Search Results

Creator:

Coughlin, Charles E. (Charles Edward), 1891-1979  Search this

Names:

Ford, Henry, 1863-1947  Search this

Pelley, William Dudley, 1890-1965  Search this

Extent:

9 Cubic feet (27 boxes, 1 map-folder)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Letters (correspondence)

Pamphlets

Periodicals

Lectures

Articles

Photographs

Books

Sermons

Speeches

Audio cassettes

Date:

1919-2015, undated

Scope and Contents:

This refence collection was assembled to assist in writing a biography of the Reverend Mr. Charles E. Coughlin. The collection contains books, booklets, published sermons, published lectures, pamphlets and other printed materials. Of these, 57 were written by Coughlin. The remainder of the materials relate to him directly or have chapters or passages relating to him. Additionally, there are periodicals, including newspaper and magazine articles, and a full set of Coughlin's weekly publication, Social Justice, 1936-1942; other periodicals such as William Dudley Pelley's weekly Liberation Journal, 1938-1948; copies of Henry Ford's Dearborn Independent; original photographs, including images of Coughlin and of his church; letters; copies of the FBI's files on Coughlin; and (non-original) recordings of his broadcasts.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged in four series.

Series 1: Coughlin, Charles E., Writings and Speeches, 1930-1972, undated

Series 2: Photographs and Ephemera, 1927-1979, undated

Series 3: Periodicals and Publications, 1919-2012

Series 4: Reference Materials, 1933-2015, undated

Biographical / Historical:

Charles Edward Coughlin was born on October 25, 1891 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada to Thomas J. and Amelia Mahoney Coughlin. He was educated in Canada and attended St. Michael's College, Toronto. After graduation he prepared for Holy Orders within the Basilian Fathers at St. Basil's Seminary. He was ordained to the Roman Catholic priesthood in 1916. Coughlin left the Basilian order after 1923 and moved to Detroit, Michigan.

Coughlin was accepted into the Roman Catholic Archidiocese of Detroit in 1923. He was eventually assigned to the Shrine of the Little Flower in Royal Oak, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. His reputation for formidable preaching led to the growth of his congregation, and in 1926 Coughlin began broadcasting after a Klu Klux Klan cross burning on the lawn of the church.

He eventually expanded the topics of his broadcast to the political arena. It was with this programmatic change that Coughlin became one of the most controversial figures in the first half of the twentieth century. Described as the "Radio Priest," "The Fighting Priest," and the "Angel of the Airways," Coughlin broadcast weekly from a radio studio in Royal Oak from 1926-1940. Taking a strident and nationalistic tone, he lambasted immigrants, bankers, Communists and other groups. Breaching the line between religion and politics he also lectured and sermonized on government policy. While initially favoring the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt, he eventually became one of the president's harshest critics.

In 1936 he began publishing Social Justice a weekly paper. Coughlin's broadcasts were so successful that between 1931-1936 a new Shrine of the Little Flower was built. The zig-zag Art Deco style of the Shrine became a tourist destination for Coughlin's fans. His increasingly harsh rehtoric coincided with the outbreak of World War II. While stating he was not antisemitic, he professed support for some of the governmental policies of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini in part because they were a check on Communist Russia. The Vatican and many Roman Catholic American bishops disagreed and wanted Coughlin to leave the airwaves. Eventually he was forced off the air and publication of Social Justice was halted.

Coughlin remained parish priest at the Shrine of the Little Flower until his retirment in 1966. He spent his retirement publishing and giving the occasional interview. Coughlin died on October 27, 1979. He is buried in the Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Southfield, Michigan.

Separated Materials:

Objects related to Father Charles E. Coughlin are held in the Division of Cultural and Community Life (now Division of Cultural and Community Life).

Provenance:

The collection was purchased by the National Museum of American History from Todd Moriarty. Moriarty had acquired the collection from an individual who amassed the materials with plans to write a book on Coughlin.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Rights:

Reproduction restricted due to copyright or trademark. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

Anti-communist movements -- United States  Search this

Religion and politics  Search this

Catholic Church  Search this

Radio in religion  Search this

Priests  Search this

Catholicism  Search this

Radio broadcasting  Search this

Radio in politics  Search this

Genre/Form:

Letters (correspondence) -- 20th century.

Pamphlets -- 20th century

Periodicals -- 20th century

Lectures -- 20th century

Articles -- 20th century

Photographs -- Black-and-white photoprints -- 20th century

Books -- 20th century

Sermons

Speeches -- 20th century

Audio cassettes -- 20th century

Citation:

Charles E. Coughlin Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.1389

See more items in:

Father Charles E. Coughlin Collection

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep867b37af7-2fdc-4842-85c7-d55cada4b673

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1389

Series Creator:

DeVincent, Sam, 1918-1997  Search this

Extent:

40 Items

Container:

Box 1 (Ephemera), Folder 10-11

Type:

Archival materials

Scope and Contents note:

Song lists, lyrics, correspondence, two Ford Times magazines, one Dearborn Independent magazine.

Series Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Series Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Series Citation:

The Sam DeVincent Collection of Illustrated American Sheet Music, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution

See more items in:

Sam DeVincent Collection of Illustrated American Sheet Music, Series 1: Transportation

Sam DeVincent Collection of Illustrated American Sheet Music, Series 1: Transportation / 1.9: Ephemera

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep855aa1c8f-293a-4d14-a557-574a04517b3f

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0300-s01-ref248

Collection Creator:

Coughlin, Charles E. (Charles Edward), 1891-1979  Search this

Container:

Box 17

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1923

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Collection Rights:

Reproduction restricted due to copyright or trademark. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Collection Citation:

Charles E. Coughlin Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

See more items in:

Father Charles E. Coughlin Collection

Father Charles E. Coughlin Collection / Series 3: Periodicals and Publications

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep86f06da04-9ec0-4c31-8228-0128cc5c323d

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-1389-ref735

Collection Creator:

Coughlin, Charles E. (Charles Edward), 1891-1979  Search this

Container:

Box 26

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1926-04-24-1926-10-16

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Collection Rights:

Reproduction restricted due to copyright or trademark. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Collection Citation:

Charles E. Coughlin Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

See more items in:

Father Charles E. Coughlin Collection

Father Charles E. Coughlin Collection / Series 3: Periodicals and Publications

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep894a12e80-6912-419c-862a-19a8c19ab9aa

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-1389-ref739

Container:

Box 94 of 459

Type:

Archival materials

Collection Citation:

Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 7091, Science Service, Records

See more items in:

Records

Records / Series 5: EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE OF THE DIRECTOR AND SENIOR STAFF OF SCIENCE SERVICE, 1921-1963, INCLUDING THE CORRESPONDENCE OF WATSON DAVIS AS NEWS EDITOR (1921-1922), MANAGING EDITOR (1922-1933), AND DIRECTOR (1933-1963). / Box 94

Archival Repository:

Smithsonian Institution Archives

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-sia-faru7091-refidd1e11998

Physical description:

4 v. 20 cm

Type:

Books

Place:

United States

Date:

1920

1922

1920-1922

Topic:

Jews  Search this

Call number:

D145.D5 A32Z

D145.D5A32Z

Data Source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:siris_sil_347559

Author:

Ford, Henry 1863-1947  Search this

Warshaw Collection of Business Americana  Search this

Subject:

Ford, Henry 1863-1947  Search this

Physical description:

452 p. ; 21 cm

Type:

Books

Date:

1922

Topic:

Business  Search this

Success  Search this

Call number:

CT275.F68 A3 1922

CT275.F68A3 1922

Data Source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:siris_sil_332149

Collection name:

Edward William Nelson and Edward Alphonso Goldman Collection, circa 1873-1946 and undated

Physical Description:

1 field book

Physical Location:

Smithsonian Institution Archives

Sublocation:

Box 16 Folder 14

Record type:

Fieldbook record

Object Type:

Field notes

Place:

United States

California

Klamath Falls

Tule Lake

Date Range:

1926

Start Date:

19260900

End Date:

19261100

Topic:

Ornithology  Search this

Accession #:

SIA RU007364

Access Information:

Many of SIA's holdings are located off-site, and advance notice is recommended to consult a collection. Please email the SIA Reference Team at osiaref@si.edu.

See more records from this collection:

Edward William Nelson and Edward Alphonso Goldman Collection, circa 1873-1946 and undated

See more records associated with this person:

Nelson, Edward William, 1855-1934

Data Source:

Smithsonian Field Book Project

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:fbr_item_MODSI1921