Guide to the Robert Harvey Gault (1874-1971) Papers
| Collection Title: | Robert Harvey Gault (1874-1971) Papers |
| Dates: | 1909-1972 |
| Identification: | 11/3/23/2 |
| Creator: | Gault, Robert H. (Robert Harvey), b. 1874 |
| Extent: | 3 Boxes |
| Language of Materials: | English |
| Abstract: | The Robert H. Gault Papers include a small amount of biographical materials and correspondence, however the bulk of the papers consists of his various writings, both published and unpublished. |
| Acquisition Information: | Unknown. |
| Processing Information: | Elisabeth Wittman, June 1977. |
| Conditions Governing Access: | None. |
| Repository: | Northwestern University Archives Deering Library, Room 110 1970 Campus Dr. Evanston, IL, 60208-2300 URL: http://www.library.northwestern.edu/archives Email: archives@northwestern.edu Phone: 847-491-3354 |
Biographical/Historical Information
Robert Harvey Gault taught psychology at Northwestern University from 1909 to 1940. His primary areas of interest included, psychology of the criminal, criminology and Vibro-Tactile senses in regards to the deaf and blind. In addition, he authored text books and taught at DePaul following his retirement from Northwestern. Dr. Gault died in 1971.
Robert Harvey Gault was born in Ellsworth, Ohio, on November 3, 1874, the son of Andrew Robison and Martha (McCullough) Gault. He attended Wooster (Ohio) College from 1896-1898 and was principal of the Historic Academy at Poland, Ohio for two years. He received his Bachelor's degree from Cornell University in 1902, did graduate work at Clark University, 1902-1903, and received his PhD. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1905. He was Professor of Psychology and Education at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland 1905-1909. He then came to Northwestern, where he was Instructor (1909-1911), Assistant Professor (1911-1913), Associate Professor (1913-1918), and Professor of Psychology until his retirement in 1940, when he was named Professor Emeritus. He married Anne Lee in 1907 and after her death in 1937, he married Mary Louise Woseczek in 1939.
His primary areas of interest included the psychology of the criminal and criminology. He became the second editor-in-chief of Northwestern's Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology which was founded in May, 1910 in conjunction with the first National Conference on Criminology. He edited the journal from Volume 2 Number 4 in 1911 through Volume 50 in 1960. He also often contributed articles, editorials and book reviews to the journal. He edited numbers 1-4 (1914-1923) of Criminal Science Monographs, a supplement to the journal. He did a detailed study for the Chicago Crime Commission in 1914 and later became a board member.
He later became interested in the Vibro-Tactile senses in regard to work with the deaf-blind. In connection with this interest he took a temporary leave from the university to do research at the National Research Council, 1924-1927, and the Carnegie Institute, 1927-1929. From 1925-1940 he served as director of the Vibro-Tactile Laboratory, originally at Smith College, but transferred to Northwestern in 1928. In 1940 he also served as an administrative assistant for the Illinois State Department of Public Welfare where he prepared various reports concerned with the deaf-blind and the American Institute for the Deaf-Blind.
Gault also became involved in writing industrial history, sales and product literature and technical handbooks. He served as an education and training counselor at International Harvester Company, 1944-1945.
From 1952-1956 he lectured at the DePaul University Evening School of Coumuerce. He was the author of Social Psychology 1923 (revised 1940), Criminology 1931 and the co-author of General Psychology 1928 (second edition, 1933). Dr. Gault died in Evanston on June 16, 1971.
Scope and Content
The Robert H. Gault Papers include a small amount of biographical materials and correspondence, however the bulk of the papers consists of his various writings, both published and unpublished.
The Biographical File is fairly comprehensive. The two folders containing Testimonial Letters also help illuminate Gault's career, in that they were written on the occasion of a dinner and a conference honoring him in 1951. The first folder is arranged alphabetically by correspondent with a list of those correspondents added.
The manuscript of his book Social Psychology appears to be a revision made for a new edition published in 1940. Unfortunately, chapters ten and eleven are missing. The two prospectus were for books which were never published. The draft “Crooked Sticks to Cub Tractors” may have been written for the International Harvester Company or the United States Department of Agriculture.
The DePaul University lecture notes are arranged by course number and chronologically by date of lecture. The last category entitled Miscellaneous Writings includes a manuscript, ‘Juvenile Delinquincy’, which may be chapters from a proposed book, but they seem never to have been published. The folder titled “Preliminary Script” includes a proposal for a series of programs which Gault had intended to write.
Subjects
Subjects
College teachers--Illinois--Chicago
Criminology--Study and teaching
