Guide to the Garfield Bromley Oxnam Papers 1909-1990 Published for Drew University Methodist Archives By General Commission on Archives and History of the United Methodist Church P.O. Box 127, Madison, NJ 07940 10/12/2011 Guide to the Garfield Bromley Oxnam Papers Garfield Bromley Oxnam Papers 1909-1990 4.65 cubic feet drew.ms.2412 The purpose of this finding aid is to help you understand the nature of this collection and to assist you in the retrieval of material from this collection. The following pages contain a brief biographical history of the person, or persons, who created or collected these papers; followed by a general description of the collection in the scope and content note. If more detailed information is warranted then series descriptions also appear. The container listing appears last and is the listing of material in each box, or container, of this collection. To request material you need to turn to the container listing section. It is essentially a listing of file folders, or artifact items, in the collection. Each folder, or item, has a call number associated with it. Each folder also lists the inclusive dates of the material in the folder. On the material request form list both the call number and the folder, or item, title. Use a different line for each folder, or item, requested. When your request sheet is complete, or full, bring it to the archivist and the material will be retrieved. Biographical Note Garfield Bromley Oxnam (1891-1963), Methodist Church bishop, was educated at the University of Southern California (A.B., 1913), and Boston University (S.T.B., 1915). He did graduate study at Harvard and other schools. During his career, twenty-one institutions, including American, Boston, Northwestern, Princeton, Southern California, and Yale Universities, conferred on him a total of eight honorary degrees. On August 19, 1914, he married Ruth Fisher. Oxnam was admitted on trial in the Southern California Conference in 1913 and was ordained a deacon in 1915 and ordained an elder in 1917. His appointments were: Poplar, California (1916); Church of All Nations, Los Angeles (1917-1926); professor, Boston University School of Theology (1927); and president of DePauw University (1928-1935). While serving the church, Oxnam was also professor of social ethics at the University of Southern California. A delegate to four General Conferences (1924-1936), Oxnam was elected bishop in 1936. His epsicopal assignments were Omaha (1936-1939), Boston (1939-1944), New York (1944-1952), and Washington (1952-1960). He wielded great influence as secretary of the Council of Bishops from 1936 to 1956. Oxnam conceived and led the Methodist Crusade for World Order from 1944 to 1948. Under his leadership, Westminister Seminary in Maryland was moved to Washington, at Wesley Seminary, and the School of International Service was established at American University with funds appropriated by the General Conference. Active in denominational and ecumenical organizations and movements, Oxnam served as president of the Federal Council of Churches (1944-1946), was a presiding officer at the organization of the National Council of Churches ( 1950), was one of the presidents of the World Council of Churches (1948- 1954), and later was a member of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches. He chaired the division of educational institutions of the General Board of Education (1939-1944), and did the same for the Division of Foreign Missions of the General Board of Global Ministries (1944-1952). During World War II, he was a member of the Civil Advisory Commission to the Secretary of the Navy. He was chairman of the Commission to Study Post War Relief Conditions in Germany, and he was also chairman of the Methodist Commission on Chaplains. Oxnam claimed that the Congressional Committe on Un-American Activities had for seven years released so called "files" containing false material which said or suggested that he was a communist. He also argued that the Committee had ignored repeated requests to correct its files. Oxnam requested and received a hearing before the Committee in July 1953. General Commisson on Archives and History Page 1 Madison, New Jersey Guide to the Garfield Bromley Oxnam Papers In 1960, Oxnam retired from the active ministry. He died on March 12, 1963. Oxnam's ashes are interred in the chapel of Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. Scope Note The collection touches upon both his presidency at DePauw University and bishop of the Methodist Church. It is the latter area which has more information than the former one. His sermons are from the mid-twentieth century where Oxnam preached on a number of topics related to the ministry of the larger church. Other topics include World War II, fascism, communism race, labor, social change, democracy, ecumenicism and intellectualism. The highlight of the collection is the information on fascism and communism which includes his famous testimony before the House of Representative’s Un-American Activities Committee. In contrast to this debacle, one can see Oxnam as a firm patriot to the United States cause during World War II. Oxnam was keenly interested in the field of ethics which permeates most of the above mentioned topics. These same topics are explored in various audio recordings in the form of radio broadcasts and speaking engagements as well as paper documents such as lectures, addresses and correspondence. The audio recordings are currently in both transcription and compact disks. Finally, there is a United States Army field communion set presented to Oxnam by the government. Finally, there are a number of glass lantern slides from the early twentieth century mainly depicting the church’s work with poor immigrants in the Los Angeles, Boston, Denver, Pittsburgh and New York City areas with Los Angeles being the largest segment. Related to this immigrant work are images of churches which served these groups including one congregation that had a lantern slide screen in the sanctuary. Plat maps of Methodist parishes and social problems in Los Angeles illustrate where the church focused its attention within the city. Churches outside of Los Angeles include, Morgan Memorial in Boston, Grant Avenue in Denver, St. Bartholomew in New York City, St. Mark's in Detroit and United Presbyterian in Pittsburgh. There are California landscape images along with a few Los Angeles tenement slides. Other Methodist works such as the Deaconess Home in Los Angeles and the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Southern California round out the rest of lantern slides. Arrangement Material has been arranged in the following manner. PUBLICATIONS. GENERAL FILES. SERMONS AND ADDRESSES. AUDIO RECORDINGS. LANTERN SLIDES. Related Materials Bishop John McKendree Springer Papers Charles Coolidge Parlin Papers Administrative Files Series of the Board of Missions of the Methodist Church Records of the Judicial Council Records of the Mission Education and Cultivation Program Department of the General Board of Global Ministries Administrative files of United Methodist Communications General Commisson on Archives and History Page 2 Madison, New Jersey Guide to the Garfield Bromley Oxnam Papers Northeastern Jurisdiction Records Mission Biographical Reference Files Records of the Methodist Federation for Social Action Garfield Bromley Oxnam Papers - DePauw University Papers of G. Bromley Oxnam - Library of Congress Arthur J. Moore Papers - Arthur J. Moore Methodist Museum and Library Henry Hitt Crane Papers - University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library Charles W. Brashares Papers - University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library John E, Meally Papers - University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library Access Restrictions There are no restrictions regarding this collection. Copyright still owned by Drew. Permissions to publish must be directed to Drew. Restrictions on Use Detailed use restrictions relating to our collections can be requested from the office of the archivist at the General Commission on Archives and History. Photocopying is handled by the staff and may be limited in certain instances. Before using any material for publication from this collection a formal request for permission to publish is expected and required. Preferred Citation When citing material from this collection please use the following format: Direct reference to the item or its file folder, Garfield Bromley Oxnam Papers, Methodist Collection - Drew University, Madison, New Jersey. Do not make use of the item's call number as that is not a stable descriptor. Index Terms Subject Topics Church and labor Church and social problems Church and state Communism Ecclesiology Episcopacy Fascism Ministry Race Social ethics World War, 1939-1945 -War work -Methodist Church Subject Geographic California Colorado Indiana General Commisson on Archives and History Page 3 Madison, New Jersey Guide to the Garfield Bromley Oxnam Papers Korea Massachusetts Michigan New York (N.Y.) New York (State) Pennslyvania United States Washington (D.C.) Genre Addresses Books Clippings Compact discs Lantern slides Photographs Publications Sermons Sound recordings Subject - Personal Names Truman, Harry S., 1884-1972 Subject - Corporate Names Methodist Church (U.S.) Methodist Episcopal Church World Council of Churches General Commisson on Archives and History Page 4 Madison, New Jersey Guide to the Garfield Bromley Oxnam Papers Container List Publications Call Number Folder Title Date(s) 2142-5-1:1 Contemporary Preaching - Edited by