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Philip Fox (1878 - 1944) Papers

 Collection
Identifier: 29/3

  • Staff Only
  • No requestable containers

Scope and Contents

The Philip Fox papers, comprising one box, include correspondence, astronomical notes and calculations, notes and drafts of publications, and lists compiled by Fox of outstanding scientists.

The general correspondence covers the years from 1904 to 1941. Of interest are the four letters written in 1909 urging the purchase of the Simon Newcomb Library for the Astronomy Department at Northwestern. The standard equinox correspondence records Fox's interest in 1915 in establishing such a standard internationally.

In 1923 there occurred a traditional “class fight” between the freshman and sophomore classes at Northwestern. Members of each class attempted to carry off students from the rival class. In the course of one such episode, a high speed automobile chase through Evanston and Wilmette ended tragically with the death of Louis Aubere, who had been riding on the running board of one of the cars. Fox was a member of the committee of which investigated the incident. His detailed notes, three reports, and a chart of the events are included in the papers.

Also included are miscellaneous astronomical notes and calculations, unrelated to specific publications, followed by notes and drafts of several papers on flocculi (cloudlike shapes of calcium, hydrogen, or other elements, revealed in the solar atmosphere by the spectroheliograph).

Fox's publications (1911 to 1928) are listed in reports he sent to the president of Northwestern from 1922 to 1928. A few articles and offprints of publications by Fox are included in the papers, followed by the minutes of the 19th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in 1916, when Fox served as secretary.

The major publication of Fox, aside from volumes one through three of the Annals of the Dearborn Observatory, is the Rotation of the Sun (1921) which is found both as a rough draft and as a galley. Also included is his Paper on the Rotation of the Sun. The Catalogue of Stellar Parallaxes was compiled in the spring of 1939. The biographies of scientists were written by Fox in 1940, perhaps as a result of his investigations in connection with compiling a list of great scientists.

The remainder of the files consist of lists of astronomers, physicists, and other scientists. The correspondence which accompanies the lists of great astronomers was compiled for the Planetarium, and the list of physicists, astronomers, chemists, and mathematicians, was compiled for the Museum of Science and Industry.

The addition is comprised of thirty-six postcards, to and from Fox or the Dearborn Observatory. Each postcard carries a picture of an astronomical observatory. The addition has been incorporated into the Philip Fox Papers as Folder 22 of Box 1.

Dates

  • 1904-1941

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is stored off-site and requires two business days advance notice for retrieval. Please contact the McCormick Library at specialcollections@northwestern.edu or 847-491-3635 for more information or to schedule an appointment to view the collection.

Extent

1.00 Boxes

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The Philip Fox papers, comprising one box, include correspondence, astronomical notes and calculations, notes and drafts of publications, and lists compiled by Fox of outstanding scientists.
The general correspondence covers the years from 1904 to 1941. Of interest are the four letters written in 1909 urging the purchase of the Simon Newcomb Library for the Astronomy Department at Northwestern. The standard equinox correspondence records Fox's interest in 1915 in establishing such a standard internationally.
In 1923 there occurred a traditional “class fight” between the freshman and sophomore classes at Northwestern. Members of each class attempted to carry off students from the rival class. In the course of one such episode, a high speed automobile chase through Evanston and Wilmette ended tragically with the death of Louis Aubere, who had been riding on the running board of one of the cars. Fox was a member of the committee of which investigated the incident. His detailed notes, three reports, and a chart of the events are included in the papers.

Method of Acquisition

The Philip Fox papers were donated to the University Archives by Dr. Robert Fox on April 14, 1981 as accession #81-81. Additional materials were separated from the records of the Dearborn Observatory (29/2) on October 8, 1982 as accession #82-126. The addition was transferred to the University Archives by the Dearborn Observatory on April 10, 1987, as Accession #87-66.

Separated Materials

One phonograph record was added to the NUA audio collection. One 1914 Syllabus was filed with NUA duplicate holdings. A number of photographs went to the Philip Fox folder in the Archives photographic collection.

Processing Information

Marion McMahon, fall 1982; Patricia Cloud, April 10, 1987 (addition).

Title
Guide to the Philip Fox (1878 - 1944) Papers
Author
Marion McMahon and Patricia Cloud
Date
10/04/1987
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
eng

Library Details

Part of the Northwestern University Archives Repository

Contact:
Deering Library, Level 3
1970 Campus Dr.
Evanston IL 60208-2300 US
847-491-3635