Collection inventory

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Paul H. Appleby Papers

An inventory of his papers at the Syracuse University Archives

Finding aid created by: Matthew Isom
Date: 2014

Revision history:
Nov 2022	folder added and style changes made (HVA)

Biography

Paul H. Appleby (1891-1963) was an American expert in the field of public administration and a dean of the Maxwell Graduate School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.

Appeby was born on September 13, 1891 in Green County, Missouri. He graduated from Grinnell University in Iowa with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1913 and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the same institution in 1942. Appleby also received an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree from Wayne State University in 1962. After earning his bachelor's degree, Appleby worked in journalism for a number of different publications. He edited weekly newspapers in Montana, Iowa, and Minnesota until 1920, edited the Iowa Magazine between 1920 and 1924 and worked as an editorial writer on the Des Moines Register and Tribune until 1928. That year, Appleby moved to Virginia, where he edited two weekly newspapers.

Appleby had always been interested in the public workings of the government and went on to invest fifteen years of his life to federal service. In 1933, he became executive assistant to Secretary of Agriculture Henry A. Wallace. He went on to become the Under-Secretary of Agriculture in 1940. Appleby worked with Great Britain as chief of food missions during 1941 and 1942, where he studied and made recommendations about food production, rationing and distribution. From 1941 to 1943, he was chairman of the first International Wheat Conference and then the International Wheat Council. He became a member of the American delegation to the United Nations Conference on Food and Agriculture in 1943. In 1946, Appleby served as a special assistant and eventually Director of the Bureau of the Budget, a task for which President Harry Truman personally thanked him when Appleby left government service.

From 1947 to 1956, Appleby was Dean of the Maxwell Graduate School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. During that time, he was a special consultant on public administrative problems for the Indian government, an endeavor funded by the Ford Foundation. Appleby also served as Director of the Budget of the State of New York under Governor W. Averell Harriman. His work and expertise with public administration helped make the Maxwell School and Syracuse University one of the most respected institutions in the field.

Appleby's experience enabled him to write numerous reports, speeches, articles and publications, many of which were considered highly influential in the field of public administration. He wrote four books on the subject: Big Democracy (1947), Policy and Administration (1949), Morality and Administration (1952), and Citizens as Sovereigns (1962). Constantly connected and up-to-date in the field, Appleby was a member of the American Society for Public Administration, the American Political Science Association, the National Municipal League and the Committee of the National Civil Service League.

Paul H. Appleby died in Washington, D.C. on October 21, 1963.

Scope and Content Note

The Paul H. Appleby Papers contain a variety of material dating from 1931 to 1971, but the majority of the collection involves his experience in the field of public administration. The collection has been divided into four series.

The Correspondence series is divided into General and Individual correspondence. General correspondence is composed of various personal and professional letters Appleby received throughout his career. Included are letters from his time working in various roles in the federal government and as a dean at Syracuse University; many pertain to his writings. Individual correspondence consists of letters retained by Appleby for the autographs of several notable people, including Franklin D. Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt, Adlai Stevenson and Harry Truman. There are usually only one or two letters from each person.

The Ford Foundation consultant series contains memoranda, reports, notes and publications Appleby kept while he worked in India for the Ford Foundation. There are also a number of newspaper clippings about reports he had done on public administrative reform in India.

The Subject files series has a variety of materials from Appleby's personal and professional life, including event programs, newspaper clippings, photographs, invitations and various printed material. There are a number of reference files and reports that Appleby used and created for his work in administration, as well as the transcript to an interview he had done, entitled "Reminiscences."

The Writing series consists of over forty manuscripts and notes on papers done by Appleby. There are also copies of three of his books: Citizens as Sovereigns (1962), Morality and Administration (1952) and Policy and Administration (1949).

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.

Related Material

The Archives holds a clipping file and portrait file on Paul H. Appleby. There is also a separate collection of Appleby's papers pertaining to his time as Dean of the Maxwell School at Syracuse University.

Selected Search Terms

Names

Appleby, Paul H. (Paul Henson), 1891-1963.
Syracuse University -- History.
Syracuse University.

Subjects

Education -- Administration.
Government employment.
College teachers.
Higher education.

Types of Material

Clippings (information artifacts)
Correspondence.
Photographs.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Paul H. Appleby Papers,
University Archives,
Special Collections Research Center
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Original source of acquisition in 1967 unknown. Possible gift of Ruth Appleby.

Processing Information

Materials were rehoused in acid-free folders and boxes.

Arrangement

The series and majority of material are arranged in alphabetical order. General correspondence is arranged chronologically and Individual correspondence is arranged alphabetically by last name.

Table of Contents

Correspondence

Ford Foundation consultant

Subject files

Writings

Inventory