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Eli Whitney Debevoise Papers

 Collection
Identifier: MA.00107

Scope and Contents

The papers of Eli W. Debevoise (EWD) document his position as the deputy general counsel with the High Commission for Germany-Office of General Counsel (HICOG-OGC) from 1950-1953 and his ongoing interest in US-German affairs. In addition to providing a picture of EWD's work at HICOG, this collection serves as an important adjunct to the papers of John J. McCloy, also held at the Amherst College Archives and Special Collections. McCloy was not only a friend of EWD, but also his superior at HICOG. While the Debevoise Papers include personal and professional correspondence, appointment calendars and other administrative material, memoranda, and speeches, the majority is published material relating to post-World War II Germany.

Dates

  • 1949-1962

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

In general, there is no restriction on access to the Eli W. Debevoise Papers for research use. Selected items may be restricted to protect the privacy rights of individuals or for other legal reasons. Particularly fragile or valuable items have been replaced with copies.

Conditions Governing Use

All copyrights held by Eli W. Debevoise or his heirs were transferred to Amherst College along with the papers. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of other copyrights. Requests for permission to publish material from the papers should be directed to the Archivist of the College.

Biographical / Historical

Eli Whitney Debevoise (1899-1990) co-founded the New York law firm of Debevoise & Stevenson (later Debevoise & Plimpton) in 1931. During World War II he served as chairman of an Alien Enemy Hearing Board in New York City, where he ruled on the eligibility of aliens to remain in the country during the war. From 1950 to 1953 he was appointed deputy general counsel with the High Commission for Germany - Office of General Counsel (HICOG-OGC).

Extent

3 Linear feet

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The papers of Eli W. Debevoise (EWD) document his position as the deputy general counsel with the High Commission for Germany-Office of General Counsel (HICOG-OGC) from 1950-1953 and his ongoing interest in US-German affairs. In addition to providing a picture of EWD's work at HICOG, this collection serves as an important adjunct to the papers of John J. McCloy, also held at the Amherst College Archives and Special Collections. McCloy was not only a friend of EWD, but also his superior at HICOG. While the Debevoise Papers include personal and professional correspondence, appointment calendars and other administrative material, memoranda, and speeches, the majority is published material relating to post-World War II Germany.

Arrangement

This collection is organized into five series:

  1. Series 1: Personal Correspondence, 1953-1962
  2. Series 2: HICOG-OGC Administrative Files, 1951-1953
  3. Series 3: Professional, 1952-1962
  4. Series 4: Photos, 1955 December
  5. Series 5: Printed Material, 1949-1962
Status
Completed
Author
Peter Weis
Date
2003
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Portions of Series 5 described in German.
Sponsor
Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Repository Details

Part of the Amherst College Archives and Special Collections Repository

Contact:
Amherst College Archives & Special Collections
Robert Frost Library
61 Quadrangle Drive
Amherst MA 01002-5000
(413) 542-2299