Scope and Content Note
The papers of George Kennan (1845-1924) span the years 1840-1937 and consists of correspondence, family letters, notes and notebooks, articles, diaries, journals, clippings, lecture material, printed matter, memorabilia, autobiographical and biographical material, photographs, and maps. The collection is particularly detailed for Czarist Russia and Siberia, where Kennan made extensive explorations and prepared studies on social conditions, the prisons, and the exile system. Other materials deal with travels and events in Japan, Korea, Cuba, the Caucasus, Arctic regions, and Martinique (where Kennan reported the Mont Pelée eruption of 1902). Included are studies of the flowers of Nova Scotia, papers concerning the Alexander Graham Bell family, and correspondence of Kennan's wife, Emeline Rathbone Weld Kennan. Among the correspondents in the papers are Ekaterina Konstantinovna Breshko-Breshkovskai︠a︡, Robert Lansing, Walter Hines Page, Theodore Roosevelt, S. Stepniak, F. Volkhovskīĭ, and Stephen Wise.
The collection is organized into eight series: Correspondence; Diaries, Journals, and Notebooks; Notes File; Lecture Materials and Articles; Newspaper Clippings; Printed Matter; Miscellany; and Addition.
Dates
- Creation: 1840-1937
Language of Materials
Collection material in English and Russian
Access and Restrictions
The papers of George Kennan are open to research. Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use.
Copyright Status
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of George Kennan is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.).
Biographical Note
Biographical Note
- 1845, Feb. 16
- Born, Norwalk, Ohio
- 1863 - 1864
- Telegraph operator, later manager of Western Union Office, Cincinnati, Ohio
- 1865
- Traveled to northeast Siberia as explorer and telegraphic engineer
- 1866 - 1868
- Construction superintendent, Middle Division, Russo-American Telegraph Co.
- 1870 - 1871
- Explored the Caucasus region
- 1870
- Published Tent Life in Siberia; and Adventures Among the Koraks and Other Tribes in Kamtchatka and Northern Asia . New York: G. P. Putnam & Sons
- 1877 - 1885
- Assistant manager, Associated Press, Washington, D.C.
- 1879
- Married Emeline Rathbone Weld
- 1885 - 1886
- Commissioned by Roswell Smith, president of Century Co,, to visit Russia and make a study of the prisons in Siberia, accompanied by the American artist, George A. Frost
- 1891
- Published Siberia and the Exile System . New York: Century
- 1898
- Correspondent for Outlook in Cuba during the Spanish-American War
- 1899
- Published Campaigning in Cuba . New York: Century
- 1902
- Correspondent for Outlook in Martinique to study volcano Mont Pelée
- Published The Tragedy of Pelée; A Narrative of Personal Experience and Observation in Martinique . New York: Outlook
- 1904
- Correspondent for Outlook in Japan to report on the Russo-Japanese War
- 1907
- On staff, McClure's Magazine
- 1909
- On staff, Outlook
- 1915
- Published A Russian Comedy of Errors, with Other Stories and Sketches of Russian Life . New York: Century
- 1916
- Published The Chicago and Alton Case; A Misunderstood Transaction . Garden City, N.Y.: Country Life Press
- 1917
- Published E. H. Harriman's Far Eastern Plans . Garden City, N.Y.: Country Life Press
- 1922
- Published E. H. Harriman: A Biography . Boston: Houghton Mifflin
- 1924, May 10
- Died, Medina, N.Y.
Extent
60,000 items
137 containers
54.8 linear feet
Abstract
Explorer, author, journalist, and lecturer. Correspondence, family letters, notes and notebooks, articles, diaries, journals, clippings, lecture material, printed matter, memorabilia, autobiographical and biographical material, photographs, and maps relating particularly to Czarist Russia and Siberia, where Kennan made extensive explorations and prepared studies on social conditions, prisons, and the exile system.
Arrangement of the Papers
This collection is arranged in eight series:
Additional Guides
A card index compiled by Kennan of the Numbered Notes File in the collection is available in the Manuscript Reading Room.
Catalog Record
Acquisition Information
The papers of George Kennan, explorer, journalist, and author were given to the Library of Congress by Kennan in 1903 and by his wife, Emeline Weld Kennan, from 1925 to 1937. An addition was purchased in 1969.
Online Content
Selected notebooks from of the George Kennan Papers are available on the Library of Congress Web site at https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/collmss.ms000109.
Transfers
Items have been transferred from the Manuscript Division to other custodial divisions of the Library. Photographs, prints, and drawings have been transferred to the Prints and Photographs Division. Maps have been transferred to the Geography and Map Division. All transfers are identified in these divisions as part of the George Kennan Papers.
Processing History
The Kennan Papers were processed in 1951 and expanded in 1973. The finding aid was revised in 2013.
Source
- Kennan, George, 1845-1924 (Creator, Person)
Subject
- Bell family. (Family)
- Bell, Alexander Graham, 1847-1922. (Person)
- Breshko-Breshkovskai︠a︡, Ekaterina Konstantinovna, 1844-1934--Correspondence. (Person)
- Kennan family--Correspondence. (Family)
- Kennan family. (Family)
- Kennan, Emeline Rathbone Weld, 1854-1940--Correspondence. (Person)
- Kennan, George, 1845-1924. (Person)
- Lansing, Robert, 1864-1928--Correspondence. (Person)
- Page, Walter Hines, 1855-1918--Correspondence. (Person)
- Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919--Correspondence. (Person)
- Stepniak, S., 1851-1895--Correspondence. (Person)
- Volkhovskīĭ, F. (Feliks), 1846-1914--Correspondence. (Person)
- Wise, Stephen S. (Stephen Samuel), 1874-1949--Correspondence. (Person)
Geographic
- Arctic regions--Description and travel.
- Arctic regions--History.
- Caucasus--Description and travel.
- Caucasus--History.
- Cuba--Description and travel.
- Cuba--History.
- Japan--Description and travel.
- Japan--History.
- Korea--Description and travel.
- Korea--History.
- Martinique--Description and travel.
- Martinique--History.
- Pelée, Mount (Martinique)--Eruption, 1902.
- Russia--Discovery and exploration.
- Russia--History--1801-1917.
- Russia--Social conditions--1801-1917.
- Siberia (Russia)--Discovery and exploration.
Occupation
Topical
- Title
- George Kennan Papers
- Subtitle
- A Finding Aid to the Collection in the Library of Congress
- Author
- Prepared by Manuscript Division Staff
- Date
- 2013
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Part of the Manuscript Division Repository
Manuscript Reading Room
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James Madison Building, LM 101
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