Austin Wakeman Scott papers

The papers of Austin Wakeman Scott (nicknamed "Scotty") span the years 1906-1979, with a few items of the Harvard Cooperative Society and the Ames Foundation dating back to the 19th century.

The collection includes correspondence (both letters received and carbons of letters sent); minutes of meetings; reports; financial statements; legal documents; forms; research notes; outlines; drafts and typescripts of writings, speeches and special lectures; press releases; proof sheets; clippings and other printed items.

The bulk of A.W. Scott's correspondence relates to his activities as law teacher and legal scholar, and to his preeminence as an authority in the fields of trusts and civil procedure. Correspondence with colleagues concerns his and their writings and teaching. Correspondence with former students relate to their careers, to their inquiries regarding particular points of law in Professor Scott's area of special expertise, and to Harvard alumni matters. Correspondence also includes invitations to write articles, participate in conferences and meetings, and join professional and non-professional groups. Scott's letters demonstrate his scholarly interest in presenting as meticulous and clear a reply as possible, especially when conveying his thoughts regarding trusts and civil procedure. Many inquiries stem from bankers, especially trust officers.

A group of seventy-nine items chronicles Scott's term as Visiting Professor at Brasenose College, Oxford University, England, in the spring of 1954. An additional ten items were generated when Oxford conferred an honorary D.C.L. (Doctor of Civil Law) on him in June 1954.

Austin Wakeman Scott's American Law Institute files (1924-1966) consist of correspondence and drafts. Scott served as reporter for trusts and co-reporter for restitution and judgments. Drafts are mainly in typed, mimeographed form, with marginalia, and include comments by others. The correspondence sequence with William Draper Lewis, Director of the ALI, spans the years 1923 to 1943.

Other series in the Scott papers relate to his service as clerk of the Ames Foundation (1920-1966) which publishes series of annual volumes covering both English and American legal history; to his service as a member of the board of and adviser to the Harvard Cooperative Society (1940s and 1950s), a department store in Cambridge, Massachusetts, catering primarily to the Harvard University community; to his miscellaneous writings including manuscripts of special lectures and unpublished addresses; to notes he made on the history of the Harvard Law School; to the Graduate School of Banking, Rutgers University, where he served as a visiting lecturer; and to current Harvard Law School and to personal/professional matters.

Also of interest are Professor Scott's letters to his parents which he sent to them during his first two years as a student at the Harvard Law School, 1906-1908; these letters were edited and published by the Harvard Law School in 1974 in honor of Professor Scott's 90th birthday. In addition, a small group of miscellaneous addenda, gifted to the Harvard Law Library at a later date, includes personal and family correspondence from the 1950s to the 1970s, especially personal notes from to Scott on his 90th birthday.

Major correspondents in the Scott papers, besides William Draper Lewis, include: