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Father Charles Edward Coughlin Collection

 Collection
Identifier: MS25

  • Staff Only
  • No requestable containers

Scope and Contents

The Father Coughlin Collection consists of materials collected by Sheldon Marcus, Coughlin's biographer. Father Charles Edward Coughlin was a charismatic Roman Catholic priest who used his radio addresses and magazine to promote his own brand of social justice during the 1930s and early 1940s. He was a controversial figure who denounced President Franklin D. Roosevelt and capitalism, hated communism, was openly anti-Semitic, and embraced fascism and a corporate state as a solution to worldwide economic depression. The collection is arranged into 10 boxes and includes materials from 1920-1979. Books and pamphlets by and about Coughlin can be found in the library's cataloged collections.

Series 1. Father Coughlin: a biography, 1972, includes notes from Sheldon Marcus, rough manuscript drafts, and photocopies of drafts of Marcus’ work on Father Coughlin: a biography. This series also includes a transcript of an interview between Sheldon Marcus and Father Coughlin.

Series 2. Topical Research Files, 1920-1972, contains materials Marcus compiled during his research of Father Coughlin. Many of the items are photocopies or microfilm printouts of newspaper and articles about their relative subject matters. Also included in this series are correspondence, handwritten notes from Marcus, and some original material.

Series 3. Correspondence and Subject Files on Individuals, 1932-1972, contains files on individuals who knew Father Coughlin. Materials in this series includes bibliographies of work created by the individual, newspaper and article clippings, correspondence (typically from Marcus to the individual), biographical information, and notes from Marcus.

Series 4. Addition, 1932-1979, includes additional materials given to Northwestern University Library by Sheldon Marcus in 1986. This series contains newspaper clippings, correspondence, a transcript of an interview with Eric D. Thuma, and an anti-Coughlin manuscript, Father Coughlin: Self Concerned.

Dates

  • 1920-1979

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

There are no restrictions on use of the materials in the department for research; all patrons must comply with federal copyright regulations. Access to the microfilm reel may be impacted by their condition and staff’s capacity to access and digitize materials and will be addressed on a case-by-case basis. Please request in advance.

Extent

10 Boxes

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Father Charles Edward Coughlin, born in 1891, was a charismatic Roman Catholic priest who used his radio addresses and magazine to promote his own brand of social justice during the 1930s and early 1940s. He was a controversial figure who denounced President Franklin D. Roosevelt and capitalism, hated communism, was openly anti-Semitic, and embraced fascism and a corporate state as a solution to worldwide economic depression. He used the media so successfully and became so powerful that not even his Archbishop could silence him until after the entry of the United States into World War II.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Access to the microfilm reel may be impacted by their condition and staff’s capacity to access and digitize materials and will be addressed on a case-by-case basis. Please request in advance.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The Father Coughlin Collection was a gift from Sheldon Marcus to Northwestern University Library in 1974. Sheldon Marcus also gifted NU Library an addition to this collection in 1986.

Related Materials

Other correspondence with Father Coughlin can be found in various collections at Wayne State University and at the University of Michigan.

Harmful Content Statement

Collection contains harmful language throughout and specifically in series 2, folders 9 "Judaism and the Jewish People" and 10 "Judaism and the Jewish People II".

Title
Guide to Father Charles Edward Coughlin Collection
Status
Completed
Author
Unknown; Andrea Martinez
Date
June 4, 1996; March 2023
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Library Details

Part of the Charles Deering McCormick Library of Special Collections Repository

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