About the Libraries: Libraries and Centers: Special Collections and University Archives: Manuscripts:
Alexander, Archibald Stevens, 1906-1979.
Papers, 1939-1979 (bulk 1969-1979).

Manuscript Collection 1190
Special Collections and University Archives
Rutgers University Libraries

QUANTITY: 4.5 cubic feet (4 cartons and 2 manuscript boxes)
ACCESS: The subgroup "Rutgers University Papers" is restricted. The remainder of this manuscript collection carries no restrictions.
PROCESSED BY: Glen Bencivengo

Biographical Sketch

Archibald Stevens Alexander (1906-1979) was born in New York City. He received a bachelor's degree from Princeton University in 1928 and a law degree from Harvard in 1931. Upon graduation from law school, he joined the firm of Carter, Ledyard and Millburn in New York City; he was a partner with the law firm from 1940 to 1949. During the World War II, Alexander served in the U.S. Army, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel. He was Assistant Secretary of the Army from 1949 to 1950 and Under Secretary from 1950 to 1952. In both 1948 and 1952, Alexander was the unsuccessful Democratic candidate for U.S. Senator from New Jersey. From 1954 to 1955 he served as Treasurer of the State of New Jersey. During 1956 Alexander was Director of Volunteers for Stevenson-Kefauver. From 1959 to 1963, he served as President of the Free Europe Committee. Alexander returned to Washington, D.C., when he was appointed Assistant Director of the United States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency in 1963. He remained at that post until 1969.

Alexander devoted a great deal of his time to public service and held a number of posts in associations and educational institutions. He was a member of the board of directors of the Citizens' Research Foundation from 1965 until he died and actively participated in its efforts to study and reform political campaign financing. From 1971 until his death, he was president of the Arms Control Association, an organization dedicated to promoting public understanding of effective policies and programs in national arms control and disarmament. Committed to the reduction of nuclear arms, Alexander was also a member of the American Bar Association's Committee on Arms Control and Disarmament, and in 1977 was appointed chair of the subcommittee on Foreign Military Aid and Arms Sales Limitations.

In addition to matters of international scope, Alexander was involved in the affairs of his region and state. He was a member of the Gateway Citizens Committee, which was affiliated with the Regional Plan Association, from 1969 until 1975 (and served at least some years as its Co-Chair from New Jersey). Briefly in 1975, and again from 1976 to 1978 (during the latter period as Vice-Chair), he served as a member of the Gateway National Recreation Area Advisory Commission. Among the state commissions on which he served were the New Jersey Tax Policy Commission (1955? to 1963) and the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (1975-1979). Active in community affairs, Alexander also served at one time on the Bernardsville Borough Council and on its Board of Education.

Alexander's involvement with Rutgers University began in 1954 when he became a Public Trustee by virtue of his appointment as State Treasurer. He resigned as a Trustee in late 1955, but was appointed to the newly created Board of Governors in 1956, in which year he was also inducted as a Public Trustee. Alexander served on both the Board of Governors and the Board of Trustees until 1973; he was chair of the Board of Governors from 1959 to 1963 and again from 1971 to 1973. Alexander was a member of the Rutgers University Foundation Board of Overseers from 1975 until his death and was also president of the Friends of the Rutgers University Libraries from 1975 until he died. In 1973 the Board of Governors named the central university library in his honor.

A descendant of both the Rev. Archibald Alexander and the Stevens family of New Jersey, Alexander married Susanne Dimock Tilton (d. 1935) in 1929 and Jean Struthers Sears (1907-1983) in 1937. He died at his home in Bernardsville, New Jersey, and was survived by his wife and five children.

Scope and Content Note

The 4.5 cubic feet of documents comprising the papers of Archibald S. Alexander, attorney and government official, span the years 1939 to 1979, although the bulk of the material dates from 1969 to 1979. For the most part, the papers document Alexander's activities after his retirement from government service. During this period, Alexander was actively involved in a number of organizations and educational institutions.

While spanning a considerable time period, Alexander's papers do not deal with his years as a practicing attorney in New York City. They also do not extensively cover his years at the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency. Instead, the collection's research value lies in the light it sheds on Alexander's activities in public service organizations and the activities of the organizations themselves, especially those dealing with arms control.

Included in the papers are letters received, copies of letters sent, memoranda, speeches, working papers and reports, agendas and minutes, transcripts of meetings, drafts of articles and several photographs. Various printed materials can also be found, including government documents, press clippings, journals, brochures, press releases, pamphlets and journal articles.

General Papers, the first subgroup in Alexander's papers, consists of two series. Alexander's GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE (1954-1955 and 1963-1979) is composed largely of personal correspondence with persons he knew at the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency for the period from 1963 to 1969. After his retirement from the Agency, the correspondence also deals largely with personal matters: letters to and from family and friends, invitations to social events and letters pertaining to financial concerns. The material in Alexander's GENERAL FILE (1939, 1948, 1953 and 1961-1979) largely relates to his involvement in public service organizations and educational institutions. Alexander was associated with the Citizens' Research Foundation until his death in 1979. Founded in 1958, this organization works to further research in the areas of political finance and election reform. The documents also deal with Alexander's involvement in organizations such as the American Assembly, an educational association which sponsors regional, state and municipal meetings on public issues, the World Federalists Association, an organization devoted to curbing the arms race, the American Bar Association's Arms Control and Disarmament Committee and the Task Force for the Nuclear Test Ban. Papers dealing with Alexander's association with Princeton and Drew Universities and with Princeton Theological Seminary are also found in this series.

Papers and organizational records documenting Alexander's activities with the Arms Control Association, which comprise the second subgroup, date from 1970 until his death. Dedicated to promoting public understanding of effective arms control policies, the Association pursues its objectives through publications, public education and research. This subgroup contains three series: MINUTES (1971-1978), CORRESPONDENCE (1973-1979) and a GENERAL FILE (1970-1978).

Alexander was involved with the establishment of the Gateway National Recreation Area from 1969 until 1978, but the documents in the third subgroup, for the Gateway National Recreation Area Advisory Commission, pertain only to the years 1975-1978. The TRANSCRIPTS of the Advisory Commission meetings date from 1975-1977, but are not complete within those dates. The Advisory Commission and the Gateway Citizens Committee both produced reports, memoranda and other documents. Along with correspondence, these materials are included in the series WORKING PAPERS AND CORRESPONDENCE. (Government documents pertaining to New Jersey have been removed from this series and placed in the Sinclair New Jersey Collection.)

Although Alexander's involvement with Rutgers University, the focus of the last subgroup, dates from 1954, the only relevant documents in his papers date from 1970 to 1979. The material in the series CORRESPONDENCE (1972-1977) primarily relates to social events and programs connected with the University. Alexander's Rutgers University GENERAL FILE (1970- 1979) contains documents relating to his involvement with the Board of Governors and Board of Trustees, the Rutgers University Foundation, the Friends of the Rutgers University Libraries and other groups. (Copies of minutes of meetings of the Board of Governors, Board of Trustees and Board of Overseers of the Foundation have been removed from this series and placed in the University Archives.) The GENERAL FILE also contains correspondence and University documents, 1970-1972, relating to the question of whether or not to grant college credit for ROTC courses.

Series Descriptions

General

GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE, 1954-1955 and 1963-1979. (1 cubic ft.)

Folders arranged chronologically; items arranged in reverse chronological order within each folder.

The bulk of this personal correspondence dates from 1963 to 1979. Most of the letters dating from 1963 to 1969 relate to persons Alexander knew at the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency. Included in this series are letters received, copies of letters sent, several photographs and press clippings.

Among the documents in this series are letters exchanged with Millicent Fenwick, Richard J. Hughes and Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. (Alexander's brother-in-law).

GENERAL FILE, 1939, 1948, 1953 and 1961-1979. (1.5 cubic ft.)

Arranged alphabetically by folder heading.

Documentation relating to Alexander's activities in various public service organizations, state and municipal governmental bodies, and educational institutions, as well as drafts of articles which he wrote. Included are minutes, memoranda, typescripts, photographs, press clippings, brochures, pamphlets, notes, letters received and copies of letters sent. The organizations and educational institutions represented in this series are: American Assembly, American Bar Association, Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, Bernardsville Town Council, Citizens' Research Foundation, Common Cause, Council on Foreign Relations, Defense and Disarmament Citizens Committee, Drew University, Franklin Book Programs, Inc., League of Women Voters, New Jersey Tax Policy Commission, Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton University, Task Force for the Nuclear Test Ban, World Federalists, World Law Fund and the Y.M.C.A. (Middle Atlantic Region Board).

Among the documents in this series are holograph and typed letters to Alexander and his wife from Adlai E. Stevenson, as well as letters from Harrison A. Williams, Jr.

Arms Control Association

MINUTES, 1971-1978. (.1 cubic ft.)

Grouped chronologically.

Minutes and agenda items from meetings of the Board of Directors of the Arms Control Association. Also included in these papers are correspondence (mostly cover letters for documents), rosters of members, memoranda and budgets.

CORRESPONDENCE, 1973-1979. (.15 cubic ft.)

Grouped chronologically.

Letters received and copies of letters sent relating to Alexander's activities as President of the Arms Control Association. Also included in the papers are memoranda, brochures and press releases.

Among the correspondents represented in this series is Saul Mendlovitz, President of the Institute for World Order.

GENERAL FILE, 1970-1978. (.6 cubic ft.)

Arranged alphabetically by folder heading.

Certificate of incorporation and by-laws of the Arms Control Association, records relating to the World Military and Social Expenditures Project (a research undertaking co-sponsored by the ACA), a reprint of an article by Alexander on U.S. arms transfers to other countries, material relating to the Commission on the Organization of Government for the Conduct of Foreign Policy and miscellaneous documents. Included in the series are press clippings, research reports, correspondence, publications, photographs and newsletters.

Gateway National Recreation Area Advisory Commission

TRANSCRIPTS OF MEETINGS, July 1975-November 1977. (.15 cubic ft.)

Arranged chronologically by date of meeting.

Verbatim transcripts of several Gateway National Recreation Area Advisory Commission meetings as recorded by a court reporter.

WORKING PAPERS AND CORRESPONDENCE, 1975-1978. (.5 cubic ft.)

Grouped chronologically.

Documents relating to the activities of the Gateway National Recreation Area Advisory Commission and the Gateway Citizens Committee, a group organized in 1969. Included are memoranda, correspondence, minutes, press releases, press clippings, working papers and reports.

A chronology of the significant events leading to the establishment of the recreation area can be found in the folder labeled "Working Papers and Correspondence, 1975."

Rutgers University

CORRESPONDENCE, 1972-1977. (.15 cubic ft.)

Folders arranged chronologically; items arranged in reverse chronological order within each folder.

Correspondence relating to social events and programs connected with Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Also included are press clippings, one photograph and documents relating to a memorial service for University President Mason W. Gross.

Among the papers in this series are a document delineating the goals of the Rutgers University Foundation and a document discussing the 1966 act establishing the State Department of Higher Education and its effect on Rutgers.

GENERAL FILE, 1970-1979. (.35 cubic ft.)

Grouped alphabetically by folder heading.

Documentation relating to Alexander's involvement with the Rutgers University Board of Governors and Board of Trustees, the Friends of the Rutgers University Libraries, the Rutgers University Foundation and other Rutgers University groups. Also letters and other documents relating to the question of whether or not to grant college credit for ROTC courses. Included are correspondence, notes, Rutgers University publications and brochures.

Container List

BOX    FOLDER      CONTENTS

                 General Papers

 1 (carton)        GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE
        1-26         1954-1955 and 1963-1979

BOX    FOLDER      CONTENTS

                 General Papers [continued]

 2 (carton)        GENERAL FILE
         1           Alexander, A.S., Jr., 1977
         2           American Assembly, 1973-1974
         3           American Bar Association, 1972-1978
        4-5          Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, 1970-1978
        6-8          Arms Sale--Article, 1976-1978
         9           Bernardsville Municipal Government, 1971-1973
         10          Campaign Reporting Regulations, 1972
         11          Chemical and Biological Warfare, 1970-1971
       12-18         Citizens' Research Foundation, 1965-1979
         19          Common Cause, 1973 and 1977
         20          Council on Foreign Relations, 1975-1976
         21          Defense and Disarmament Citizens Committee, 1970
         22          Disarmament--Article on Defense Spending, 1971
         23          Dissertation Support Program, 1971
         24          Drew University Conference on Arms Control, 1973
         25          Election Results, 1964
         26          Franklin Book Programs, Inc., 1970-1971
         27          League of Women Voters Education Fund, 1969-1970
         28          Memorial for Jim Thompson--Princeton University Class
                       of 1928, 1974-1975
         29          New Jersey--Extremism, 1966
         30          New Jersey--State Income Tax, 1966
         31          New Jersey Tax Policy Commission, 1963-1965
         32          Princeton Theological Seminary, 1978-1979
         33          Princeton University--Art Exhibit, 1971-1972
         34          Princeton University--Correspondence, 1975-1979

BOX    FOLDER      CONTENTS

                 General Papers [continued]

 3 (carton)        GENERAL FILE [continued]
        1-2          Princeton University Council, 1973-1977
         3           Princeton University--Library Friends, 1972-1979
         4           Princeton University--Subcommittee on Foreign
                       and International Affairs, 1968
         5           Publications, 1969-1971
         6           Regional Plan Association, 1976
         7           Stevenson, Adlai--Correspondence, 1961-1963
         8           Stevenson Institute and Stevenson Memorial, 1965-1970
         9           Stevenson Papers, 1967-1972
         10          Task Force for the Nuclear Test Ban, 1971-1976
         11          Watriss, F.W., and the Estate of F.N. Watriss, 1939, 1948
                       and 1953
         12          Williams Campaign, 1970
         13          World Federalists, 1967-1970
         14          World Law Fund, 1969-1975
         15          YMCA, Middle Atlantic Region, 1969-1971

                 Arms Control Association Papers

(3)                MINUTES
       16-17         1971-1978
(3)                CORRESPONDENCE
       18-20         1973-1979
(3)                GENERAL FILE
         21          Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1977-1978
         22          Certificate of Incorporation, By-Laws, 1970-1971
         23          Commission on the Organization of Government for the Conduct
                       of Foreign Policy, 1974-1975
         24          Military Audit Project, 1974-1977
       25-27         Miscellaneous, 1970-1977
         28          Newsletter, 1971-1972 and 1976-1977
         29          Tax Exemption, 1974

BOX    FOLDER      CONTENTS

                 Arms Control Association Papers [continued]

 4 (carton)        GENERAL FILE [continued]
        1-7          World Military and Social Expenditures Project, 1973-1978

                 Gateway National Recreation Area Advisory Commission Papers

(4)                TRANSCRIPTS OF MEETINGS
        8-11         July 1975-November 1977
(4)                WORKING PAPERS AND CORRESPONDENCE
       12-24         1975-1978

BOX    FOLDER      CONTENTS

                 Rutgers University Papers

 5                 CORRESPONDENCE
        1-3          1972-1977

BOX    FOLDER      CONTENTS

                 Rutgers University Papers [continued]

 6                 GENERAL FILE
         1           Board of Governors and Board of Trustees, 1973-1978
         2           Governors' Committee on Public Relations, 1974-1978
         3           Governor's Counsel, 1974
         4           Investments Ad Hoc Committee, 1973
         5           Library, 1973-1979
         6           Medical School, 1971
         7           Miscellaneous, 1978
        8-10         ROTC, 1970-1972
         11          University Foundation, 1975-1979