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Morris Evans Leeds papers

 Collection
Identifier: HC.MC-1127

Scope and Contents

The papers of Morris Evans Leeds (1869-1952), a Philadelphia Quaker who graduated from Haverford College and became president of Leeds & Northrup Company, manufacturers of precision instruments. He was also an inventor and developer. Leeds was a member of the Board of Haverford College and active on the School Board of Philadelphia.

Materials in the collection include geneological information on the Leeds family, and materials related to a variety of Leeds and Maule family members, including letters, diaries, and financial information. There is biographical information and correspondence from Arthur Newlin Leeds. Morris Evans Leeds' correspondence includes letters with his wife, Hadassah Moore Leeds; letters related to Leeds' education and career; letters related to his time on the Haverford College Board of Managers; letters related to his involvement with various organizations and charitable societies, including the Board of Public Education. Leeds' interests are also represented through his speeches and study notes. Documents include materials related to the Leeds' house in Germantown and tax returns. The collection also includes documentation on numerous awards given to Morris Evans Leeds, letters of sympathy on Leeds' death, and photographs.

Dates

  • Creation: 1757-1952
  • Creation: Majority of material found within 1880-1952

Creator

Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research use.

Use Restrictions

Standard Federal Copyright Laws Apply (U.S. Title 17).

Biographical / Historical

Morris Evans Leeds (1869-1952) was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Barclay R. Leeds and Mary Maule Leeds. He was educated at Westtown School and graduated from Haverford College in 1880. He studied at the University of Berlin from 1892 to 1893. For a brief time, he taught at Westtown, then was employed by Queen & Company. Beginning in 1889 until 1903, Leeds was managing partner in Morris E. Leeds & Co. He became president of Leeds & Northrup in 1903. The company began its operations in 1899, and was joined for a short time by Dr. Northrup, from which it derived its name, Leeds & Northrup. The company made strides not only in the field of precision instruments, but also, under the direction of Leeds, in employee working conditions, relations between employees and management, and amelioration of unemployment. Some of his ideas for these developments came from a study of the Carl Zeiss Stiftung company in Jena, Germany. Leeds's business correspondence, primarily for the years 1950-1952, presents an overall picture of the committees with which he was associated and causes with which he sympathized. In 1926, Leeds married Hadassah J. Moore. They had two daughters. From 1909 to 1952, he was a member of the Corporation and Board of Haverford College, including serving as President of the Board. Leeds was also active on the School Board of Philadelphia and was its president from 1938 to 1948. Morris E. Leeds was interested in botany and was a member of many scientific and cultural societies. He was co-author of Toward Full Employment.

Extent

3.5 linear ft. (8 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The papers of Morris Evans Leeds (1869-1952), a Philadelphia Quaker who graduated from Haverford College and became president of Leeds & Northrup Company, manufacturers of precision instruments. He was also an inventor and developer. Leeds was a member of the Board of Haverford College and active on the School Board of Philadelphia.

Acquisition

Unknown

Related Materials

The bulk of the Leeds and Northrup papers are held at Eleutherian Mills, Hagley Foundation Library; the majority of Leeds's papers pertaining to the Philadelphia Board of Education and Haverford College Board of Managers are elsewhere.

See also HC.MC.1014, primarily correspondence between M.E. Leeds and E. Tudor Gross in 1942, relating to the invention of the window envelope ca. 1861 by Lewis W. Leeds and related information from 1862.

Processing Information

Original processing information unknown. Reboxed and finding aid revised in April 2022 by Hannah Kolzer.

Subject

Title
Morris Evans Leeds papers
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Revision Statements

  • April 2022: Reboxed and finding aid updated
  • May 2022: by Nathaniel Rehm-Daly, Harmful Language Revision Project

Find It at the Library

Most of the materials in this catalog are not digitized and can only be accessed in person. Please see our website for more information about visiting or requesting repoductions from Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections Library

Contact:
370 Lancaster Ave
Haverford PA 19041 USA US