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Livingston L. Biddle, Jr. papers, circa 1940-2002

Creator:
Biddle, Livingston, 1918-2002  Search this
Subject:
Drexel, Katharine Mary, Saint  Search this
Davis, R. A.  Search this
Carter, Jimmy  Search this
Biddle, Catharina Baart  Search this
Asawa, Ruth  Search this
Alexander, Jane  Search this
Maxwell, Barb  Search this
Mondale, Walter F.  Search this
Schieffer, Bob  Search this
O'Connor, Sandra Day  Search this
Rauschenberg, Robert  Search this
Scholder, Fritz  Search this
Rostropovich, Mstislav  Search this
Jessup, Peter  Search this
Johnson, Lady Bird  Search this
Watson, Howard N.  Search this
King, Susan  Search this
Lawrence, Jacob  Search this
Temple, Louann  Search this
Edwards, Bob  Search this
Glenn, John  Search this
Hammer, Armand  Search this
Kennedy, Edward M. (Edward Moore)  Search this
Hanks, Nancy  Search this
Pell, Claiborne  Search this
Oliphant, Pat  Search this
Rosenquist, James  Search this
Bryn Mawr College  Search this
Fordham University  Search this
National Endowment for the Arts  Search this
Type:
Video recordings
Scrapbooks
Sketches
Diaries
Interviews
Manuscripts
Photographs
Sound recordings
Transcripts
Citation:
Livingston L. Biddle, Jr. papers, circa 1940-2002. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art -- Political aspects  Search this
Theme:
Patronage  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)16123
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)362808
AAA_collcode_biddlivi
Theme:
Patronage
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_362808
Online Media:

Livingston L. Biddle, Jr. papers

Creator:
Biddle, Livingston, 1918-2002  Search this
Names:
Bryn Mawr College  Search this
Fordham University  Search this
National Endowment for the Arts  Search this
Alexander, Jane  Search this
Asawa, Ruth  Search this
Biddle, Catharina Baart, 1912-2005  Search this
Carter, Jimmy, 1924-  Search this
Davis, R. A.  Search this
Drexel, Katharine Mary, Saint, 1858-1955  Search this
Edwards, Bob, 1947-  Search this
Glenn, John, 1905-  Search this
Hammer, Armand, 1898-1990  Search this
Hanks, Nancy  Search this
Jessup, Peter, 1958-  Search this
Johnson, Lady Bird, 1912-2007  Search this
Kennedy, Edward M. (Edward Moore), 1932-2009  Search this
King, Susan  Search this
Lawrence, Jacob, 1917-2000  Search this
Maxwell, Barb  Search this
Mondale, Walter F., 1928-  Search this
O'Connor, Sandra Day, 1930-  Search this
Oliphant, Pat, 1935-  Search this
Pell, Claiborne, 1918-2009  Search this
Rauschenberg, Robert, 1925-2008  Search this
Rosenquist, James, 1933-  Search this
Rostropovich, Mstislav, 1927-2007  Search this
Schieffer, Bob  Search this
Scholder, Fritz, 1937-2005  Search this
Temple, Louann  Search this
Watson, Howard N.  Search this
Extent:
40.2 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Video recordings
Scrapbooks
Sketches
Diaries
Interviews
Manuscripts
Photographs
Sound recordings
Transcripts
Date:
circa 1940-2002
Summary:
The papers of government arts administrator and novelist Livingston L. Biddle, Jr. (1918-2002) measure 40.2 linear feet and date from circa 1940 to 2002. The papers are comprised of biographical materials, correspondence, interviews, writings, numerous files reflecting his work to establish the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), political committee files, personal legal records, printed materials, scrapbooks, and photographs. Throughout the collection are video and sound recordings.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of government arts administrator and novelist Livingston L. Biddle, Jr. (1918-2002) measure 40.2 linear feet and date from circa 1940 to 2002. The papers are comprised of biographical materials, correspondence, interviews, writings, numerous files reflecting his work to establish the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), political committee files, personal legal records, printed materials, scrapbooks, and photographs. Throughout the collection are video and sound recordings.

Biographical materials consist of awards; diplomas; genealogy records; resumes; and files for Biddle's work at Fordham, his nomination for the National Medal of Arts award, and about his second wife Catharina Baart. Correspondence is with family, friends, and professional and political contacts such as Jane Alexander, President Jimmy Carter, Armand Hammer, Nancy Hanks, Edward Kennedy, Lady Bird Johnson, Sandra Day O'Connor, Claiborne Pell, Robert Rauschenberg, Slava Rostropovich, and others.

Interviews with Biddle include transcripts, four sound recordings, and two video recordings of Biddle with R.A. Davis, Bob Edwards, Peter Jessup, Susan King, Bob Schieffer, and Louann Temple.

Among the writings are journals, articles, poetry, speech notes, manuscript drafts of Our Government and the Arts: A Perspective from the Inside and Sam Bentley's Island, one video recording of "Art/Work/USA" by Barbara Rose, and one sound recording of a film introduction entitled "The Eagle".

Files concerning the establishment and early years of the National Endowment of the Arts consist of correspondence; congressional briefing books, committee files, and reports; financial material; drafts of the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities Act of 1965; one sound reel titled "Swearing-In of L.L. Biddle, Jr.," and three video recordings. Additional files concerning Biddle's work for congressional committees and political campaigns include correspondence, meeting agendas and notes, and printed material concerning multiple arts organizations and the political campaigns for Jimmy Carter, Walter Mondale, and Claiborne Pell. Family and real estate records, a partnership agreement, and will are in personal legal records.

Printed materials include booklets, clippings, event invitations and programs, flyers, magazines and journals, and posters autographed by Jacob Lawrence, Fritz Scholder, and John Glenn. Additionally, one commercial sound cassette recordings of National Public Radio's program Performance Today is also found. Two mixed-media scrapbooks contain memorabilia from Biddle's professional life and international travel.

Photographs are of family, travel, and friends and colleagues at various events. Six video recordings are home movies of Bryn Mawr and documentaries about St. Katherine Drexel. Artwork in the form of pencil and watercolor sketches is by Ruth Asawa Lanier, Barb Maxwell, Pat Oliphant, James Rosenquist, and Howard N. Watson.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 11 series.

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1950-2002 (2.5 linear; Box 1-3, 41, OV 43)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1956-2001 (2 linear feet; Boxes 3-5)

Series 3: Interviews, 1978-2002 (0.5 linear feet; Boxes 5-6)

Series 4: Writings, 1940-2002 (12 linear feet; Boxes 6-18)

Series 5: National Endowment for the Arts, 1964-2000 (10 linear feet; Boxes 18-27, 42)

Series 6: Committees and Political Campaigns, 1944-2001 (3.5 linear feet; Boxes 27-30)

Series 7: Personal Legal Records, 1952-1986 (1 linear foot; Boxes 30-31)

Series 8: Printed Materials, circa 1950-2000 (3.5 linear feet; Boxes 31-34, 41, OV 44)

Series 9: Scrapbooks, 1970-1998 (0.3 linear feet; Boxes 34, 42)

Series 10: Photographs and Video Recordings, circa 1950-2002 (4.6 linear feet: Boxes 34-40, OV 44)

Series 11: Artwork, 1976-1989 (0.3 linear feet; Box 40, OV 44)
Biographical / Historical:
Livingston L. Biddle, Jr. (1918-2002) was a federal government arts administrator and novelist active in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.

Livingston L. Biddle was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania in 1918 to a distinguished and wealthy family. He graduated from Princeton University in 1940. During World War II, Biddle volunteered as an ambulance driver in Africa for the American Field Services.

While working as a special assistant to Rhode Island Democratic Senator Claiborne Pell in the 1960s, Biddle drafted the legislation for the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities Act of 1965, which led to the creation of the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) one year later. Biddle served as deputy chairman of the NEA from 1966 to 1967, as congressional liaison director in 1975, and as chairman from 1977 to 1981. In 1976, he served as director of the Congressional Subcommittee on Education, Arts, and Humanities.

Also a writer, Biddle wrote four novels, all set in Philadelphia, including Sam Bentley's Island published in 1961. From 1968 to 1970, he was a professor and chairman of Fordham University's arts division. Biddle also published a non-fiction book about his experiences establishing and working for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) titled Our Government and the Arts: A Perspective from the Inside in 1988.

Biddle married artist Catharina Baart in 1973 after his first wife, Cordelia Frances Fenton, died in 1972. Biddle died in Washington, D.C. in 2002.
Provenance:
The Livingston L. Biddle, Jr. papers were donated in 2013 by Thomas O'Callaghan, a close friend of Biddle's who inherited the papers.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Washington, D.C. Research Center. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Occupation:
Authors -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this
Arts administrators -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this
Topic:
Art -- Political aspects  Search this
Genre/Form:
Video recordings
Scrapbooks
Sketches
Diaries
Interviews
Manuscripts
Photographs
Sound recordings
Transcripts
Citation:
Livingston L. Biddle, Jr. papers, circa 1940-2002. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.biddlivi
See more items in:
Livingston L. Biddle, Jr. papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9c9fc730c-7ddc-4243-90c5-d3592e62ea09
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-biddlivi

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