Lehigh University President Henry Coppée Manuscripts and Lecture Notes
Scope and Contents
This collection is organized into five categories: English, history, his personal notebooks, Christian evidence and miscellaneous. There are several different examples of handwriting. Of special interest: sections SC MS 0018.02.02 “History” notebook and 0018.03.03 “Glimpses of Life in a Conquered Capital 1848-1893” are Coppée’s personal observations of marching into Mexico City as an Army officer with General Winfield Scott during the Mexican-American War. Also a little history of the remains of Christopher Columbus in Santo Domingo - SC MS 0018.03.05 “The Remains of Columbus.”
Dates
- Creation: 1846-1893
Creator
- Coppée, Henry, 1821-1895 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection housed remotely. Users need to contact 24 hours in advance.
Conditions Governing Use
Collection is open for research.
Biographical / Historical
Henry Coppée was born in Savannah, Georgia attended Yale University for three years studying railroad engineering which resulted in his working for the Georgia Central Railroad. Eventually he returned to student life and graduated from the U.S. Military Academy. Upon graduation from West Point he served in the Mexican-American War as a Captain with General Winfield Scott. He resigned from the Army after the war and returned to West Point to teach English from 1850 to 1855. Leaving West Point, he served on the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania before becoming the first president of Lehigh University in 1866. At UPenn during the Civil War, he served the governor of Pennsylvania in a military capacity as an aide-de-camp and secretary. He resigned from Lehigh University in 1875 but continued as a professor emeritus teaching English Literature.
Extent
2.5 Linear Feet (5 manuscript boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Manuscripts, and holograph notebooks of some lectures delivered by Henry Coppée, first president of Lehigh University, on Woman, Education, Rhetoric, English language and literature, Christian Evidences, International Law, Health, and History, as well as the manuscript of his published book "Conquest of Spain by the Arab Moors." Most interesting are his personal observations as an Army officer marching into Mexico City during the Mexican-American War.
Arrangement
The materials in this collection are arranged topically.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Some items arrived from unknown sources but the Lehigh University Plan by Coppée came from Richard Flint Young, BA’54 in 2005 as a separate entity and cataloged separately.
Accruals
It is believed that various additions came to Special Collections from the Development Office.
Genre / Form
Geographic
Occupation
Topical
- Title
- Lehigh University President Henry Coppée Manuscripts and Lecture Notes
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Special Collection Staff
- Date
- 1991-05-03
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English
Repository Details
Part of the Lehigh University Special Collections Repository
Lehigh University
Linderman Library
30 Library Drive
Bethlehem PA 18045 USA
610-758-4506
610-758-6091 (Fax)
inspc@lehigh.edu