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Father Charles E. Coughlin Collection

Topic:
Liberation Journal
Social Justice
Dearborn Independent
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
Online Media:

The Dearborn Independent, bound, (Dearborn, Michigan)

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

The Dearborn Independent, bound, (Dearborn, Michigan)

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

Automobiles: Automobiles: Ford

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

Folder 4 Dearborn Independent, 1927

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

The International Jew, the world's foremost problem

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

Ford ideals : being a selection from "Mr. Ford's page" in The Dearborn Independent

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

Western United States, September - November 1926

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
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