William T. Golden papers, 1946-2008

Summary Information

Abstract

Correspondence, articles, clippings, reports and memos related to William T. Golden's professional career.

At a Glance

Call No.:
MS#1508
Bib ID:
7401114 View CLIO record
Creator(s):
Golden, William T., 1909-2007
Repository:
Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Physical Description:
33 linear feet (30 record cartons; 6 document boxes; 2 cassette boxes; 1 folder in a mapcase 15-H-11)
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 offsite. You will need to request this material from the Rare Book and Manuscript Library 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, articles, clippings, reports and memos related to William T. Golden's professional career.

  • Series I: Alphabetical Files, 1947-2007

    The alphabetical files series comprises the bulk of the collection and contains Golden's files related to all aspects of his professional work, including records related to the many boards and advisory councils on which he sat, including the Carnegie Institute of Washington, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Museum of Natural History. These files include correspondence, reports, and related files. The series also includes records relating to the Black Rock Forest Consortium, which Golden founded.

  • Series II: Biographical Files, 1979-2008

    The Biographical Material series consists of articles and press clippings about William T. Golden, as well as honors and awards he received over the course of his career.

  • Series III: Truman Administration Files, 1946-1951

    The Truman Administration Files relate to Golden's work with the Truman Administration, and in particular as the assistant to Lewis L. Strauss, a Commissioner of the Atomic Energy Commission.

  • Series IV: Addition, 2019

    Gift of Pam Golden

    Files; photographs; prints; oral histories/interviews transcripts; cassettes; and books.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in 4 series.

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 offsite. You will need to request this material from the Rare Book and Manuscript Library 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); Name of Collection; Box and Folder (if known); 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

2009.2010.M035: Source of acquisition--William Golden. Method of acquisition--Gift; Date of acquisition--09/23/2009.

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Processing Information

Papers processed Rohan Jolly 12/05/2012.

Finding aid written Carrie Hintz 12/10/2012.

Revision Description

2012-12-11 xml document instance created by Carrie Hintz

2019-05-20 EAD was imported spring 2019 as part of the ArchivesSpace Phase II migration.

2019-07-24 2019 addition processed by Patrick Lawlor

Biographical Note

William T. Golden was a securies analyst, a philanthropist and a main architect of American science policy in the 20th century. Both his philanthropic and policy work focused on supporting scientific research both through government research agencies and policies, and nonprofit scientific and research institutions.

William T. Golden was born on Oct. 25, 1909, in Manhattan. He attended the University of Pennsylvania as a young man, earning a bachelor's degree in English in 1930, and then heading to Harvard Business School. After leaving Harvard, Golden returned to New York City where he worked as a securities analyst on Wall Street. The work proved sufficiently lucrative to allow Golden to build a second career as a philanthropist and architect of American scientific policy.

He was an advisor to President Harry S. Truman and originated the idea of a Science Advisor to the President, as position that was created in 1957 at his suggestion. Golden was a major force in creating the major government agencies that manage U.S. scientific research and policy; he was instrumental in organizing the National Science Foundation and acted as assistant to one of the Commissioners of the Atomic Energy Commission. In 1991 he, as co-chairman of the Carnegie Commission on Science, Technology and Government, inaugurated a series of biannual meetings of science advisors from the G7 nations.

Though Golden was an important force in encouraging a stronger role for the federal government in scientific research, he was also actively involved in research and philanthropy in the private sphere. He sat on the board of organizations as diverse as the American Museum of Natural History and the National U.S. Radiator Corporation. He served on the board of trustees for the Carnegie Institute of Washington, now the Carnegie Institution for Science, for 28 years.

Golden retained his passion for knowledge throughout his life. He returned to school in 1979, at age 70, to earn a Master's degree in biology from Columbia University, and published books and articles on scientific policy throughout most of his life. He died in 2007 at the age of 97.

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.

All links open new windows.

Genre/Form
Articles CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID
Clippings (Information Artifacts) CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID
Correspondence CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID
Reports CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID
Name
American Association for the Advancement of Science CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID
American Museum of Natural History CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID
Carnegie Commission on Science, Technology, and Government CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID
Carnegie Institution of Washington CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID
Einstein, Albert, 1879-1955 CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID
Truman, Harry S., 1884-1972 CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID