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COLLECTION Identifier: bMS 536

Bowen, Clayton Raymond, 1877-1934. Papers, 1889-1994.

Overview

Papers of Unitarian minister and Meadville Theological School professor Clayton Raymond Bowen (1977-1934) including letters to Bowen; writings by Bowen; diaries; daybooks; and biographical materials.

Dates

  • Creation: 1889-1994.

Extent

4 boxes

The bulk of this collection consists of letters to Bowen, arranged alphabetically by correspondent. There are also writings by Bowen, including some of his diaries and daybooks. Finally, there is some biographical material, such as his diplomas and materials relating to student abroad trips from 1901 to 1902.

Biographical / Historical

Clayton Raymond Bowen (1977-1934) was born in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, and married Margaret Browning Barber. He earned his BA from Franklin College in 1898 and received his MDiv from Meadville Theological School in 1901. In the academic year of 1901-1902 Bowen studied at the University of Berlin and the University of Marburg on a Perkins Fellowship. He attended Harvard Divinity School from 1902 to 1903. In 1903 he earned a BD from Meadville Theological School and during that same year he was ordained as pastor of the Unitarian Church in Charlestown, New Hampshire. In 1905 he became a lecturer at the Meadville Theological School, and in 1907 he was promoted to the position of assistant professor, finally becoming the professor of New Testament Interpretation in 1911. In 1920 he received a ThD from Meadville, and when that school moved to Chicago in 1926, he became a librarian. During his career he published many articles and tracts, such as The Resurrection in the New Testament (1911) and The Gospel of Jesus (1916). Bowen died in London, England, while on a lecture tour.

Arrangement

Organized into the following series:

  1. Series I. Correspondence regarding the gift of the collection
  2. Series II. Correspondence
  3. Series III. Bowen's Writings
  4. Series IV. Biographical Files on C.R. Bowen
  5. Series V. His Diaries/Daybooks

Acquisition Information

Gift of Henry Leland Clark, 1983, 1987.

Title
Bowen, Clayton Raymond, 1877-1934. Papers: A Finding Aid.
Author
Andover-Harvard Theological Library
Language of description
und
EAD ID
div00536

Repository Details

Part of the Harvard Divinity School Library, Harvard University Repository

Special Collections at Harvard Divinity School Library preserves and makes accessible primary source materials documenting the history of religion and theology, with particular historical emphasis on American liberal religious traditions. Though the historical strengths of the collections have been in the field of Christianity, other religious traditions are increasingly reflected, in step with Harvard Divinity School's evolving focus on global religious studies. Known as Andover-Harvard Theological Library since 1911, it was renamed the Harvard Divinity School Library in 2021.

Contact:
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Cambridge MA 02138-1911 USA
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