Skip to main content Skip to main navigation

Charles H. Sherrill scrapbooks

Call Number

MS 3191

Date

1884-1937, inclusive

Creator

Sherrill, Charles Hitchcock, 1867-1936

Extent

13 Linear feet in 44 volumes

Language of Materials

The documents in the collection are in English.

Abstract

The collection consists of 44 scrapbooks (1884-1937) created by lawyer and diplomat Charles Hitchcock Sherrill (1867-1936). The scrapbooks contain ephemera,(including postcards, photographs, clippings, ribbons, pins, membership cards, and programs) as well as correspondence and drawings, all of which document Sherrill's education, work, travels, and interests, especially those related to sports and theater.

Biographical / Historical

Charles Hitchcock Sherrill (1867-1936) was an American lawyer, diplomat, and sport officer.

Sherrill was born April 13, 1867 in Washington, DC to New York state politician and Washington lobbyist Charles H. Sherrill and Sarah Fulton Wynkoop Sherrill. He studied at Yale University, and was an accomplished college athlete, winning the inter-collegiate 100-yard dash title four times and the 220 yard dash three times. In 1888, he became the first person to use a crouch start in track and field sprints.

After graduating from Yale law school, Sherrill practiced law in New York City. He married George Barker Gibbs (1870-1947) in 1906, and they had one child, Gibbs Wynkoop Sherrill, born in 1908. Active in Republican politics, Sherrill coordinated some New York City campaign events for Presidents McKinley and Taft, and was appointed US Ambassador to Argentina from 1909 to 1910. He organized and was grand marshall of the 1916 Citizens Preparedness Parade, and during World War I, he was made Adjutant General of New York State, head of the New York National Guard. He later served as US Ambassador to Turkey from 1932 to 1933.

Outside of his work in law and politics, Sherrill's interests included travel, art, history, and sports. He wrote a number of books, on subjects ranging from diplomacy and world affairs, to stained glass, to his own family history. In one of his books, "The Purple or the Red" (1924), dedicated to Benito Mussolini, Sherrill argued for popular monarchy as an acceptable secondary option to republican government as a means to prevent the spread of Bolshevism.

Sherrill was an active participant in the social and civic life of New York City. He belonged to the Society of the Sons of the Revolution, and was a founding member of the National Arts Club. He was a member of social clubs such as the the Union League, the St. Nicholas Skating Club, the Grolier Club, and the Yale Club. He also helped coordinate the campaign to complete the building of NYC's Cathedral of St. John the Divine in the mid 1920s.

Sherrill's ardent enthusiasm for sports never waned. In 1892, he was elected to the Board of Directors of the New York Athletic Club. Active in Yale's Athletic and Alumni Associations, he helped organize the first Yale-Oxford Track Meet in 1894, and traveled to it annually, often serving as an official. From 1922 to his death, Sherrill was a member of the International Olympic Committee and played a vital role in organizing the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. In 1935, during the preparations for the 1936 Summer Olympic Games in Berlin, Sherrill met twice with Hitler.

Sherrill died suddenly in France on June 25, 1936.

Arrangement

The bulk of the collection (Vol. 1-36) is arranged chronologically. The remaining volumes are arranged by subject.

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of 44 scrapbooks created by lawyer and diplomat Charles Hitchcock Sherrill (1867-1936). Covering the years 1884-1937, the scrapbooks contain clippings, correspondence, sketches, and ephemera (including postcards, photographs, ribbons, pins, membership cards, menus, and programs), all of which document Sherrill's work, social and political activities, travels, and interests.

Sports, politics, travel, civic and social events, art, and theater are common themes throughout Volumes 1-35, which are chronological records of Sherrill's life from his undergraduate years at Yale until his death. Volume 36 consists mainly of letters of condolence to Sherrill's widow, George Gibbs Sherrill, after Sherrill's death in Paris in 1936. Volumes 37 and 38 contain material related to Sherrill's genealogical research. Volumes 39-42 hold postcards from Sherrill's travels, including real photo postcards. Volume 43 contains mainly theater tickets and programs dated 1884-1888. Volume 44 is mostly blank, but does have a few hand-drawn cartoons (seemingly made by Sherrill as a child) and some other illustrations.

Most scrapbooks are labeled with dates and volume numbers.

Access Restrictions

Open to qualified researchers. Materials are stored offsite and advance notice is required for use. Please contact manuscripts@nyhistory.org prior to your research visit to coordinate access. Keep in mind that it will take between two (2) and five (5) business days for collections to arrive, and you should plan your research accordingly.

Use Restrictions

Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff.

Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.

Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions

Preferred Citation

The collection should be cited as: Charles H. Sherrill scrapbooks, MS 3191, New-York Historical Society.

Location of Materials

Materials are stored offsite and advance notice is required for use. Please contact manuscripts@nyhistory.org prior to your research visit to coordinate access. Keep in mind that it will take between two (2) and five (5) business days for collections to arrive, and you should plan your research accordingly.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of George Gibbs Sherrill, 1937

Related Materials

The library contains a number of Sherrill's publications, including "The Sherrill Genealogy; the Descendants of Samuel Sherrill of East Hampton, Long Island, New York" and "My Story Book," an autobiography published posthumously in 1937.The Manuscripts Department also holds Mss Collection AHMC-Sherrill, Charles Hitchcock, which consists of a letter and an autograph.

Collection processed by

Marybeth Kavanagh

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 15:46:14 -0400.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: Finding aid written in English

Processing Information

Archivist Elise Winks performed a high level survey of the collection in June 2020. Archivist Marybeth Kavanagh processed the collection in November 2020.

Repository

New-York Historical Society
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024