A Guide to the Papers of Hugh Scott, 1905-1994

 

A Guide to the Papers of Hugh Scott, 1905-1994

A Collection in
The Special Collections Department
Accession Number 10200-ae

 

Acquisition Information

This collection was given to the Library by Elizabeth Ann [Mrs. Norman C.] Scott, sister-in-law of Hugh Scott, on September 24, 1994. 

     Scope and Content Information

This collection consists of ca. 1,000 items, ca. 1905-1994, pertaining to the life and career of Hugh Scott, and including biographical and personal information on Scott and his wife Marian Huntington Chase Scott. Included are correspondence, notes and other papers, magazine and newspaper clippings, printed documents and other material, and photographs.

Correspondence, 1915-1926, includes letters between Hugh Scott, his brother Norman C. Scott and sister Alice Mitchell Scott, and their father, Hugh Doggett Scott, and his wife whom they address as "mother." The family letters are heartfelt and loving and usually concern news of the family and personal matters; the father's letters to his son are full of praise and show great pride. A letter, January 29, 1922, from Hugh Scott, 24 East Lawn, University of Virginia, comments on various topics: Hugh Black, the evangelist, speaking to the students; Melissa Bradford's graduating from Randolph Macon Women's College and visiting him at the university; and, twenty-five inches of snow in Charlottesville. Other topics mentioned include: a visit from Lloyd George and his family (November 5, 1923); the movie filmed in Fredericksburg, the "Steadfast Heart" (November 10, 1923); the upcoming marriage of Hugh Scott and Marian Huntington Chase (February 18, 1924); Hugh Scott's mother, Scott's intentions to marry Marian Huntington Chase, and movie actors at the Kiwanis Club (May 23, 192[ ]); and, mid-winters at the University of Virginia (Wednesday).

Correspondence, 1935-1986, includes letters between Hugh Scott, his brother Norman C. Scott and his wife Elizabeth Ann Scott, and the Scott brothers' parents. These letters contain discussion of Scott's career and travel activities. A letter, September 9, 1935, discusses a sensational investigation of the magistrates of the city of Philadelphia by the district attorney's office. A letter, May 21, 1939, on letterhead "Cunard White Star 'Georgic,'" details the travel plans of Hugh and Marian Scott and their daughter "Marnie" in and around Europe, and mentions stays in various cities of England, Scotland, Spain, Italy, Greece, and Yugoslavia. There are three letters, July-August 1941, from Scott onboard the U. S. S. New Mexico, mentioning various activities on the ship, a ride in a seaplane, and the probability of being transferred to the Mississippi. Two letters in 1945 from Scott discuss activities in the Pacific. The letter of July 5, 1945 discusses an impending operation in which Scott will have several vessels under his charge as press boats and his philosophical thoughts on the war. The letter of November 9, 1945, "en route Yokohama to Oahu," discusses his future plans including a brief stay in Pearl, [Hawaii] and doing a job in Washington at the request of the admiral; mentions his thoughts on the tour and the ship Calvert; and mentions a trip into unoccupied Japan and thoughts on the Japanese people and their attempts to re-build. There is a brief letter, November 24, 1955, from Hugh and Marian Scott, written on a "Thanksgiving Day Menu/Military Sea Transportation Service/Pacific Area," mentioning their crossing the International Date Line and staying in Japan, Bangkok, Hongkong, and Hawaii. A January 19, 1961 letter encloses a copy of a letter from Admiral Clifton and an article concerning a downed U. S. Navy transport plane in Shikoku, Japan. In a November 26, 1964 letter, Scott writes from Honolulu, Hawaii, relating his and Marian's travel plans for New Zealand and Fiji and mentioning a dinner with governor-elect of Washington state, Dan Evans, and his wife. Letters of February 3, May 31, and August 10, 1967 mention various subjects: meeting Priscilla Holcombe Hall, wife of the Consul General at Jerusalem, at the American Club in Tokyo; the offer of a Fellowship at Balliol [College at Oxford University, England]; plans to attend a dance at the Nelson Rockefellers on June 9th; and, writing books. There is a letter, n.d. [early 1970s?] from Alice Mitchell Scott Hill on letterhead "Crosley Broadcasting of Atlanta, Inc.," discussing some of her activities in children's television and mentioning her husband T. Gardner Hill and son Richard being loved by the family. A letter of December 8, 1975 from Scott to his brother and wife, Norman and Beth, encloses the congressional record and a statement concerning Scott's retirement at the end of the term. A letter, "Tuesday," from Alice Mitchell Scott Hill, discusses politics and the 'Hugh Scott Republicans.'

There are photographs of Hugh Scott at various stages of his life, including childhood pictures and with his wife Marian. He is also pictured with political figures including Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George Bush, Barry Goldwater, and others. There is an autographed photograph of Dwight D. Eisenhower and a copy of an autographed photograph of Hugh Scott and George Bush, 1993, inscribed "To my respected friend Sen. Hugh Scott with lasting pride in you. Your friend, George Bush." One of the oversize group photographs also includes Pat Nixon, Betty Ford, Marian Scott, and the Nixon children.

The political papers, 1939-1990, contain printed materials on the legal and political career of Scott, and includes newsletters, congressional records, and campaign material. Attached to a June 21, 1972 letter are Scott's reports on the China trip and a "Statement of Senator Mike Mansfield (D., Montana)/Journey to the New China." There is a typed draft of a statement, August 1974, by Scott concerning Watergate and the resignation of President Richard Nixon. Two leather bound copies of "Tributes to the Honorable Hugh Scott of Pennsylvania in the United States Senate/Upon the Occasion of his Retirement from the Senate," September 22, 1976, are contained.

The travel notes contain detailed writings and letters on naval, political, and personal trips from 1941-1972. There are "diary notes" of Scott during incognito service, onboard the U. S. S. New Mexico, July- August 1941; these detail chiefly social and naval activities en route to and in Iceland and the Arctic Circle. There is a printed Navy Day Pictorial, Octopuss, October 27, 1945. Notes on a trip to England and Normandy during service, June-July 1944, chronicle daily activities. There are a group of letters, October 17, October 21, and November 4, 1945, from Scott in Japan to his wife while awaiting orders near the end of the second world war; these letters discuss social and naval activities, Douglas Southall Freeman being in Tokyo, and being ordered to Pearl, Hawaii, and describe in detail a harrowing trip to Southern Honshu. There are letters and notes, November-December 1959, concerning travel to Australia; Bangkok, Thailand; Bombay and Calcutta, India; Tokyo, Japan; Hong Kong and Taiwan, Asia; Saigon, Vietnam; Cairo, Egypt;Jerusalem, Israel; Kenya, Africa; Salisbury, Rhodesia; and, Capetown, South Africa. Letters and writings while on a fellowship at Balliol College at Oxford University, England in October-November 1967 are quite descriptive and entertaining. There are copies of letters, April 1972, concerning the trip to China.

If you are wanting to access this collection, here is the link to locate this information, access, etc.

http://ead.lib.virginia.edu/vivaxtf/view?docId=uva-sc/viu02000.xml;query=Hugh%20Scott%20Alice%20Scott;brand=default