Guide to the Paul Beckett Papers 1939-1989
Cage 559

Summary Information

Repository
Washington State University Libraries, Manuscripts, Archives and Special Collections
Creator
Beckett, Paul Louis, 1913-
Title
Paul Beckett Papers
ID
Cage 559
Date [inclusive]
1939-1989
Extent
5 Linear feet of shelf space, 7 boxes
Language
Collection materials are in English.
Abstract
Paul Louis Beckett was Professor of Political Science at Washington State University from 1947 to 1977. The papers of Paul Beckett are made up of correspondence with fellow scholars, consisting mostly of letters of recommendation for former students and colleagues, administrative reports on the Department of Political science, and draft writings on research and teaching of municipal government.

Preferred Citation

[Item Description] Paul Beckett Papers, 1939-1989

Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.

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Biography/History

Paul Louis Beckett, Professor of Political Science at Washington State University from 1947 to 1977, was born October 18, 1913, in Warren County, Illinois. He completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1935 at Monmouth College, a Master of Arts at the University of Illinois in 1938, and a Doctor of Philosophy at the University of California at Los Angeles in 1949.

During the early 1940s Beckett was employed in municipal government in Los Angeles and also worked in a war-time administrative agency in Washington, D.C. From 1945 to 1947 he was a member of the faculty of the University of New Mexico, and in 1947 he joined the Political Science faculty of Washington State College. His field of special expertise was municipal government; his interests and research also included the politics of organization and reorganization, individual and group behavior in organizations, decision making, leadership and authority, communication, and how to ensure administrative responsiveness and responsibility.

During the 1950s, a time when many colonized countries in the Middle East gained independence, Beckett actively participated in the establishment of municipal governments while teaching at the American University in Beirut. In 1952, Beckett, his wife, and their two young children traveled to Beirut, where he established the Department of Political Science at the American University and taught the history and fundamentals of municipal government.

After returning from Beirut, Beckett extended his administrative duties at Washington State College, serving as chair of the Department of Political Science for eight years. In 1957 he was a public administration consultant to the planning board of the Pakistani government.

In addition to his teaching and administrative activities, Beckett was also an active member of the American Political Science Association, the Pacific Northwest Political Science Association, The American Association of University Professors, and the American Society for Public Administration.

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Scope and Content

The papers of Paul Beckett are made up of correspondence with fellow scholars, consisting mostly of letters of recommendation for former students and colleagues, administrative reports on the Department of Political science, and draft writings on research and teaching of municipal government.

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Arrangement

The papers have been only slightly rearranged from Beckett's original filing system. The collection is arranged in three series.

Series 1: Correspondence, 1939-1979

Series 2: Subject Files, 1940-1976

Series 3: Addendum (added materials), 1939-1989. This sequence consists of materials added to the collection after initial processing. It contains correspondence, subject files, and miscellaneous information concerning Washington State College and the city of Pullman.

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Administrative Information

Publication Information

Washington State University Libraries Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections  © 2016

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 and available for research use.

Restrictions on Use

Copyright restrictions apply.

Acquisition Information

The Washington State University Libraries received papers of Paul Beckett in two installments (accession numbers UA 1978-08 and MS 1985-44). One group of papers (UA 1987-08) was incorrectly identified as university records at the time of receipt. The two accessions were combined in October 1988.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Harvey Young in October 1988. Torsten Homberger processed the added material in the Addendum and revised this collection guide in 2009.

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Names and Subjects

Corporate Name(s)

Subject(s) :
  • Washington State University -- Faculty -- Archives.

Personal Name(s)

Subject(s) :
  • Beckett, Paul Louis, 1913- -- Archives

Subject(s)

  • Political science -- Study and teaching.
  • Colleges and Universities
  • Washington (State)
  • Politics and Politicians

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Detailed Description of Collection

Series 1: Correspondence, 1939-1979 

Business correspondence 

box
folder
box folder

1938-1939 

1 1

1940 

1 2

1941 

1 3

1942 (includes curriculum vitae) 

1 4

1943 

1 5

1944 

1 6

1945 

1 7

1946 

1 8

1947 

1 9

1948 

1 10

1949 

1 11

1950 

1 12-13

1951 (January-June) 

1 14-15

1951 (July-December) 

1 16

1952 

1 17

1953 (January-June) 

1 18-19

1953 (July-August) 

1 20

1954 

1 21-22

1955 (January-June) 

1 23-24

1955 (July-December) 

1 25

1956 (January-June) 

1 26

1954 (July-December) 

1 27-28

1957 (January-September) 

1 29

1957 (September-December) 

1 30

1958 (January-June) 

1 31

1958 (July-December) 

1 32-33

1959 (January-May) 

1 34-35

1959 (June-December) 

1 36-37

1960 (January-June) 

1 38-39

1960 (July-December) 

1 40

1961 (January-June) 

1 41-42

1961 (July-December) 

1 43

1962 (January-August) 

1 44

1962 (September-December) 

1 45

1963 (January-June) 

1 46-47

1963 (July-December) 

1 48

1964 (January-June) 

1 49

Personal Correspondence 

box
folder
box folder

Richard Butler, 1963-1964 

1 50

Wallace E. Caldwell, 1956-1960 

1 51

John D. Blacken, 1955-1959 

1 52

Judith Carr, 1964 

1 53

Jawad Dajani, 1952-1959 

1 54

Earl Darrah, 1959-1961 

1 55

Jerry Davis, 1959-1963 

2 56

Jeanne Howe, 1962-1965 

2 57

William L. Jackson, 1968-1970 

2 58

John Junker, 1958-1963 

2 59

William H. Lee, 1956-1963 

2 60

Timothy Manring, 1961-1965 

2 61

Stanley G. McClure, 1957-1962 

2 62

Donna McIntrie, 1964-1965 

2 63

Lawrence K. Muns, 1960-1963 

2 64

Charles S. Oldham, 1968 

2 65

Howard Payne, 1951-1953 

2 66

Catherine Peat, 1959-1960 

2 67

Roger D. Reed, 1961-1964 

2 68

Fred Segrest, 1961-1965 

2 69

Ann Stuart Sheldon, 1962-1968 

2 70

Thomas Franklin Stinson, 1963-1965 

2 71

Celeste Sunderland, 1950-1959 

2 72

Karl Van Asselt, 1964-1966 

2 73

Washington State College students' correspondence 

box
folder
box folder

1948-1953 

2 74

1954-1958 

2 75

1958-1960 

2 76

1960-1961 

2 77

1962 

2 78

1963 

2 79

1964 

2 80-80.1

1965 

2 81

1966 

2 82

1967 

2 83

1968 

2 84

1969 

2 85

1970 

2 86

1971 

2 87

1972 

2 88

1973 

2 89

1974 

2 90

1975 

2 91

1976 

2 92

1975-1979 

2 93

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Series 2: Subject Files, 1940-1976 

 

box
folder
box folder

Ad hoc Committee on Dedication of Johnson Tower, 1966-1967 

2 94

American Assembly on State Government, 1956 

2 95-98

American Assembly paper on Washington, 1956 

2 99-100

American Association of University Professors, WSC (WSU) chapter, 1954-1973 

2 101

American Society for Public Administration 

box
folder
box folder

Conference reporting committee, 1958 

2 102

Reporting committee correspondence, 1959 

2 103-105

Inland Empire chapter, 1956-1969 

2 106-109

National conference, 1959 

2 110

 

box
folder
box folder

Annals book review, 1956 

2 111

Annals book review, 1965 

2 112

Associated Students of Washington State University and Communist speakers, 1963-1964 

2 113

Beckett as Coordinator of Graduate Studies and Graduate Students, 1964-1977 

2 114

Beckett as Dad's Day King, 1959 

2 115-117

Beckett Goes to Beirut, 1951 

2 118

Beckett Goes to Pakistan, 1957 (plus: The Confessions of a "Biased Professor," by H. Paul Castleberry) 

2 119

Beckett's Training and Experience, 1947 

2 120

Budget Requests, History and Political Science, 1951-1953 

2 121

"Bureaucracy and Democracy," 1952 

2 122

"Civil Service in Beverly Hills, California," 1940 

2 123

College Committee On Review, 1955-1956 

2 124

Committee for Redistricting Washington State, 1962 

2 125

Crowell Commonwealth Series, 1950-1951 

2 126

Department of History and Political Science Enrollment, 1947-1948 

2 127

Department of History and Political Science newsletter, 1956 

2 128

Department of History and Political Science newsletter, 1960 

2 129

Division of Governmental Studies and Services, 1966-1968 

2 130

Evaluation of Hugh Bone's Executive Article for a model State Constitution, 1968 April 

2 131

Faculty Status Committee, 1973-1974 

2 132

Faculty Status Committee, annual and treasurer's reports, 1969-1974 

2 133

Faculty Status Committee, Senate Review 

2 134

Faculty Service Reports, 1947-1969 

2 135-136

From Wilderness to Enabling Act, The Evolution of A State of Washington, by Paul Beckett, 1968 

box
folder
box folder

Chapters 1-3 

2 137

Chapter 4 

3 138

Appendix 

3 139

Galley proof 

3 140

 

box
folder
box folder

Fulbright to Egypt, 1961 

3 141

Graduate Student Committees and Examinations (Work Completed) 

box
folder
box folder

1948-1970 

3 142

1970-1977 

3 143

 

box
folder
box folder

Illinois Law Review, 1942-1946. 

3 144

Institute of World Affairs, University of Southern California, 1954 

3 145

J. Kimbrough Owen Memorial Fund, 1957 

3 146

Judicial Review of Labor Legislation in California, 1880-1910; 1961 

3 147

Legislation and Representation: Papers and Articles, 1938-1939 

3 148-149

"Letter from Beirut," 1952 

3 150

Los Angeles Town Hall Constitution, 1943 

3 151

Los Angeles Town Hall Municipal and County Government, 1945 

3 152

Miscellaneous, 1949-1958 

3 153-159

Mock Political Convention, WSU, 1956 

3 160

Mock Political Convention, WSU, 1964 

3 161

Pacific Northwest Assembly on Federal Government and Higher Education, 1960 

3 162

Pacific Northwest Library Association project, 1956 

3 163

Pacific Northwest Panel on State Government, Moscow, 1955 

3 164

Pacific Northwest Political Science Association panel on honors programs, 1963 

3 165

Pacific Northwest Political Science Association presidency, 1957-1958 

3 166

Pacific Northwest Quarterly book review, 1962-1963 

3 167

Personnel Administration in Santa Monica, CA, 1940 

3 168

Phi Kappa Phi, WSU Chapter, President's file, 1967-1968 

3 169

Phi Kappa Phi Scholarship Committee, 1963-1966 

3 170

Phi Sigma Alpha National Council, 1974-1978 

3 171

Political Science 440 final course schedule, 1976 

3 172

Political Science 445 evaluation and incentives, undated 

3 173

Political Science 592: Dr. Beckett's Last Seminar, 1976 

3 174

"Politics, Personalities, and Pensions, Final Report on Santa Monica Personnel Administration," 1940 

3 175

Pre-law, Political Science Department, 1961 

3 176

Presidential Address, Eleventh annual meeting Pacific Northwest Political Science Association, 1958 

3 177

Project on State Government, 1955-1961 

3 178

Public Administration Training as Technical Assistance: Some Further Observations Based on Experience in Beirut 

3 179

Public Opinion Laboratory, WSC, 1949-1950 

3 180

Public Opinion poll on Washington State Government, 1950 

3 181

"Quest for Quality Conference," University of Washington, 1962 

3 182

Research Council Presidency, 1949-1950 

3 183

Review of Khadduri and Liebesney, Law in the Middle East, 1956 

3 184

Labor Legislation in California, 1961 

3 185

Reviews of Henry Goodnow on The Civil Service of Pakistan, 1965 

3 186

Society for International Development, Korean research project, 1968 

3 187

Speeches, 1940-1952 

3 188

Speeches, 1952-1971 

3 189

Student-Faculty questionnaires, University of New Mexico, 1946 

3 190

Technical Assistance article for Washington State Review, 1958 

3 191

"The California Supreme Court and Early Efforts at Labor Legislation," Chapter 12, 1949 

3 192

The Concept of Evolution in Peter Kropotkin's Anarchism: A Study of Revolutionary Theory, by Paul Beckett, 1938 

3 193

"The Conflict between North and South," talk for USC Institute of World Affairs, 1958 

3 194

"The Executive as Ropedancer," talk at the University of British Columbia, 1962 

3 195

"The International Law of Aerial Navigation," 1940 

3 196

"The Professional School and World Affairs," regional conference, University of Oregon, 1967 

4 197

Third annual Institute on World Affairs, 1958 

4 198

University of New Mexico, undated 

4 199

Washington Political Science Association Executive Council, 1959-1961 

4 200

"Washington State's Lawmakers," Washington Political Quarterly, 1957 

4 201

"Washington State's New Merit System Law" (manuscript), 1962 

4 202

Washington State University Institute of World Affairs, 1960 

4 203

Water Research Center project, Harvey Doerkson, 1972 

4 204

Western Governmental Research Association second annual conference, 1962 

4 205-207

Western Political Quarterly, 1964-1965 

4 208

Western Political Science Association, 1957 

4 209

Whitman County, WA, government, 1947-1948 

4 210

Whitman County manuscripts and working papers, 1950 

4 211

Woodrow Wilson Award Committee, 1955 

4 212

Workshop for middle managers talk, Fairchild Air Force Base, 1964 

4 213

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Series 3: Addendum (added materials), 1939-1989 

Correspondence, Washington State College Department of History and Political Science 

box
folder
box folder

1951-1953 

5 214

1965 

5 215

1966 

5 216

1967 

5 217

1968 

5 218

1969 

5 219

1970 

5 220

1971 

5 221

1972 

5 222

1973 

5 223

1974 

5 224

1975 

5 225

1976 

5 226

1977 

5 227

Correspondence, personal 

box
folder
box folder

I. Cecil Asfour, 1958-1963 

6 228

Clarence A. Berdahl, 1939-1949 

6 229

Ronald Beyensee, 1956, 1958, 1969 

6 230

Paul and Ben Booz, 1957-1959 

6 231

Carol F. Clark, 1960-1961, 1982 

6 232

Dr. and Mrs. Wilson Martindale Compton, 1957-1967 

6 233

Mike and Ethel Crowe, 1962-1967 

6 234

Earl Davis, 1939-1955 

6 235

Melvin Davis, 1960-1974 

6 236

Tom Donnelly, 1945-1946 

6 237

Pierre Ecoiffier, 1959 

6 238

Ernst W. Gohlert, 1966-1975 

6 239

J.A.C. Grant, 1939, 1941, 1946 

6 240

Charles B. Hagan, 1938-1978 

6 241

Robert J. Harris, 1939-1949 

6 242

Bruce and Lolly Haston, 1968-1971 

6 243

Jack Holmes, 1947-1955 

6 244

Robert and JoAnn Lampman, 1953 

6 245

William and Eliza Landeen, 1959 

6 246

Mr. and Mrs. C.B. Martin, 1942-1943 

6 247

Art and Bertha O'Neil, 1943, 1952 

6 248

Walter C. Schnackenberg, 1954-1973 

6 249

Maxine Guse Semmel, 1955-1959 

6 250

Harold Scheffelman, 1955-1959 

6 251

Foster Sherwood, 1948-1956 

6 252

Clyde F. Snider, 1939-1971 

6 253

Thor Swanson, 1951-1964 

6 254

Dave and Olga Mary Wilder, 1953-1954 

6 255

American University of Beirut students, 1952-1966 

6 256

Subject files 

box
folder
box folder

Ad hoc committee on General Graduation Requirements, 1962-1964 

6 257

The American Political Science Association Conference, 1972 

7 258

Beckett-Lamp Water Research Center grant, 1975 

7 259

County Government Across the Nation, Chapter 5 (annotated typescript) 

7 260

Haynes Foundation, Los Angeles, 1943-1944 

7 261

Miscellaneous newspaper clippings and printed ephemera, 1960-1973 

7 262-272

Pacific Northwest Political Science Association, 1958-1981 

7 273

Potential article, research on Washington legislative committees, 1951-1959 

7 274

Potential article, research on birth places of Washington legislators, 1889-1989 

7 275

Research Studies, 1951-1959 

7 276

"The Role of the Representative Assembly in a Democracy," 1939 

7 277

United States Bureau of Budget, 1949-1953 

7 278

Western Government Research Association, Conference Proceedings, 1959 

7 279

Western Political Science Association conference programs, 1951-1974 

7 280

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