Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
The papers of Clare Boothe Luce, author, editor, playwright, journalist, member of Congress, and diplomat, were donated to the Library of Congress beginning in 1956, with additional deposits, gifts, and bequests made by Luce from 1957 to 1989. A gift of one item was made by Henry Luce III in 2000 and four items of correspondence were given to the Library in 2010 by Holly Cumberland. An additon to the papers was given in 2015 by Luce's personal secretary, Lola Sybil Cooper.
Processing History
Portions of the Clare Boothe Luce Papers spanning the years 1930-1951 have been available for research with the donor's permission since 1957. Additional material covering the period 1951-1968 was arranged as a separate segment and made available with the donor's permission in 1958 and again in 1970. The current arrangement of the Luce Papers is a 1992 revision of the previous segments and includes material received since 1971. The collection was processed by Nan Thompson Ernst with the assistance of Joseph K. Brooks, Paul Colton, Patricia Craig, Michael W. Giese, Patrick Holyfield, Lisa Madison, Margaret Martin, Brian McGuire, Scott McLemee, Susie H. Moody, John Monagle, Andrew M. Passett, Thelma Queen, Sara Schoo and Robert A. Vietrogoski. Subsequent changes and additions, including the opening of a portion closed until 1997, were made 1997-2000, and the finding aid as a whole was revised in 2003 with further revisions revised and and expanded by Nan Thompson Ernst with the assistance of Chanté Flowers in 2016. Material donated in 2015 was organized as an addition to the papers in 2016. Restrictions were removed in 2022 and a Formerly Restricted series created.
Transfers
Items have been transferred from the Manuscript Division to other custodial divisions of the Library. Some photographs, pen and ink drawings of political cartoons, theatrical posters and prints have been transferred to the Prints and Photographs Division, and an inventory of this material is available in their finding aid. Motion picture films and sound and video recordings have been transferred to the Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division. All transfers are identified in these divisions as part of the Clare Boothe Luce Papers.
Microfilm
A microfilm edition of part of these papers is available on forty-one reels. Consult reference staff in the Manuscript Division concerning availability for purchase or interlibrary loan. To promote preservation of the originals, researchers are required to consult the microfilm edition as available.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Container or reel number, Clare Boothe Luce Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.