John B. Oakes papers, 1912-2005
Summary Information
At a Glance
- Call No.:
- MS#0939
- Bib ID:
- 5505398 View CLIO record
- Creator(s):
- Oakes, John B (John Bertram), 1913-2001
- Repository:
- Rare Book and Manuscript Library
- Physical Description:
- 52.50 linear feet (115 manuscript boxes 10 flat boxes)
- Language(s):
- English .
- Access:
- You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.
-
This collection is located off-site. You will need to request this material at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.
This collection has no restrictions.
Description
Summary
Correspondence, manuscripts, speeches, scrapbooks, and printed materials of John B. Oakes, a prominent journalist and editor, who for many years editied the New York Times editorial page.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged into 8 series.
- Series I: Cataloged Correspondence
- Series II: Arranged Correspondence
- Subseries II.1: Personal Correspondence Special Files
- Subseries II.2: New York Times Correspondence
- Subseries II.3: New York Times Op-Ed Correspondence
- Subseries II.4: General Correspondence
- Subseries II.5: Personal Correspondence
- Subseries II.6: Family and Personal
- Subseries II.7: Correspondence and Interview
- Series III: Arranged Subject Files
- Subseries III.1: New York Times General Files
- Subseries III.2: Biographical Material: Education
- Subseries III.3: Biographical Material: Military Service
- Subseries III.4: Biographical Material: Documents, Diaries, Datebooks, and Notebooks
- Subseries III.5: Biographical Material: Photographs and ID Cards
- Subseries III.6: Clubs, Awards, Honors, Etc.
- Subseries III.7: Family Papers
- Subseries III.8: Family Papers: Ochs/Talimer Papers
- Series IV: Writings
- Subseries IV.1: New York Times Op-Ed Articles and Responses
- Subseries IV.2: Editorial Books
- Subseries IV.3: Printed
- Subseries IV.4: Foreign Travel and Related Article
- Subseries IV.5: Book Reviews and Opinon
- Subseries IV.6: Rhodes Sscholar Essays
- Subseries IV.7: Interviews/Research For Writings
- Subseries IV.8: JBO The New York Times Magazine Articles
- Series V: Speeches and Memorials
- Series VI: Printed Material
- Subseries VI.1: Magazines
- Subseries VI.2: Unsorted Clippings
- Subseries VI.3: Books and Magazines
- Subseries VI.4: Writings Of Others
- Series VII: Scrapbooks
- Series VIII: Related Material
Using the Collection
Restrictions on Access
You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.
This collection is located off-site. You will need to request this material at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.
This collection has no restrictions.
Terms Governing Use and Reproduction
Reproductions may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.
Preferred Citation
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); John B. Oakes papers; Box and Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.
Accruals
Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. Contact rbml@columbia.edu for more information.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
2002-2003-M16: Source of acquisition--John Oakes. Method of acquisition--Gift; Date of acquisition--12/12/02.
Gift of John Oakes, 12 December 2002.
About the Finding Aid / Processing Information
Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Processing Information
Papers processed Alyssa Nicole Meyers 11/2005.
Revision Description
2010-02-18 Legacy finding aid created from Pro Cite.
2019-05-20 EAD was imported spring 2019 as part of the ArchivesSpace Phase II migration.
Biographical / Historical
John B. Oakes (April 13, 1913-April 23, 2001), journalist, editor, and environmentalist was born in Philadelphia in 1913 to George Washington Ochs-Oakes and Bertie Gans Ochs. He attended Princeton University and studied at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. Following graduation, he started as a reporter on the Trenton Times and the Trenton State Gazette, and in 1937, joined the staff of the Washington Post as a police reporter, but quickly moved to covering both houses of Congress. He was drafted into the Army in 1941 and served in the Office of Strategic Services as a member of a team controlling German double agents in Europe. For this work, John Oakes received the Bronze Star, the Croix de Guerre and the Order of the British Empire. On his return to the United States in 1945, he married Margery Hartman and took a position with the New York Times, of which his uncle, Adolph Ochs, was owner and publisher. He started as a reporter and writer for the "Review of the Week" section of the Times and rose to the position of editor. In 1949, John Oakes joined the Editorial Board of the New York Times, where he became known for his interest in civil and human rights, environmentalism, and his opposition to McCarthyism and the Vietnam War. He succeeded Charles Merz as editor of the editorial page in 1961, winning the George Polk Award in 1966. He proposed and oversaw the creation of the New York Times Op-Ed page in 1970, which was the first contemporary Op-Ed page in the nation, featuring signed opinion columns designed to run opposite the paper's official (and unsigned) editorials. He was forced to leave his position as editor of the editorial page in 1976 over a dispute concerning the Times' endorsement of Daniel Patrick Moynihan in the Democratic primary; the publisher, Arthur Hayes Sulzberger, endorsed Moynihan over Oakes's objections. He continued as a contributor to the Op-Ed page into the mid-1990s, particularly focusing on environmental issues.
Subject Headings
The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches for other collections at Columbia University, through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, and through ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.
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