Owsley, Frank Lawrence
Dates
- Existence: 20 January 1890 - 21 October 1956
Biography
Frank Lawrence Owsley obtained his bachelor of science degree in 1912 from the Alabama Polytechnic Institute in Auburn, Alabama, graduating first in his class. He received his master of arts degree in history from University of Chicago in 1917. He served briefly in the armed forces during World War I, before returning to graduate work at the University of Chicago, receiving his Ph.D. in history in 1919. He joined the staff of Vanderbilt University in 1920. He was a member of the Agrarian literary group at Vanderbilt and wrote the essay entitled “The Irrepressible Conflict” for I’ll Take My Stand: the South and the Agrarian Tradition published by Harper Brothers of New York and London in 1930. A strong supporter of Agrarian principles, he wrote and lectured on Southern history and culture for most of his life. He resigned from Vanderbilt to accept a position at the University of Alabama in 1949. He suffered a fatal heart attack while at Cambridge University on a Fulbright Fellowship in 1956.
Found in 3 Collections and/or Records:
Fugitive and Agrarian Collection
This collection contains 1.67 linear feet of materials on the Fugitive Poets and the Nashville Agrarians. Most of the materials have to do with the years in the 1920’s when the Fugitive poet group was formed and the resulting poems, manuscripts, and correspondence. In addition there are a few items, mostly articles, that concern the Agrarian group.
Fugitive and Agrarian Collection Addition
This collection, 3.34 linear feet, is an addition to the Fugitive and Agrarian Collection MSS 160. It includes a wide range of items relating to the Fugitive and Agrarian groups and is especially valuable in the holdings of items from the 1980’s and 1990’s including correspondence, articles, book reviews, and other materials. In addition to the Fugitives and Agrarians themselves, whose biographical notes follow below, associates represented in this collection include:
Frank Lawrence Owsley Papers
The papers of Frank Lawrence Owsley (1913-1959) consist of ten cubic feet of materials and are primarily concerned with the professional life and career of this historian, author, and teacher. The major series in the papers include the Correspondence, the Writings, Personal and Biographical Materials, Agrarians, Publication Material, Academic Career, Professional Activities, and Research Materials.