Scope and Content Note
The papers of Robert W. Bonynge (1863-1939) span the years 1881-1939, with the bulk of the material dating from 1902 to 1939. The majority of the collection comprises ten scrapbooks containing newspaper clippings, correspondence, awards, and ephemera. These scrapbooks chiefly document Bonynge's political career in Colorado, including his term in the Colorado House of Representatives, his unsuccessful campaigns for the United States House of Representatives in 1900 and 1908, and the scandals of his successful 1902 campaign. The scrapbooks also illustrate Bonynge's work on the National Monetary Commission, his lifelong affiliation with the Republican Party, and his legal career, most notably the fifteen years he served as counsel and United States agent to the Mixed Claims Commission, formed as a result of the Treaty of Berlin. In this role, he defended American claims against Germany to compensate for loss of American life and property during World War I. The most famous of these claims, the Black Tom Explosion case, features prominently in both the later scrapbooks and in the Mixed Claims Commission file. The collection also includes photographs of Bonynge and his trips to Europe during his time on the commission. The papers are primarily in English, with some German.