Scope and Content Note
The papers of Robert Lansing (1864-1928) span the years 1831-1959, with the bulk of the material concentrated in the period 1914-1920. The collection chiefly concerns his service as counselor for the Department of State (1914-1915) and as secretary of state (1915-1920). It focuses on World War I, Lansing's participation in the American commission to negotiate peace at Paris and the gradual rift between him and President Woodrow Wilson, which eventually culminated in his resignation in 1920, the sinking of the steamship Lusitania by the German navy (1915), the Mexican revolution (1910-1920), the arming of merchantmen in World War I, the Irish War of Independence (1910-1920), the 1916 purchase of the Danish West Indies (now the United States Virgin Islands), relations with China and Japan, and Latin America and the proposed Pan American Pact. Papers of a personal nature concern Lansing's participation in private legal cases involving international law and his activity in domestic politics. The collection is organized into eight series: Chronological File, Private Memoranda, Desk Diaries and Notes, Correspondence, North Atlantic Coast Fisheries, Speeches and Writings, Scrapbooks (Oversize), and 2024 Addition.
The Chronological File includes the bulk of Lansing's correspondence as well as memoranda, reports, and other material. The Private Memoranda includes personal accounts of cabinet meetings, character sketches and impressions of men with whom he dealt, and detailed descriptions of the 1919 peace conference negotiations. The Desk Diaries contain notations on Lansing's activities and, during periods when he was abroad, include more descriptive and personal entries. The Correspondence series supplements the Chronological File and consists mainly of letters between Lansing and his hometown attorney and colleague Frederick M. Boyer. Miscellaneous correspondence includes family letters as well as letters from important individuals. The North Atlantic Coast Fisheries series relates to Lansing's arbitration at The Hague in 1910. The Speeches and Writings contains two drafts of books, including War Memoirs of Robert Lansing, which contains material not contained in the published edition as well as speeches and miscellaneous writings. The Scrapbooks, comprising all the oversize material in the collection, cover a wide range of Lansing's activities, including his marriage and articles written about him after his death.
Robert Lansing was an avocational artist, working in watercolor, pencil, and ink. The 2024 Addition includes examples of his artwork as well as correspondence, drafts of articles, and drafts of lectures he gave before groups such as women's fortnightly clubs and local historical societies.
Significant correspondents in the papers include Chandler P. Anderson, William Jennings Bryan, James Bryce Bryce, John W. Davis, J. M. Dickinson, Allen Welsh Dulles, John Foster Dulles, Abram I. Elkus, John Watson Foster, Paul Fuller, James Watson Gerard, John Grier Hibben, Cone Johnson, J. J. Jusserand, V. K. Wellington Koo, Franklin K. Lane, Henry Cabot Lodge, Wayne MacVeagh, Thomas R. Marshall, Alexander Meiklejohn, John Bassett Moore, Henry Morgenthau, William Phillips, Frank L. Polk, L. S. Rowe, Elihu Root, James Brown Scott, Edward North Smith, William Joel Stone, Seymour Van Santvoord, Brand Whitlock, Woodrow Wilson, and Lester Hood Woolsey.