Miguel A. de Capriles Papers
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Abstract
Miguel A. de Capriles received his B.A., M.A. and J.D. from New York University (NYU) and served in various positions within the University from 1935-1976, including Law Professor, Director of the Office of Institutional Research and Educational Planning, Dean of the School of Law, Vice President and General Counsel of the University. This collection contains his personal diaries from 1920 to 1972, and papers for conferences pertaining to corporate law.
Biographical Note
Miguel (Mike) Angel de Capriles was born on November 30, 1906, in Mexico City. His family moved to the United States in 1920, and he graduated from the High School of Commerce in New York City in 1924. In 1924 de Capriles enrolled as an undergraduate at Washington Square College. His long and prolific association with New York University (NYU) lasted until 1974. Graduating cum laude with a B.S. in 1927, he became an Administrative Officer and an instructor in the Economics Department following his graduation. In 1931 de Capriles received an M.A. in Economics, and in 1935 he received a J.D. from the School of Law. He married Dorothy W. Hafner, a fellow fencer and NYU School of Law graduate, in 1938.
Except for a brief hiatus from NYU during World War II, when he worked in Washington, D.C. for the Department of Justice, de Capriles served in numerous administrative offices and as a law professor, specializing in corporate law and finance, from 1935 until his retirement in 1974. Among his many positions at the University, he founded the Inter-American Law Institute at NYU in 1947, served as the director of the Office of Institutional Research and Educational Planning from 1953-63, was the Dean of the NYU School of Law from 1964-67, and served as the Vice President and General Counsel of NYU from 1967-74. In 1974, de Capriles was named Distinguished Professor of Law at Hastings College, University of California, San Francisco. He died in San Francisco in 1981 at the age of 75.
De Capriles was also a world-renowned fencer, having taken up the sport as an undergraduate at NYU. Ranked consistently as one of the top ten fencers in the US from 1935-51, de Capriles won 10 national individual fencing titles during his career. He was also a member of the US Olympic Fencing Team from 1932-52, winning two bronze metals (1932 in epée and 1948 in saber). He continued to be actively involved in fencing after his retirement from competition in 1952, serving as president of the International Fencing Federation and working with the U.S. Olympic Committee. He is a member of the NYU Sports Hall of Fame.
Arrangement
Folders are arranged chronologically. The files are grouped into 2 series: I. Diaries II. Academic Papers
Scope and Contents
Series I: Contains address books and diaries from 1920, when de Capriles arrived in the US, until 1972, two years before his retirement from NYU. The documents contain both personal and professional information regarding events, appointments, brief notes, and the names and addresses of friends and colleagues.
Series II: Consists of three academic papers on corporate law published or presented in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
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Access Restrictions
Administrative records and unpublished reports of New York University are closed for a period of 20 years from the date of their creation. Access to files spanning multiple years will be opened to researchers based on the date of the most recent materials. Board of Trustees records are closed for 35 years from the date of creation. Materials related to personnel, grievances, job and fellowship searches and applications, and all files that fall under the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) are permanently restricted. Additional restrictions may apply to other materials in this collection. For questions regarding specific restrictions, please contact the University Archives.
Use Restrictions
Any rights (including copyright and related rights to publicity and privacy) held by the creator are maintained by New York University. Permission to publish or reproduce materials in this collection must be secured from New York University Archives, (212) 998-2646, university-archives@nyu.edu.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date (if known); Miguel A. de Capriles Papers; MC 60; box number; folder number; New York University Archives, New York University Libraries.
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Immediate Source of Acquisition
Materials were transferred to University Archives at an unspecified date.