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O'Brien Family Papers

An inventory of their papers at the Syracuse University Archives


Finding aid created by: Tim Carter
Date: 2016



Biography

D. Charles O'Brien, Class of 1912, his brother William H. O'Brien, Class of 1917, and his sister Margaret L. O'Brien, Class of 1918, were students at Syracuse University.

D. Charles O'Brien (1889-1966) studied classics and economics at Syracuse University. He went on to study law at Columbia University, graduated in 1914, and began practicing near his hometown of Baldwinsville, New York. Other than leaving briefly to serve in World War I, Charles O'Brien worked as a lawyer for nearly fifty years until he retired in 1964. In addition to being a lawyer, he was also elected Democratic Chairman of the town of Lysander.

Margaret L. O'Brien (1896-1990) studied English, French, and pedagogy at Syracuse University and performed in plays for the rest of the student body as part of the English Club. She was accepted into the Phi Beta Kappa honor society in 1918. In 1919, she was offered a position at a school in New York Mills, New York. Later, she served as secretary for her brother Charles O'Brien and for a brief time served as postmistress for the town of Baldwinsville.

William H. O'Brien (1894-1965) studied at Syracuse University College of Law. He worked as the postmaster in his hometown of Baldwinsville, New York from 1936 to 1948.


Scope and Content Note

The O'Brien Family Papers range from 1908 to 1990, with the bulk of the collection ranging from 1908 to 1920 when they were students. The collection is arranged into three series:

Materials related to D. Charles O'Brien include coursework, class schedules, brochures about Syracuse University, and notebooks.

Materials related to Margaret L. O'Brien include her coursework, certificates, member cards, notices from the Registrar, and notebooks, as well as publications, newspaper clippings, and the by-laws of Phi Beta Kappa.

Materials related to William H. O'Brien include a holiday greeting from Syracuse University.


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 the Syracuse University Archives and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.


Related Material

The University Archives holds clipping files for D. Charles O'Brien, Margaret L. O'Brien, and William H. O'Brien.


Selected Search Terms

Names

O'Brien, D. Charles.
O'Brien, Margaret L.
O'Brien, William H.
Phi Beta Kappa.
Syracuse University -- Alumni and alumnae.
Syracuse University -- History.
Syracuse University.

Subjects

College students.
Higher education.

Types of Material

Notebooks.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

O'Brien Family Papers,
University Archives,
Special Collections Research Center
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of Lynn Wilder Cooney in 2002.

Processing Information

Materials were rehoused in acid-free folders.


Arrangement

Folders are arranged alphabetically within each series.


Table of Contents

Charles O'Brien

Margaret L. O'Brien

William H. O'Brien


Inventory