Charles Edward Clark papers

The documentation for Clark's career prior to his appointment to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in 1939 is fragmentary. Only a few pieces of memorabilia and correspondence have survived from his six years (1913-1919) of private law practice. From his years as a faculty member and Dean of the Yale Law School (1919-1939) approximately five inches of correspondence and several sections of research files have been preserved. The bulk of his administrative files as Dean are missing and presumed to have been destroyed. Researchers interested in the academic portion of Clark's career should consult the records of University Presidents James R. Angell and Charles Seymour; the University Provosts; and the members of the Law School Faculty.

Fortunately, the records relating to Clark's work as reporter for the United States Supreme Court's Advisory Committee on Civil Procedure (1935-1956) have survived intact.

In marked contrast to the materials from Clark's academic career, the documentation for his years on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals is both detailed and extensive.

The Clark Papers are organized in six series:

Series I GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE

Series II UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE SECOND DISTRICT 1939-1963

Series III RESEARCH FILES

Series IV UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON RULES FOR CIVIL PROCEDURE 1935-1936

Series V BIBLIOGRAPHY AND WRITINGS

Series VI PERSONAL CORRESPONDENCE, MEMORABILIA, FAMILY PAPERS

The materials in Series I, GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE 1920-1963, are subdivided into two sections. Correspondence 1920-1939 contains the relatively few letters which have survived from Clark's pre-Court of Appeals career and includes the correspondence relating to his court appointment. Correspondents of note include Benjamin Cardozo, Homer Cummings, Felix Frankfurter, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Franklin D. Roosevelt (telegrams), and Harlan Stone.

Correspondence 1939-1963 reflects Clark's interest and work on a broad range of legal and judicial issues. The correspondence was written and received in his capacity as a lawyer and judge, but it is not specifically concerned with Second Circuit work (see below, Series II). Among the correspondents of note are: Thurman Arnold, Edwin Borchard, Jerome Davis, William O. Douglas, Felix Frankfurter, James W. Moore, Eugene Rostow, Frederick Rodell, Potter Stewart, and Harlan Stone.

Series II, UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE SECOND DISTRICT 1939-1963, provides virtually complete documentation of Clark's years on the court. The records are subdivided into eight sections:

Docket books

Case files

Motion files

Correspondence with Court of Appeals judges

General court business correspondence

Circuit Council

Judicial Conference

Law Clerks

Series III, RESEARCH FILES, contains correspondence, memoranda, notes, and report drafts relating to Clark's legal research as a scholar and as a member of various research groups and professional committees. The series is subdivided into eleven sections:

Law administration, the National Commission on Law Observance and Enforcement 1929-1933 study of federal law administration.

Social trends, the President's Research Committee on Social Trends' data collection on social change in the United States, 1930-1933. Clark, with William O. Douglas, was principal investigator for law and legal institutions.

Automobile accidents, research conducted during 1929-1933 by the Commission to Study Compensation for Automobile Accidents, under the auspices of the Council for Research in the Social Sciences of Columbia University.

Connecticut Commission on the Reorganization of State Departments, Clark was Vice-Chairman 1935-1936.

Connecticut Legislative Commission on Jails 1931-1938.

American Bar Association, Coordination Committee, 1934-1935 study of plans for reorganizing the American Bar Association.

American Bar Association, Committee on Co-operation with the Bench and Bar, Clark was Chairman 1934-1936.

Puerto Rican Courts, Clark's study of the Puerto Rican judicial system and correspondence with members of the Puerto Rican judiciary and bar association 1949-1963.

Connecticut Commission on State Government Reorganization, 1949-1951 study and report on the Connecticut judicial system directed by Clark.

Institute of Judicial Administration, Inc., 1953-1963, studies, minutes of meetings, correspondence relating to Clark's work as a member of the Institute's Board of Fellows.

Miscellaneous topics including the Connecticut Judicial Council 1927-1930; research memoranda related to the business of federal courts 1934; Code Pleading research notes 1927-1928; National Conference of Commissions on Uniform State Laws, Committee on Corpus and Law, 1927-1933; research notes and memoranda relating to President Roosevelt's plan for reorganization of the Supreme Court, 1937.

Series IV, THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON RULES FOR CIVIL PROCEDURE, contains the papers related to Clark's work as committee reporter 1935-1956. The records include preparatory papers, committee proceedings, rule drafts reports, and correspondence arranged in three chronological subdivisions: 1935-1939, 1943-1950, and 1952-1956.

Series V, BIBLIOGRAPHY AND WRITINGS, contains a copy of a bibliography of Clark's work compiled by Solomon Smith in 1968 and several drafts of addresses and articles. Copies of the bulk of Clark's writings are not present in the series, but are accessible through normal bibliographic channels.

Series VI, PERSONAL CORRESPONDENCE, MEMORABILIA, FAMILY RECORDS, is subdivided into ten sections: Personal Correspondence 1915-1962, much of which concerns routine family and personal business; Correspondence of Dorothy Clark 1955-1967, containing letters from Thurman Arnold and a series of letters from Clark's friends and associates after his death, commenting on the significance of his work; Testimonials and resolutions, by professional and academic groups in honor of Clark; Photographs, primarily portraits and of Clark with colleagues and associates; Law School examinations, given by Clark while a faculty member; School and professional memorabilia; Biographical newspaper clippings 1907-1963, useful for an overview of Clark's many professional activities; Financial records; Family records; and Diplomas and award certificates.