1911
Box 3			Lecture Notes—Transportation undated
Box 3			University of Pittsburg Spring Term Schedule 1912
Box 3			Ziegler, Mildred S.—Student Notebook undated

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