Title: Ludwell Denny Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1917-1959

Creator:

• Denny, Ludwell, 1894-1970

Call Number: U.S. Mss 151AF; Micro 612

Quantity: 3.2 c.f. (8 archives boxes) and 2 reels of microfilm (35mm)

Repository:

Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

Abstract:

Papers of an author and journalist specializing in foreign affairs, who was long-associated (1928-1970) with Scripps-Howard Newspapers as editorial writer, columnist, and editor. Included are correspondence, memos, notes, a speech, charts of the appearances of his stories, and copies of his Scripps-Howard Alliance columns and editorials (some on microfilm), 1928-1935 and 1939-1958. Correspondents include Henry Elmer Barnes, Bernard Baruch, Bruce Bliven, Chester B. Bowles, Charles R. Crane, Louis Fischer, C. Hartley Gratten, Louis M. Hacker, Roy W. Howard, Cordell Hull, Harold L. Ickes, William W. Kiplinger, H. L. Mencken, Frank Murphy, Marie Teresa Norton, Ralph P. Patterson, Ernest T. Pyle, Nelson A. Rockefeller, Carlos P. Romulo, Herbert Bayard Swope, Arthur H. Sulzberger, Jr., Oswald Garrison Villard, and Burton K. Wheeler. The correspondence is supplemented by material on Denny's development as a journalist during the 1920's, articles written for The Nation and The Freeman, a synopsis of an unpublished book on American foreign policy, and correspondence and reviews concerning two published books, We Fight for Oil (1928) and America Conquers Britain: A Record of Economic War (1930). The balance of the collection consists of news clippings, sermons, and miscellany relating to Denny's activities as a Unitarian minister, 1917-1921.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-us0151af

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Though he first set out on a career as a Unitarian minister, Ludwell Denny spent the greater part of his life (1921-1970) as a journalist. He is best known for his long association (1928-1970) with the Scripps-Howard newspaper chain, serving as an editorial writer, columnist, and editor. Foreign affairs and their relation to United States foreign policy provided the major focus of Denny's activity as a journalist and served as the subject for his two books (published in 1928 and 1930).

Denny was born in Boonville, Indiana, on November 18, 1894, to Wallace N. and Alice (Pursley) Denny. He attended the University of Chicago and Meadville (Pennsylvania) Theological School. On completion of his religious studies in 1917, Denny served as a Unitarian minister in Rochester, New York. He remained there until 1921 when an interest in world affairs led him to abandon his ministry for the position of European correspondent with The Nation. He also contributed to a number of other periodicals, including The Freeman. In 1924 Denny joined the Federated Press as a news editor but soon switched to the United Press for a position as a diplomatic correspondent. He stayed with the United Press until his recruitment by the Scripps-Howard Newspaper Alliance in 1928, serving with that organization as: chief editorial writer, 1928-1932; associate editor, 1932-1935; editor of the Indianapolis Times (a Scripps-Howard paper), 1935-1939; columnist and foreign analyst, 1939-1950; foreign editor, 1951-1960; and editor emeritus, 1960-1970.

Though he dealt with domestic events and issues, it was foreign affairs which consistently attracted Denny's attention throughout his newspaper career. He was on the spot at a number of historic events, e.g. the Moscow Conference of Foreign Ministers, 1947, and the Hungarian revolt against Soviet domination, 1956. He also took an active part in the formulation of Scripps-Howard editorial policy and consulted with high public officials. Denny was the promoter of a Scripps-Howard editorial campaign in favor of ratification of the Kellogg-Briand Peace Pact, 1928, and played an active part in the formulation of the Stimson Doctrine, 1932, designed to curb further Japanese aggression in the Far East. In addition, Denny wrote two books on United States foreign policy: We Fight for Oil (1928) and America Conquers Britain: A Record of Economic War (1930). His achievements in journalism were formally recognized in 1953 with the Freedom Foundation Editorial Award and in 1959 with the Scripps-Howard Roy W. Howard Award.

Denny was married twice, first to Josephine Shyrock, November 16, 1917, and, after her death in 1950, to Dorothy Detzer, August 2, 1954. Denny died on October 12, 1970 in Monterey, California.

The papers of Ludwell Denny contain significant, though never complete, documentation of Denny's activities as a Unitarian minister, author, and journalist. The documentation is best for his years with Scripps-Howard. The papers are divided into three series: ministerial career, books and early writings, and newspaper career.

The MINISTERIAL CAREER series consists of newsclippings and miscellany relating to Denny's activities as a Unitarian minister, as well as copies of two of his sermons. The BOOKS AND EARLY WRITINGS series holds copies of some of his early published articles that appeared in The Nation and The Freeman, 1922-1923 and 1928; a synopsis of an unpublished book: The American Empire: An Economic Interpretation of United States Foreign Policy, ca. mid-1920's; and correspondence and reviews concerning his two published books, as well as copies of both books.

The NEWSPAPER CAREER series is notable for its variety and depth of documentation. Located here are newsclippings and related material about Denny, as well as correspondence, memos, notes, a speech, and editorials and columns by him. The collection of Denny's editorials and columns is fairly comprehensive for 1928-1935 and 1939-1958; the former period is made up entirely of editorials (on two rolls of microfilm), the latter is a combination of editorials and columns (with charts detailing their publication, 1946-1957) in the form of Scripps-Howard news releases to its newspapers. The correspondence and memos indicate Denny's role in editorial decision-making with Scripps-Howard and his relationship with many important figures of his era. There is a good deal of correspondence, throughout, with individuals associated with the Scripps-Howard chain (especially with Roy W. Howard). A selective index to his correspondents includes:

Barnes, Harry Elmer	1940, February 1 (copy)
	1944, May 3
	1950, May 3
Baruch, Bernard M.	1948, March 31
Bliven, Bruce	1930, February 2
Bowles, Chester	1940, May 24
Crane, Charles Richard	1935, April 23
Fischer, Louis	1930, March 28
Gratten, Clinton Hartley	1930, February 19
Hacker, Louis Morton	1930, November 22
Hull, Cordell	1942, November 18
	1944, April 8
Ickes, Harold L.	1940, June 6
Kiplinger, William M.	1941, July 31
Mencken, Henry Louis	1930, April 4
Murphy, Frank	1939, October 4
	1940, March 13
Norton, Mary Teresa	1939, June 7
Patterson, Ralph P.	1946, June 8
	1947, January 29 (copy)
Pyle, Ernest Taylor	1939, February 26
Rockefeller, Nelson A.	1955, December 29
Romulo, Carlos P.	1952, August 7
	1952, August 8
Swope, Herbert Bayard	1942, September 22
	1942, September 24
Sulzberger, Arthur Hays	1946, July 24
Villard, Oswald Garrison	1928, October 4
	1940, May 15
	1941, August 14
Wheeler, Burton Kendall	1939, November 27
	1940, February 13

Acquisition Information

Presented by Mrs. Ludwell Denny, Monterey, California, July 19, 1972 and February 7, 1973. Accession Number: MCHC72-077, MCHC73-020

Processing Information

Processed by Roy H. Tryon, December 22, 1976.

U.S. Mss 151AF	Series: Ministerial Career
Box   1 Folder   1	Newsclippings about Ludwell Denny, 1917-1919
Box   1 Folder   2	Sermon and lecture announcements
Box   1 Folder   3	Sermons
Box   1 Folder   4	Miscellany
	Series: Books and Early Writings	⇧
Box   1 Folder   5	Published articles, The Nation, and The Freeman, 1922-1923 and 1928
Box   1 Folder   6	Synopsis, ca. mid 1920's, unpublished book on American foreign policy
	We Fight For Oil (1928)
Box   1 Folder   7	Correspondence
Box   1 Folder   8	Reviews
Box   1 Folder   9	Published Copy
	America Conquers Britain(1930)
Box   1 Folder   10	Correspondence
Box   1 Folder   11	Correspondence re Russian translation
Box   1 Folder   12	Reviews
Box   2 Folder   1	Published copy
	Series: Newspaper Career	⇧
Box   2 Folder   2-8	Correspondence, 1928-1959
	Memos,
Box   2 Folder   9	1929-1941
Box   3 Folder   1	1942-1957
Box   3 Folder   2	Notes
Box   3 Folder   3	Speech, 1938, “You can't believe the newspapers?”
Box   3 Folder   4	Newsclippings and miscellany about Ludwell Denny
Micro 612	Editorials, 1928-1935
Reel   1	1928, June 3-1932, September 30
Reel   2	1932, October 1-135, September 5
U.S. Mss 151AF	Editorials and columns, 1939-1958
Box   3 Folder   5-8	Charts, 1946-1957, of appearance of Ludwell Denny editorials and columns in Scripps-Howard newspapers
	News releases
Box   3 Folder   9-13	1939-1941, April
Box   4 Folder   1-13	1941, May-1944
Box   5 Folder   1-12	1945-1948
Box   6 Folder   1-11	1949-1952
Box   7 Folder   1-11	1953-1955
Box   8 Folder   1-8	1956-1958, May