Robert C. Wood (#312)

An Inventory of His Personal Papers
1959-1977
In the John F. Kennedy Library
National Archives and Records Administration

Administrative Information
Biographical Note
Collection Overview
List of Series
Description


Administrative Information

Abstract
Papers 1959-1977
Educator, political scientist, Presidential adviser, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; Professor of political science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1959-1966); President, University of Massachusetts. Personal papers. Material relating to the selection of UMass as the site of the John F. Kennedy Library.

Access
Open.

Usage Restrictions
According to the deed of gift signed November 1978, copyright of these materials has been assigned to the United States. Documents in this collection that were prepared by officials of the United States as part of their official duties are in the public domain. Users of these materials are advised to determine the copyright status of any document from which they wish to publish.

Copyright
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excesses of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law. The copyright law extends its protection to unpublished works from the moment of creation in a tangible form. Direct your questions concerning copyright to the reference staff.

Provenance
Received from Robert Wood of Boston, MA, in January 1969 (Acc. 1969-003); and in September 1978 (Acc. 1978-062).

Extent
About 650 items (7 linear inches ; 0.75 cubic foot)

Date Opened
November 1978.

Finding Aid
Finding aid created in April 2005, by James M. Roth

Encoded by
James M. Roth

Related Collections
Robert C. Wood Oral History Interview, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library
Robert C. Wood Papers, Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library
  

The Personal Papers of Robert Wood (1923-2005)

Biographical Note
Robert Coldwell Wood was born September 16, 1923, in St. Louis, Missouri, to Thomas Frank and Mary (Bradshaw) Wood. He served (1943-1946) in the U.S. Army, attaining the rank of sergeant during World War II. Upon his return, Wood graduated with an A.B. from Princeton University in 1946. After graduating from Princeton, Wood earned three degrees from Harvard: a master's in public administration (1948) and a master's (1949) and a doctorate (1951) in government. Wood moved to Florida to work as associate director of Florida's Legislative Reference Bureau while completing his doctorate. After receiving his Ph.D., Wood was hired by the US Bureau of the Budget, predecessor of the Office of Management and Budget, as an urban affairs specialist, from 1951 to 1954. During this time, Wood married Margaret Byers on March 22, 1952. Wood taught at Harvard from 1954 to 1957. He then spent nine years as a member of the MIT political science department. In 1961, Wood became a member of the Committee for Economic Development. In 1964, Wood chaired President Lyndon B. Johnson's Task Force on Urban Problems, which recommended establishing a Cabinet department for housing and urban development. When HUD was created, in 1965, Wood was named undersecretary, later becoming Secretary in 1969. After his HUD service, Wood returned to MIT as a professor and director of the Joint Center for Urban Studies at MIT and Harvard. He continued to hold both posts while at the MBTA, of which he was chairman from 1969 to 1970. That year, Wood took the position of President of the University of Massachusetts, where he played a key role in bringing the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum to its present site at Columbia Point. From 1978 to 1980, Wood held the position as superintendent of the Boston public schools. In 1981, he returned to academics, taking a position as political science professor at UMass-Boston. He then joined the faculty at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn. Robert Wood died on April 1, 2005.

Collection Overview
The papers of Robert C. Wood consist of his papers regarding his work for John F. Kennedy’s 1960 presidential campaign, his correspondence with Edward M. Kennedy, and his President of the University of Massachusetts files bringing the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum to its present site at Columbia Point.

List of Series
Series 1. 1960 Presidential Campaign
Series 2. Edward M. Kennedy Correspondence
Series 3. John F. Kennedy Library File

Collection Description

Series 1. 1960 Presidential Campaign.
About 100 items.
Arrangement: by type of material.

This series contains correspondence, position papers, speeches, and clippings related to Robert Woods’ involvement with John F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign.
  

Series 2. Edward M. Kennedy Correspondence.
About 50 items.
Arrangement: chronological.

This series contains mostly correspondence and memorandums, with a few position papers, related to Robert Woods’ involvement as an advisor to Senator Edward M. Kennedy.
  

Series 3. John F. Kennedy Library File.
About 500 items.
Arrangement: by type of material.

This series contains correspondence, clippings, related to Robert Woods’ involvement with the John F. Kennedy Library.