Clarence Clyde Ferguson photographs

The Photographs of Clarence Clyde Ferguson (1924-1983), attorney, educator, diplomat, civil servant, humanitarian, cover the years 1949 to 1984 with the bulk of the photographs falling into the period from his appointment as Special Coordinator of Relief to the Civilian Victims of the Nigerian Civil War through his tenure as a Harvard Law Professor which lasted until his death in 1983.

The collection consists almost exclusively of photographs (black and white and color) of varying sizes ranging from 2 1/2"x 3 1/2" to 16"x20". There are also a couple of miscellaneous items including African Embroidery (11-6). Where applicable, an attempt was made to refer to relevant manuscripts associated with photos in The Clarence Clyde Ferguson, Jr. Papers located in the Harvard Law School Library, Manuscripts Division. The collection consists of 212 items and is contained in two boxes. Photos are identified in this inventory by folder number and then location in the folder. For example, photo 3-4 is the fourth photo located in folder number 3.

The photos are divided into subject headings and an attempt was made to organize the photos chronologically within the these headings, but some photos were not dated. The subject headings were dictated by the content of the photographic collection itself. Folders 1 through 3 are photos of Ambassador Ferguson as an educator and include: 1. Educator - Dean of Howard University School of Law, 1963-1969; 2. Educator - With Students, Harvard Law School, 1977-1983; and 3. Educator - PIL, 1980. Folders 4 through 9 are photos of Ambassador Ferguson in his tenure of civil service mainly at the State Department and United Nations. They include: 4. U.S. Attorney's Office, 1954; 5. State Department, 1969-1976; 6. United Nations; 7. Africa; 8. Ambassador to Uganda, 1970-1972; and 9. Various Conferences, Receptions, and Reunions. Folders 10 and 11 are photos of Ambassador Ferguson's family and miscellaneous items and include: 10. Family; and 11. Miscellaneous. Folders 12 through 15 are portraits of Ambassador Ferguson and include: 12. Early Portraits; 13. Portraits by John Chapin; 14. Later portraits; and 15. Oversized Portraits. Finally, folder 16 is photos of Ambassador Ferguson with various presidents of The United States and is entitled: 16. With U.S. Presidents.

Many of the photos were identified. Of the unidentified photos, an effort was made to research the photos in order to identify them. The main sources used for the research were The Clarence Clyde Ferguson, Jr. Papers stored in the Harvard Law School Library, Special Collections; two editions of journals in tribute to Ambassador Ferguson: A Tribute to Clarence Clyde Ferguson, Jr. (in Harvard Civil Rights Civil Liberties Law Review, Vol. 19, No. 2, Summer, 1984) and C. Clyde Ferguson - In Memoriam (in Harvard International Law Journal, Vol. 25, No. 2, Spring 1984); and the United States Department of State web sight (www.state.gov/www/about_state/history/). Unidentified photographs are indicated as such in the inventory. Where possible, dates for undated photographs were estimated from the research. If the research did not indicate a date, none was included in the inventory description.

Of special interest are the photos taken of C. Clyde Ferguson meeting with various presidents of the Untied States including President Kennedy (box 1, photos 15-2 and 15-3), President Johnson (box 2, photos 3-1, 3-2, and 3-3), President Nixon (box 2, photo 3-4), and President Ford (box 1, photo 15-11). Also of interest are photos of Ambassador Ferguson giving speeches including one at Rockefeller Center in New York (box 1, photo 6-4) and addressing the General Assembly of the United Nations (box 1, photo 6-13); Ambassador Ferguson being sworn in for various posts including Special Coordinator on Relief to the Civilian Victims of the Nigerian Civil War (box 1, photos 5-1 and 5-2) and as Ambassador to Uganda (box 1, photo 5-4); the portraits of Ambassador Ferguson by John Chapin (box 1, folder 13); photos of famous friends including Elliot Richardson (box 1, 5-3), Secretary of State William P. Rogers (box 1, photo 5-12), and Idi Amin (box 1, photo 8-1); and finally, African Embroidery (box 1, photo 11-6).

NOTE: This collection has been scanned and the digital images stored on CD-ROM; a copy is available with the paper finding aid in the Special Collections Reading Room, Harvard Law School Library.