The collection of Cornelius A. Harper Papers, although covering approximately seventy-five years, is spotty with the bulk falling in three separate periods. The early material, that between 1875 and 1891, are letters to Dr. J. T. Reeve, secretary of the state board of health, and give a good picture of the politics involved in the formative years of the board's existence. The second large group of materials centers around the legislative bill number 704A. This bill, supposedly designed as an economy measure, was to abolish several independent state boards, with their functions to be taken over by the inclusive state board of public welfare. Dr. Harper fought the bill, and solicited letters from doctors throughout the state opposing the bill before the 1915 legislature. The third group of letters centers around the state board project in 1928 to collect pictures and sketches on all past and present board members. Printing these biographical studies became a regular feature, with several sketches being submitted in the 1940's. The final item in the collection is Dr. Harper's history of the State Board of Health.
