George W. Peavy Papers, 1904-1955
Peavy, George Wilcox, 1869-1951
.77 cubic feet

Scope and Content Note
The Peavy Papers document the professional and civic activities of George W. Peavy, who served as the first Dean of Forestry (1913-1940) and President (1932-1940) of Oregon State College.

The collection is organized into 5 series: I. Correspondence; II. Ephemera; III. Notebooks; IV. Speeches and Articles; and V. Photographs. Folders are arranged chronologically within the series. Series I includes personal and official correspondence spanning the years 1934-1951 relating to Peavy's service as dean of the School of Forestry and president of Oregon State College. Correspondence relating to the Oregon State Board of Forestry, forestry-related topics, and civic affairs comprise a large portion of this series. Series II contains assorted ephemera including Peavy's 1905 University of Michigan diploma, news clippings, honorary degrees and awards. Series III contains nine notebooks of research field notes and forest surveys. Eight of these date from 1904-1914 (primarily from Peavy's work with the U.S. Forest Service) and one is from 1947-1950 that consists of speech notes, forestry students, and other lists. The two diaries in the collection contain annotated appointment schedules spanning the years 1908-1909. Articles written by George Peavy and presentations given, including KOAC radio programs, are contained in Series IV. These cover a wide-range of topics relating to the nation's forests, forest conservation, forest policies, the political situation during the 1930s and 1940s, and Oregon State College. Series V contains photographs, including one of Peavy, circa 1940, and a reproduction of an early image of Benton Hall.

Biographical Note
George Wilcox Peavy was born 12 November 1869 in Howell , Michigan . He received his Bachelor's degree in Liberal Arts at the University of Michigan . After graduation he served five years as a high school principal, teaching history and economics. During this time he became aware of the importance of national forests and enrolled in the Master of Science program in Forestry at his alma mater. After receiving his Masters of Science degree in Forestry in 1905, he entered the United States Forest Service, during which time he traveled throughout the United States and Europe , observing and writing about forestry use and practices.

In 1910 Peavy was selected to become the head of the newly created Department of Forestry at Oregon Agricultural College . In 1911, he became a member of the Oregon State Board of Forestry and served as director from 1932-1941. In 1913, the OAC Forestry Department was designated as the School of Forestry and George W. Peavy was appointed the first Dean. In 1932 he was appointed acting President of Oregon State College and in 1934 became President. In 1936, he was awarded honorary Doctoral degrees by both the University of Michigan and Willamette University . In 1940, Peavy was appointed Dean Emeritus and President Emeritus of Oregon State College. In 1947, Peavy was elected mayor of Corvallis , Oregon and served in that capacity until his death on 24 June 1951 .


Related Materials
Materials relating to George W. Peavy and the School of Forestry can be found in the President's Office (RG 13); Forestry Club (RG 39); College of Forestry (RG 139) Records; and various College of Forestry publications. Photographs can be found in the Presidents of Oregon State University Photograph Collection (P 1) and Harriet's Photograph Collection #384.


Container Note
The materials are housed in three document boxes, one half-size document box and one oversize (20x24) box.

Inventory

 


(box 1) 
I.   Correspondence, 1934-1951:
        Personal, 1934-1949  (4 folders)
        State Board of Forestry, 1936-1940 (1 folder)


II.  Ephemera, 1904-1955
	Certificates, Diplomas, and Citations, 1904-1951 
	News clippings, programs, and pamphlets, 1914-1951
(box 4) 
	Diplomas, Awards, and Weyerhaeuser Advertisements, 1905-1955
 
(box 1) 
III. Notebooks, 1904-1950 
	U.S. Department of Agriculture Field Notebooks, 1904-1914
	Diaries (Annotated appointment schedules), 1908-1909
	Notes, 1947-1950 
(box 2) 
IV. Speeches and Articles, 1912-1949 and undated 
	1912-1917 
	1925-1929
	1931-1935 
	1936-1939 
	1940-1944 
	1945-1949 
(box 3)
	Undated 

(box 5)
V. Photographs, ca. 1905-1946
	Benton Hall, ca. 1905
	James Burrill Angell, photogravure (?) June 9, 1909
	Calendar featuring “ The Lady of the Fountain , Class of 1927”, 1927 
	“Before” Eroded hills, Seoul , Korea , Bureau of Forestry, 1945 
	“After” Flood control work, Seoul , Korea . Bureau of Forestry, June, 1946 
	George W. Peavy, standing on porch, ca. 1940s 


 
Return to Manuscript Collections Page