Hugh Chamberlain Burr papers

Collection

Identifier: D.605

Staff Only

Biographical / Historical Note

Dr. Hugh Chamberlain Burr (1890-1978) was a Baptist clergyman born in Gloversville, New York. He became interested in religious work while serving as the student Graduate Secretary of the Princeton Philadelphian Society (the Youth YMCA of the day), and held an A.B. from Princeton, a Master's in Sociology from Columbia, graduated from Union Theological Seminary, and earned his Doctorate of Divinity at Kalamazoo (1915). Dr. Burr was highly active in national Christian interfaith organizations, including the Federation of Churches of Rochester and the Vicinity, for which he served as Executive Secretary from 1948-1959. The regional Federations consolidated to form the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America ("the National Council") in 1950. While missionary and faith-based work was a core tenet of the National Council, the organization and its chapters were particularly ardent in their mission to improve social and human conditions, including immigration and labor reform, child labor laws, social programs to aid the poor, pacifism and anti-war efforts, and temperance. They were regularly accused of being socialists, a situation which came to a head during the McCarthy era when the National Council was targeted by political journalist John T. Flynn as un-American. During Dr. Burr's tenure with the National Council the organization also wrangled with issues of birth control and contraception, religion in public education, and the threat of Christian fundamentalists. Today it is the largest ecumenical body in the United States.

Dr. Burr was also active with the Michigan Baptist State Convention, the New York State Baptist Convention, the Federation of Churches in Haverhill, MA, the American Baptist Convention, the Rotary Club, and several subcommittees of the National Council, most notably the Association of Council Secretaries. Before moving to the Rochester area he served as a reverend in Haverhill, and at the First Baptist Church of Elmira, NY. He died in New Jersey in 1978.

Scope and Contents

The materials in the Hugh Chamberlain Burr papers (1892-1965) are largely organizational records from Burr’s time with the National Council of Churches and the Rochester Federation of Churches, with a small amount which he collected during his time as a Baptist minister in Elmira. The bulk of the materials are meeting minutes, notes, conference organization records and proceedings, bylaws and constitutions, inter-organizational newsletters, financial planning materials and reports, pamphlets and fliers for events, and reports from various committees under the National Council, particularly those related to the work of the Council secretaries. Correspondence from members of the community is found throughout in various formats (printed, personal letters, letters to the Council, etc.). Additionally, there are a large number of newspaper clippings, articles and issues from Christian newsletters and magazines focused on topics pertinent to the mission and work of the National Council.

The content focus of the less administrative materials includes the communist threat to the United States in schools and churches, John T. Flynn’s attack on the National Council during the McCarthy era, religious education and prayer in public schools, temperance programs and laws, social programs for urban renaissance (including the Rochester-area FIGHT group and their interactions with the Kodak Company), labor laws and protections and improvements for workers, anti-war and peace missions (including a large folder on WWII), youth services programs, contraception/birth control and population control, and Christian interfaith efforts. There are also individual files on Christian fundamentalists and other figures or publications who loomed large in the Church’s eye, including J. Frank Norris, Gerald B. Winrod, Mildred Horton, Justin Wroe Nixon, William H. Stackel, Agnes E. Meyer, and Frederik Kuhns.

Creator

Burr, Hugh Chamberlain, 1890-1978 (Person)

Dates

Creation: Majority of material found within 1892-1965

Language of Materials

English

Extent

5.19 cubic feet (14 boxes)

Access

The Hugh Chamberlain Burr papers are open for research use. Researchers are advised to contact the Department of Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester prior to visiting. Upon arrival, researchers will also be asked to fill out a registration form and provide photo identification.

Restrictions on Use

Reproductions are made upon request but can be subject to restrictions. Permission to publish materials from the collection must currently be requested. It is the researcher's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections. For more information contact rarebks@library.rochester.edu.

Preferred Citation

[Item title, item date], Hugh Chamberlain Burr papers, D.605, Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester

Note on Arrangement

The materials in the Hugh Chamberlain Burr papers arrived with an established organization which had been conducted before their transfer, whether by Burr himself or someone acting on his behalf. Folders are arranged in one long run, alphabetically, by subject. This original order has been maintained and is reflected in the lack of true series in the finding aid.

Substantial groupings of records include those on the Association of Council Secretaries (1946-1960), the Federal Council of Churches (1926-1949), the National Council of Churches (1948-1963), and the Rochester Federation of Churches (1937-1960).