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Claude Moore Fuess (AC 1905), educator, historian and author, was born in Waterville, N.Y., in 1885. He received the M.A. (1906) and Ph.D (1912) degrees from Columbia University. Fuess taught English at Phillips Academy, Andover, from 1908 to 1933, and was appointed headmaster there in 1933. He was the author or editor of more than 30 books and numerous articles, among which are "An Old New England School: A History Of Phillips Academy Andover" (1917); "The Amherst Memorial Volume; A Record Of The Contribution Made By Amherst College And Amherst Men In the World War, 1914-1918" (1926); "Daniel Webster" (1930); "Amherst, The Story Of A New England College" (1935); "Calvin Coolidge, The Man From Vermont" (1940); "Joseph B. Eastman, Servant Of The People" (1952); "Stanley King Of Amherst" (1955); and "Andover: Symbol of New England" (1959). At some time Fuess was commissioned by Frank Waterman Stearns to write a biographical treatment of Stearns himself; however, Stearns died in 1939 and sometime around 1941 the project was abandoned according to the wishes of the Stearns family. Fuess died in 1963.
Frank Waterman Stearns (AC 1878) was born on November 8, 1856 in Boston. After graduating from Amherst College in 1878, he joined his father's retail dry goods firm, the R. H. Stearns Company in Boston. He became a partner in that company in 1881 and was appointed chairman of its Board of Directors in 1919. Stearns was a close friend of his fellow Amherst College alumnus, Calvin Coolidge (AC 1895) and one of his most influential supporters in politics. In 1880 Stearns married Emily Williston Clark (daughter of William Smith Clark, AC 1848), with whom he had three children: Foster Stearns (AC 1903), Emily W. Giese, and Louisa Prescott. Frank Waterman Stearns died in Boston in 1939.
The collection includes unfinished typescript chapters of Claude M. Fuess' proposed biography of Frank Waterman Stearns, clippings and other biographical materials about Stearns and the F.W. Stearns Company. In addition, the collection contains certain personal papers of Stearns, including some of his correspondence with Calvin Coolidge and members of Coolidge's staff when Coolidge served as Governor of Massachusetts and later Vice-President and President of the United States. Other of Stearns' correspondents include his son Foster Stearns and Dwight W. Morrow (AC 1895).
This collection is organized into four series:
There is no restriction on access to the collection for research use. Particularly fragile items may be restricted for preservation purposes.
Requests for permission to publish material from the collection should be directed to the Archives and Special Collections. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights.
Please use the following format when citing materials from this collection:
[Identification of item], in Claude Moore Fuess (AC 1905) Material for a Biography of Frank Waterman Stearns (AC 1878) [Box #, Folder #], Amherst College Archives and Special Collections, Amherst College Library
Accession Number: 2001-084
The papers were the gift of Mr. Edward Connery Lathem in 2001, who had acquired them from Claude Moore Fuess.
Miscellaneous Manuscripts Collection: Calvin Coolidge Letters to Frank Waterman Stearns, 1915-1923 (31 items)
Alumni Biographical Files - 1878 - Stearns, Frank Waterman
Alumni Biographical Files - 1905 - Fuess, Claude Moore
Series 1, TYPESCRIPT DRAFTS OF FUESS' BIOGRAPHY OF STEARNS, n.d., consists of drafts of seven chapters begun by Fuess. They are arranged by chapter number, with insertions at the end.
Series 2, NOTES AND CLIPPINGS ABOUT STEARNS, 1908-1929 and n.d., includes Fuess' biographical notes and newspaper clippings related to F. W. Stearns, the Stearns family and the R. H. Stearns Company.
Series 3, CLAUDE MOORE FUESS CORRESPONDENCE, 1937-1941, consists of a small number of letters Fuess received providing background on F.W. Stearns. The chief correspondent is Benjamin F. Felt.
Series 4, FRANK WATERMAN STEARNS PAPERS, 1868-1930 (bulk 1915-1930), is organized into four sub-series:
A. Correspondence, 1870-1930 (bulk 1915-1930), which is further sub-divided into two groups:
1. Correspondence with Calvin Coolidge and his Aides, 1915-1928 and n.d.
2. General Correspondence
B. Writings, 1915-1930 and n.d.
C. Photographs, ca. 1875-1930
D. Other Documents, 1868-1919
Sub-Series A, Correspondence, is the most significant here, as it documents F. W. Stearns' long friendship with Calvin Coolidge and the Coolidge family and his strong support of Coolidge's political career as he progressed from State Senator in Massachusetts (1911) to Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts (1915), to Governor of Massachusetts (1918), to Vice-President of the United States (1920), to President (1923-1928).