Series 10

(Cases 45-49)

Beaverbrook correspondence. -- 1946-1964. -- 63.5 cm (5 cases)

Lord Beaverbrook, British politician, writer, and newspaper proprietor, became the University of New Brunswick's chief benefactor in 1920 with the establishment of the Beaverbrook undergraduate scholarships. Appointed as university Chancellor in 1947 and as Honourary Chancellor in 1954, Lord Beaverbrook contributed generously not only to the development of the University of New Brunswick, but to the city of Fredericton and to his father's home town of Newcastle, New Brunswick. Among his many contributions were the construction of a men's residence in 1930 and a gymnasium in 1940, and the establishment of graduate scholarships in 1947. His gifts to the city and to the province included construction of the Beaverbrook Art Gallery in 1959 and the establishment of the Playhouse, a cultural centre and theatre.

In the late nineteen forties, Beaverbrook established a trust fund to build an addition on to the original UNB Library. As Honourary Librarian and Chief Executive Officer of the Library from 1946-1959, Dr. Bailey became Lord Beaverbrook's close advisor. Lord Beaverbrook took an active interest in the construction of the new library wing, and offered his opinion on every detail of the operation, including the choice of wood and office furniture. He also purchased thousands of new books and archival materials for the library, which was renamed the Bonar Law-Bennett Library in 1951 when the new wing was opened. Dr. Bailey was active in building up the library and archival collections of the university, and with Lord Beaverbrook's financial assistance he was instrumental in transforming the institution into a respected university, with valuable research collections which were able to support graduate studies, particularly in the fields of Canadian history and Canadian literature.

The bulk of the series comprises typescript and handwritten correspondence with Dr. Bailey in which Lord Beaverbrook seeks his advice concerning new books which should be purchased for the UNB Library, and manuscripts which should be acquired for the archival collection. Lord Beaverbrook also built up the library collection for the Old Manse Library in Newcastle and for St. Thomas College and the Law Library at UNB, and some of the correspondence documents these efforts. Another key correspondent is Moira Thompson, who was the librarian in charge of the Beaverbrook Collection in the nineteen fifties. The correspondence also includes discussions about central archival collections such as the Bennett and the Winslow papers, and Lord Beaverbrook's efforts to secure Lord Stanmore's papers.

Cases 45, 48 and 49 contain documents related to the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, which was opened in 1959. Included in these materials are letters of application and photographs of applicants for the position of curator of the gallery (case 45 file 2), 1959-1961 financial statements (case 49 file 1), a copy of the terms governing the gift of the Beaverbrook Art Gallery to the province of New Brunswick (case 48 file 5), and a 1959 catalogue of the gallery's collections (case 48 file 5). Lord Beaverbrook's intention was to encourage the development of a separate fine arts department at UNB, which would be headed by the curator of the Beaverbrook Art Gallery and affiliated with the UNB Arts Faculty. However, the provincial government interceded, and discouraged the development of a separate Fine Arts department at UNB, because one existed already at Mount Allison University.

Correspondence concerning the Playhouse theatre is located in case 49 file 3.

Also found within this series are materials related to various Beaverbrook scholarship funds. Case 48 file 2 contains letters of application, transcripts, and photographs of candidates applying for the Beaverbrook Scholarships for the study of historical relations of New Brunswick with the state of Maine. These awards were established by a grant from the Houston Foundation Inc. Beaverbrook Overseas Scholarship applications are located in case 48 file 4.

Much of the Lord Beaverbrook correspondence is arranged in files chronologically, although chronological order throughout the series as a whole is not maintained. Other files within the series follow topical arrangement.

The title of the series is supplied based on the file contents.

Series 10 File listings

Case 45 File 1      Lord Beaverbrook correspondence 1953-1954. --
                    1953-1954 (predominantly 1954)
Case 45 File 2      Lord Beaverbrook correspondence - Curator,
                    Beaverbrook Art Gallery 1957-1958. -- 1957-
                    1958 (predominantly 1957)
Case 45 File 3      Lord Beaverbrook correspondence (Mrs. Ince)
                    and Mrs. Elton. -- 1959-1962
Case 45 File 4      Beaverbrook, Lord - March 31, 1951. -- 1947-
                    1952
Case 45 File 5      Beaverbrook, Lord. 1948-50. -- 1948-1949
Case 45 File 6      Beaverbrook, Lord 1946-1947. -- 1946-1947
Case 45 File 7      Proposed archives - Fredericton 1958-. -- 1958

Case 46 File 1      Lord Beaverbrook, Librarian of B.C. file 1953-
                    54. -- 1950-1955
Case 46 File 2      1950 Beaverbrook, Lord - Correspondence from
                    Jan. - Nov. 20. -- 1950
Case 46 File 3      Lord Beaverbrook - Librarian of B.C. 1952. --
                    1951-1952
Case 46 File 4      Lord Beaverbrook - Correspondence 1952-53. --
                    1951-1953; predominant 1952-1953
Case 46 File 5      1950-1951 Beaverbrook, Lord - Correspondence
                    from Nov. 20, 1950-Mar. 31/51. -- 1950-1951
Case 46 File 6      Beaverbrook Correspondence. -- 1962-1964

Case 47 File 1      1955-56 Lord Beaverbrook correspondence. --
                    1947; 1954-1956
Case 47 File 2      Lord Beaverbrook correspondence 1959-1960,
                    1961, 1962. -- 1958-1962
Case 47 File 3      Lord Beaverbrook correspondence 1957/58. --
                    1956-1958

Case 48 File 1      Beaverbrook - Photographing of library
                    catalogue. -- 1950
Case 48 File 2      Beaverbrook scholarship for the study of
                    historical relations with the state of Maine.
                    -- 1950-1957
Case 48 File 3      Beaverbrook Foundations. -- 1956-1958
Case 48 File 4      Beaverbrook overseas scholarships
                    applications, recommendations, etc. -- 1946-
                    1957
Case 48 File 5      Beaverbrook Art Gallery catalogue. -- 1959

Case 49 File 1      Beaverbrook Art Galley - Financial statements.
                    -- 1959-1961
Case 49 File 2      Beaverbrook scholarships. -- 1959-1962
Case 49 File 3      Beaverbrook auditorium. -- 1961-1962
Case 49 File 4      Beaverbrook Art Gallery - Bookcases. -- 1959
Case 49 File 5      Beaverbrook Art Gallery - Applications. --
                    1955-1959
Case 49 File 6      Beaverbrook Art Gallery - Correspondence. --
                    1958-1962


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