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COLLECTION Identifier: HUG 4582

André Morize personal archive

Overview

André Morize (1883-1957), professor and French military captain, taught military science and French literature at Harvard from 1918 until his retirement in 1950. He served in an infantry regiment of the French Army from 1914 to 1917, as sergeant, lieutenant, and captain. In the 1920s, Morize established the French Summer School at Middlebury College, where he served as director until 1946. The collection consists of photographs, memorabilia, correspondence, writings, teaching and research materials, which document the academic and military achievements and activities of Morize.

Dates

  • Creation: 1914-1951 [and undated]

Language of Materials

This collection contains materials in French and English.

Researcher access

This collection is open for research.

Extent

2.36 cubic feet (10 folders, 2 glass slide boxes, 2 document boxes, 1 half-document box, 1 glass negative box, 1 extra-tall document box, 1 flat box, 1 pamphlet binder)

The André Morize personal archive documents the academic and military achievements and activities of the Harvard professor and French captain from World War I through World War II. Photographs, including ten panoramics, document Morize’s arrival at Harvard in May 1917 with a group of five other French army officers to teach the new techniques of trench warfare, as well as Morize’s tenure as director of the Middlebury College French Summer School during the 1920s and 1930s. The collection includes a variety of Morize’s teaching and research materials, primarily for Middlebury, including lantern slides, note cards, syllabi, and lecture notes, as well as drafts and notes related to his published works. Correspondence, publications, and testimonials about Morize give insight into his status as a respected military figure and intellectual.

Biographical note on André Morize

André Morize (1883-1957), professor and French military captain, taught military science and French literature at Harvard from 1918 until his retirement in 1950. He graduated from the University of Paris and received his Doctor of Letters from Middlebury College in 1925. After teaching at the Lycée of Bordeaux and Johns Hopkins University, Morize served in an infantry regiment of the French Army from 1914 to 1917, as sergeant, lieutenant, and captain. Morize first arrived on Harvard's campus in May 1917 with a group of five other French army officers to teach the new techniques of trench warfare. Morize was then asked by President Lowell to become a member of the faculty, and in 1918, he became an assistant professor in Military Science and Tactics. After the Armistice, Morize accepted a chair of French Literature, was made full professor in 1924, and became chairman of the Department of History and Literature in 1931. In the 1920s, Morize established the French Summer School at Middlebury College, where he served as director until 1946. In 1939, he joined the French Ministry of Information as Assistant Director General. Morize was awarded the Croix de Guerre for valor after being wounded multiple times during World War I, and in 1938, he was awarded the cross of an officer in the Legion of Honor. Morize wrote several books and articles throughout his career, and lectured extensively across the United States.

Historical note on the Middlebury Language Schools

The Middlebury Language Schools began with the establishment of the School of German in 1915, and the School of French began the following year. Morize was director of the French Summer School from 1926 to 1946. The schools continue to operate, offering undergraduate and graduate-level instruction in 11 different languages over the course of six-, seven-, or eight-week summer sessions.

Arrangement

The records are arranged in five series:

  1. Degrees and certificates, 1917, 1942
  2. Lectures, notes, writings, and correspondence, 1914-1944
  3. Teaching and research materials, [circa 1920s-1942 and undated]
  4. Testimonials, correspondence, and publications about Morize, 1917-1951 and [undated]
  5. Visual materials, [circa 1914-1940s]

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated to the Harvard University Archives in March 1984 by John Adams Thierry.

Related Materials

In the Harvard University Archives

  1. Addresses before the Harvard War Institute, 1942 (HUD 3872.5242.xx)
  2. General view of French literature : schedule of assignments and guide for personal study, 1948 (HUC 8948.129.6)
  3. Summary of a course of instruction for reserve officers given at Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1917, Attribution by the Mission militaire française. Final lecture by Lieutenant A. Morize of the French army (HUE 75.117.10)
  4. Topics for study and list of practical references, 1933 (HUC 8932.130)

Inventory update

This document last updated 2022 April 26.

Processing Information

This finding aid was created by Olivia Mandica-Hart in July 2018. Titles were chiefly transcribed from the documents; titles enclosed in brackets were devised by the archivist.

Processing Information

Collection originally included the papers of Yvonne Renouard and Baron Reinhold von Stael El-Holstein, which have now been cataloged as separate collections.

Title
Morize, André, 1883-1957. André Morize personal archive, 1914-1951 [and undated]: an inventory
Author
Harvard University Archives
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
und
EAD ID
hua28018

Repository Details

Part of the Harvard University Archives Repository

Holding nearly four centuries of materials, the Harvard University Archives is the principal repository for the institutional records of Harvard University and the personal archives of Harvard faculty, as well as collections related to students, alumni, Harvard-affiliates and other associated topics. The collections document the intellectual, cultural, administrative and social life of Harvard and the influence of the University as it emerged across the globe.

Contact:
Pusey Library
Harvard Yard
Cambridge MA 02138 USA
(617) 495-2461