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George Babcock Cressey Papers

An inventory of his papers at the Syracuse University Archives


Finding aid created by: David Hazel, Emily Kraft and Meg Mason
Date: 2018



Biography

George Babcock Cressey (1896-1963) was an American geographer and professor at Syracuse University.

Photograph of George Cressey riding a camel

Cressey was born on December 15, 1896 in the town of Tiffin, Ohio. In 1919 he earned a Bachelor of Science in Geology from Denison University. He attended the University of Chicago, mentored under Rollin D. Salisbury, and earned his Master of Science in Geology in 1921 and PhD in 1923.

Cressey served as Assistant Professor of Geology at the University of Shanghai from 1923 to 1929. While there, he took copious notes about the lands in which he traveled. He visited parts of twenty-eight provinces and fifteen geographic regions. The materials he collected were combined into a book initially titled The Geography of China. This draft was destroyed in the 1932 Japanese invasion of China. Cressey managed to rewrite another version under a new title, drawing both from field notes he took home as well as from memory. In 1934, McGraw-Hill Book Company published this reworked version as China's Geographic Foundations.

Cressey's profound interest with the ways humans inhabit land became the focal point for his studies. He did not abandon his previous interest in landforms and their origins but became more fascinated with observing and studying interrelations of humans and nature. He returned to the United States in 1929 to study geography at Harvard and Clark Universities, and in 1931 he earned a PhD in geography from Clark University.

Later in 1931, Syracuse University appointed Cressey chair of its Department of Geography and Geology. In 1945 the two disciplines were separated, and he was named chair of the new Department of Geography. With support from Chancellor William P. Tolley, Cressey orchestrated the creation of a center for graduate training and research in geography. He stepped down as department chair in 1951, and became the Maxwell Professor of Geography, a Distinguished Professorship.

Cressey's passion for traveling and field study resulted in the publication of ten books and roughly two hundred shorter works. During World War II, Cressey's specialized knowledge enabled him to aid the United States Army. In 1943-1944 Cressey was in China again, sent by the Department of State. He was a Fulbright Research Scholar in Iraq in 1955-1956 and a Smith-Mundt Professor in Lebanon in 1957-1958. Cressey wrote about the results of his widespread field studies in that part of the world in Crossroads: Land and Life in Southwest Asia, published in 1960.

In addition to his scholarly work, Cressey belonged to various professional organizations, including the International Geographical Union where he served as both president and vice president. He also represented the Union on the executive board of the International Council of Scientific Unions from 1949 to 1956. In addition, he was a member of the Council of the Association of American Geographers from 1947 to 1949 and honorary president of the Association in 1957. From 1952 until his death, Cressey was a member of the Council of the American Geographical Society. He was president of the Association of Asian Studies from 1959 to 1960. Cressey even found time to serve on the Presbyterian Commission on Ecumenical Relations from 1948 to 1960 and as vice-president of the organization from 1953 to 1957.

Cressey also received many awards and honors. He was a member of Sigma Xi and Phi Beta Kappa and was appointed National Visiting Scholar for the latter society from 1961 to 1962. He was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters by Denison University in 1948, and in 1952 the American Geographical Society awarded him its George Davidson Medal. In 1957 the National Council for Geographic Education presented him with its Distinguished Service Award.


Scope and Content Note

The George Babcock Cressey Papers contains information and materials regarding Cressey's professional career and personal life prior to and during his tenure as a Syracuse University faculty member. This collection consists of six series:

Correspondence is divided into two subseries. Countries includes Cressey's communication with government officials regarding honors or awards bestowed upon him and plans for visits and lectures. Also included are exchanges with international and American professors and colleagues, notably General Douglas MacArthur. Additionally, the General correspondence subseries includes book publishers, corporations, friends and family, and universities. Please note that correspondence exists in most of the other series as well.

Lectures consists of typescripts, drafts, notes, and correspondence regarding talks Cressey gave in and out of the classroom. He gave lectures for various organizations, including the Council on Foreign Relations Incorporated, LaGrange Branch Air War College, Pennsylvania State Christian Association, West Point, and Royal Canadian Institute.

Organizations contains reports, programs, meeting minutes, news clippings, publications, and correspondence with geographic organizations and union presidents. Notable examples of organizations associated with Cressey include the Association of American Geographers, International Geographical Union, and the National Committee of the United States of the International Geographical Union.

Photographic materials is divided into four subseries: Lantern slides, Negatives, Photographic prints, and Slides. These materials capture a broad spectrum of images taken during Cressey's numerous travels across the United States and overseas. Subjects include aerial photographs, topographic images, landscapes, flora and fauna, local residents, graphs, and personal images of his family, colleagues, and friends as well as Cressey himself. Please note that there are access restrictions for some materials in this series.

Publications and writings covers work authored by Cressey, including Asia's Lands and Peoples, Land of the 500 Million: A Geography of China, Crossroads: Land and Life in Southwest Asia, and Soviet Potentials: A Geographic Appraisal. There are materials associated with publishing companies as well as drafts, galley sets, book pressings with revision notes for future publications, essays, scholarly reviews, and newsletters from Syracuse University's Geology and Geography departments.

Subject files consists of a wide range of materials and topics. Cressey's research files range from New York State landforms to Asian deserts to Sequoia growth and rainfall in Jerusalem. There are also course materials, such as lesson plans and reading lists, as well as grant documentation, notebooks and notes, biographical and research data, and files on Cressey's extensive travels.


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.

Please be aware that there are restrictions to items in the Photographic materials series. Because the lantern slides are fragile and many are damaged, they are restricted. Please consult with an archivist to obtain permission to view them. Additionally, the negatives housed in Oversize 12 have been identified as possibly nitrate and have been placed in frozen storage. These items are also restricted.

Please note some materials in this collection are restricted in accordance with the Federal Educational Rights Privacy Act (FERPA).

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 Archives also contains portrait and clipping files on George Babcock Cressey.


Selected Search Terms

Names

Cressey, George Babcock, 1896-1963.
Association of American Geographers.
Ginn and Company.
International Council of Scientific Unions.
International Geographical Union.
J.B. Lippincott Company.
McGraw-Hill Book Company.
New York State Geological Association.
Syracuse University.
Syracuse University. -- Department of Geography.
Syracuse University. -- Department of Geology.
Syracuse University. -- History.

Subjects

Aerial photography in land use.
Geography -- Education.
Soviet Union -- geography.
Asia -- Geography.
China -- Geography.
College teachers.
Higher education.

Types of Material

Clippings (information artifacts)
Drafts (documents)
Galley proofs.
Lantern slides.
Manuscripts for publication.
Maps (documents)
Negatives (photographs)
Newsletters.
Notebooks.
Photographic prints.
Slides (photographs)

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

George Babcock Cressey Papers,
University Archives,
Special Collections Research Center
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of Marion C. Cressey in 1964 and Richard Cressey in 1977 and 1979.

Processing Information

The George Babcock Cressey Papers have been fully processed and housed in acid-free folders and archival boxes. Most of Cressey's original folder titles were retained.


Arrangement

Materials have been arranged alphabetically or chronologically within series.


Table of Contents

Correspondence

Lectures

Organizations

Photographic materials

Publications and writings

Subject files


Inventory