Washington State University Libraries: Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC)

Summary Information

Repository

Washington State University Libraries: Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections Washington State University Libraries, Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections

Creator

Brown, Ashmun Norris, 1872-1948

Title

Ashmun Norris Brown Scrapbooks

ID

Cage 54

Date [inclusive]

1890-1946

Extent

36 scrapbooks., 10 linear feet of shelf space.

Language

Collection materials are in English.

Abstract

Clippings of Brown's output of newspaper articles, stories, features and regular columns as Washington correspondent for Seattle and Providence (Rhode Island) newspapers. Provides close examination of Washington State and Rhode Island congressional delegations as well as coverage of naval affairs, the Department of Interior, the Territory of Alaska, and personalities in politics and government. Also a small amount of personal material, including photographs, correspondence, and memorabilia.

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Biography/History

The son of a pioneer Seattle newspaperman, Ashmun Brown began his career in journalism in 1890 as a reporter in Seattle. For the next fifteen years he held reporting and editorial positions with newspapers in Seattle, Tacoma, San Francisco, Victoria, Spokane, Butte and Anaconda. From 1905 to 1907 he was Private Secretary to Governor Albert Mead of Washington, after which he relocated at Washington, D.C., beginning his career as a capitol reporter. He left reporting in 1910 and 1911 to serve as Private Secretary to Secretary of Interior Richard Ballinger and, after a short interlude as a periodical editor, returned to reporting the news of the national capitol for his former employer, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

From 1914 until his retirement in the early 1940's, Brown was the Washington Bureau correspondent successively for the Post-Intelligencer, the Seattle Times and the Providence (R.I.) Journal and Evening Bulletin. During this time he wrote about 25,000 stories, features and columns. His reporting tended to reflect his Republican connections in Washington, but was characterized by a proper journalistic non-partisanship. His coverage of national administrations of both political parties and of the Washington and Rhode Island delegations to Congress, both having members of each party, was quite complete. This thoroughness of reporting earned him a citation from the Pulitzer Prize Committee in 1936.

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Scope and Content

This collection consists of scrapbooks of clippings of journalist Ashmun Norris Brown's output of newspaper articles, stories, features and regular columns as Washington correspondent for Seattle and Providence (Rhode Island) newspapers. His stories offer close examination of Washington State and Rhode Island congressional delegations, as well as coverage of naval affairs, the Department of Interior, the Territory of Alaska, and personalities in politics and government. The collection also includes a small amount of personal material, including photographs, correspondence, and memorabilia.

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Arrangement

The 35 scrapbooks of news stories are arranged in three chronological series. Series 1, 1914-1923, contains Brown's stories as the Washington correspondent of the two Seattle newspapers. Series 2, 1920-1942, consists of the stories and columns he wrote for the Providence papers. Series 3 contains two scrapbooks of stories written 1916-1917, some of which were carried by the Washington, D.C., Star. Series 4 is a scrapbook with a mixture of personal and professional items, 1890-1946.

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Administrative Information

Publication Information

Washington State University Libraries: Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC) © 1972

http://www.libraries.wsu.edu/masc/

Terrell Library

P.O. Box 645610

Pullman, WA, 99164-5610 USA

509-335-6691

mascref@wsu.edu

Restrictions on Access

This collection is open for research use.

Acquisition Information

The news stories of Ashmun Brown (1872-1948), Washington D. C. journalist, were acquired by Washington State University Library In 1958 as a gift from Mr. Brown's nephew, Nat Brown of Yakima, Washington.In 2014, Dennis Holzman Antiques donated two additional scrapbooks (MS.2014.24): Brown's final volume of stories (item 32.1), and a scrapbook of memorabilia, correspondence, photographs, and clippings (items 35.1-35.4).

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Names and Subjects

Personal Name(s)

Creator(s) :

• Brown, Ashmun Norris, 1872-1948. --Archives

Subject(s)

• Reporters and reporting--Washington (D.C.)
• Journalists--Archives
• American newspapers--Washington (State)--Seattle
• American newspapers--Rhode Island--Providence
• Journalism
• Scrapbooks
• Washington (State)
• Seattle

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Detailed Description of Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Series 1: Seattle Period, Times and Post-Intelligencer,  1914-1923
				scrapbook
May 5, 1914 to May 19, 1915				1
May 20, 1915 to September 16, 1916				2
September 17, 1916 to June 19, 1917				3
June 20, 1917 to May 25, 1918				4
May 27, 1918 to April 22, 1919				5
April 23, 1919 to December 8, 1920				6
December 8, 1920 to October 31, 1921				7
November 1, 1921 to August 25, 1922				8
August 26, 1922 to February3, 1923				9
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Series 2: Providence Period, Journal and Evening Bulletin,  1920-1942
				scrapbook
October 11, 1920 to May 2, 1921				10
May 3, 1921 to December 11, 1921				11
December 12, 1921 to March 11, 1923				12
March 13, 1923 to April 6, 1924				13
April 6, 1924 to May 1, 1925				14
May 1, 1925 to June 20, 1926				15
June 23, 1926 to July 4, 1927				16
July 5, 1927 to May 5, 1928				17
May 5, 1928 to November 18, 1928				18
November 19, 1928 to May 9, 1929				19
May 10, 1929 to December 14, 1929				20
December 15, 1929 to June 25, 1930				21
June 25, 1930 to February 25, 1931				22
February 26, 1931 to December 3, 1931				23
December 3, 1931 to June 16, 1932				24
June 16, 1932 to March 23, 1933				25
March 23, 1933 to December 18, 1933				26
December 19, 1933 to August 17, 1934				27
August 17, 1934 to June 20, 1935				28
June 23, 1935 to September 17, 1936				29
September 18, 1936 to January 20, 1938				30
January 22, 1938 to December 7, 1939				31
December 9, 1939 to October 30, 1941				32
November 1, 1941 to May 30, 1942				32.1
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Series 3: Special Stories, (many from Washington DC Star),  1916 to 1917
				scrapbook
Subject: President Wilson, Woodrow November 16, 1916 to February 10, 1917				33
Subject: Alaska November 16, 1916 to February 10, 1917				34
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Series 4: Scrapbook of personal and professional activities,  1890 to 1946
				scrapbook
Scrapbook of memorabilia, correspondence, photographs, and stories 1890-1946				35.1-35.4
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