Theodore Schroeder papers, 1842-1957 | Southern Illinois University Special Collections Research Center

Collection Overview

Title: Theodore Schroeder papers, 1842-1957

ID: 1/5/MSS 017

Primary Creator: Schroeder, Theodore, 1864-1953.

Extent: 118.0 Boxes

Arrangement: Organized into six series: (1) Correspondence, (2) Autobiographical, (3) Manuscripts, (4) Published papers and is arranged in alphabetical order by title, (5) Research (6) Reviews and material about Schroeder.

Date Acquired: 00/00/1969. More info below under Accruals.

Subjects: Carus, Paul, 1852-1919., Freedom of speech - United States - History - 20th century, Mormon Church - Controversial literature, Schroeder, Theodore, 1864-1953

Forms of Material: Correspondence., Roosevelt, Eleanor, 1884-1962. - Correspondence, Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), 1882-1945. - Correspondence, Schroeder, Theodore, 1864-1953 - Correspondence, Schroeder, Theodore, 1864-1953 - Manuscripts, Sinclair, Upton, 1878-1968. - Correspondence, Truman, Harry S., 1884-1972 - Correspondence, Writings.

Languages: English

Scope and Contents of the Materials

The Theodore Schroeder papers consist of material related to his extensive research and writing concerning freedom of speech, religion, human sexuality, and other interests, and include: correspondence; manuscript and published forms of Schroeder's writings; autobiographical material; notebooks and diaries; newspaper clippings and other printed matter, notes, bibliographic compilations and other types of research material; reviews and other published material concerning Schroeder; and other personal papers.

Biographical Note

Schroeder was born in 1864 and attended The University of Wisconsin in 1882 where he got his degree in civil engineering.

He then went to law school at Wisconsin and graduated in 1889 and opened a law office in Salt Lake City which is when he adopted an anti-Mormon stance. In 1898, Schroeder started writing a series of pamphlets under the name of "Lucifer's Lantern". The series challenged many Mormon leaders and bordered on the brink of libel suits. After his interest in Mormonism faded out in the early 1900's, he moved to New York and took up the crusade of defending free speech.

In 1911, he helped establish the Free Speech League. In 1909 the first of many writings on free speech by Schroeder appeared in the Free Press Anthology which was followed by a collection of essays titled Free Speech for Radicals, Free Speech Bibliography in 1922, and A Challenge to Sex Censors in 1938.

He died in 1953.

Subject/Index Terms

Carus, Paul, 1852-1919.
Freedom of speech - United States - History - 20th century
Mormon Church - Controversial literature
Schroeder, Theodore, 1864-1953

Administrative Information

Repository: Southern Illinois University Special Collections Research Center

Accruals: Supplement acquired by Arnold Maddaloni in 1980.

Access Restrictions: Unrestricted access.

Use Restrictions: To quote in print, or otherwise reproduce in whole or in part in any publication, including on the World Wide Web, any material from this collection, the researcher must obtain permission from (1) the owner of the physical property and (2) the holder of the copyright. Persons wishing to quote from this collection should consult Special Collections Research Center to determine copyright holders for information in this collection. Reproduction of any item must contain the complete citation to the original .

Acquisition Source: Purchased

Preferred Citation: Theodore Schroeder papers, Special Collections Research Center, Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Correspondence],
[Series 2: Autobiographical],
[Series 3: Manuscripts],
[Series 4: Published material],
[Series 5: Research material],
[Series 6: Schroeder related],
[All]

Series 5: Research material

Research notes, photographs, articles, newspaper clippings and other printed matter, legal documents, bibliographic references, and other research material compiled by Schroeder related to religion, philosophy, freedom of speech and other topics of interest. Boxes 78-87 contain bibliographic index cards organized alphabetically by author on topics including: religion, freedom of press, Momonism, sex, liberty and law, and miscellanous topics. Boxes 88-89 contain index card mailing lists. Boxes 90-91 contain index cards citing legal cases and laws on topics related to obsenity, Free Speech League, Catholic mysticism, and several other topics.

Box 56

Folder 1: Bishop Brown
Folder 2: Education
Folder 3: Free Speech, Free Press, Obscenity Laws, Civil Liberties
Folder 4: Free Speech, Free Press, Obscenity Laws, Civil Liberties

Box 57

Folder 1: Free Speech, Free Press, Oscenity Laws, Civil Liberties
Folder 2: Free Speech, Free Press, Oscenity Laws, Civil Liberties
Folder 3: Free Speech, Free Press, Oscenity Laws, Civil Liberties
Folder 4: Free Speech, Free Press, Oscenity Laws, Civil Liberties
Folder 5: Mormonism

Box 58

Folder 1: Politics
Folder 2: Psychology/Sociology
Folder 3: Psychology/Sociology
Folder 4: Psychology/Sociology
Folder 5: Psychology/Sociology

Box 59

Folder 1: Religion
Folder 2: Religion
Folder 3: Religion

Box 60

Folder 1: Religion
Folder 2: Religion
Folder 3: Religion

Box 61

Folder 1: Religion
Folder 2: Religion
Folder 3: West Indies
Folder 4: Miscellaneous

Box 62

Folder 1: Miscellaneous
Folder 2: Miscellaneous
Folder 3: Miscellaneous
Folder 4: Miscellaneous

Box 63

Folder 1: Financial Material, Checks and Promissory Notes
Folder 2: Financial Materials, Bills, and Receipts
Folder 3: Legal Documents, cs. 1893-1912
Folder 4: Legal Documents, 1913-1937

Box 64

Folder 1: Trial Record, U.S. vs Ben Rebhuhn et al, 1939, May 22
Folder 2: Trial Record, U.S. vs Ben Rebhuhn et al, 1939, May 22
Folder 3: Legal Documents, 1939, Sept 28 - 1954

Box 65

Folder 1: U.S. House and Senate Bills (copies) re Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands
Folder 2: Bills prepared by Schroeder for the American Civil Liberties Union re Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands
Folder 3: Documents and fragments, undated

Box 66

Folder 1: Portraits of Theodore Schroeder
Folder 2: Caricatures and Drawings of Theodore Schroeder
Folder 3: Family Photographs

Box 67

Folder 1: Friends and Clients of Theodore Schroeder
Folder 2: Unidentified People, Some Possibly of Theodore Schroeder's Family
Folder 3: Theodore Schroeder's Home and the Virgin Islands
Folder 4: Negatives

Box 68

Folder 1: Amberly-Connell
Folder 2: Crowley, Aleister
Folder 3: Dear-Groff
Folder 4: Haas-L'Aiglon

Box 69

Folder 1: L'Aiglon
Folder 2: L'Aiglon-Sercombe
Folder 3: Sinclair-Wilgus
Folder 4: Unidentified Author

Box 70

Folder 1: Photostats, 1763-1830
Folder 2: 1849-1889
Folder 3: 1890-1893
Folder 4: 1894-1895
Folder 5: 1896-1899
Folder 6: 1900-1903
Folder 7: 1904
Folder 8: 1905-1906
Folder 9: 1907-1908
Folder 10: 1909
Folder 11: 1910
Folder 12: 1911
Folder 13: 1912
Folder 14: 1913
Folder 15: 1913

Box 71

Folder 1: 1914
Folder 2: 1915
Folder 3: 1916-1917
Folder 4: 1917
Folder 5: 1918-1919
Folder 6: 1920-1921
Folder 7: 1922-1924
Folder 8: 1924
Folder 9: 1925
Folder 10: 1926-1929
Folder 11: 1930-1932
Folder 12: 1933-1934
Folder 13: 1934
Folder 14: 1934
Folder 15: 1934
Folder 16: 1934
Folder 17: 1935-1936

Box 72

Folder 1: 1937
Folder 2: 1938
Folder 3: 1939
Folder 4: 1940-1941
Folder 5: 1942
Folder 6: 1943
Folder 7: 1944
Folder 8: 1944
Folder 9: 1944
Folder 10: 1945
Folder 11: 1946
Folder 12: 1947
Folder 13: 1948
Folder 14: 1949
Folder 15: 1950-1953
Folder 16: undated
Folder 17: undated
Folder 18: undated

Box 73

Folder 1: Newspaper Clippings, 1800's
Folder 2: Newspaper Clippings, 1800's
Folder 3: Newspaper Clippings, 1800's
Folder 4: Newspaper Clippings, 1800's
Folder 5: Newspaper Clippings re Hanish Religious Cult (sent to Schroeder by Mrs. E. B. Millert), ca. 1896-1903
Folder 6: Newspaper Clippings, 1900-1909
Folder 7: Newspape Clippings, 1900-1909
Folder 8: Newspaper Clippings, 1900-1909
Folder 9: Newspaper Clippings, 1900-1909
Folder 10: Newspaper Clippings, 1900-1909
Folder 11: Newspaper Clippings, 1900-1909
Folder 12: Newspaper Clippings, 1900-1909
Folder 13: Newspaper Clippings, 1900-1909
Folder 14: Newspaper Clippings, 1900-1909
Folder 15: Newspaper Clippings, 1900-1909

Box 74

Folder 1: 1910-1919
Folder 2: 1910-1919
Folder 3: 1910-1919
Folder 4: 1910-1919
Folder 5: 1910-1919
Folder 6: 1910-1919
Folder 7: 1910-1919
Folder 8: 1910-1919
Folder 9: 1910-1919
Folder 10: 1910-1919
Folder 11: 1910-1919
Folder 12: 1910-1919
Folder 13: 1910-1919
Folder 14: 1910-1919
Folder 15: 1910-1919
Folder 16: 1910-1919
Folder 17: 1920-1929
Folder 18: 1920-1929

Box 75

Folder 1: Porto Rico Progress, 1929, Oct 10 - 1932 Jan 14
Folder 2: Puerto Rican and Virgin Islands Clippings re Schroeder, circa 1931-1932
Folder 3: Puerto Rican and Virgin Islands Clippings re Schroeder, circa 1931-1932
Folder 4: The West End News, 1931, May 19 - 1933 April 1
Folder 5: 1930-1939
Folder 6: 1930-1939
Folder 7: 1930-1939
Folder 8: 1930-1939
Folder 9: 1930-1939
Folder 10: The Emancipator, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands; And Other Clippings re The Virgin Islands, 11931, March 19 - 1933, June 19
Folder 11: 1940-1949
Folder 12: 1940-1949
Folder 13: 1940-1949
Folder 14: 1940-1949
Folder 15: 1950-1953
Folder 16: undated
Folder 17: undated
Folder 18: Schroeder MS

Box 78

Item 1: Card files: Bibliography; Freedom of Press, Liberty and Law, Mormonism, Technical, Miscellaneous

Box 79

Item 1: Card file: Bibliography; Mysticism/Sex, and Religion

Box 80

Item 1: Card file: Bibliography; Mysticism/Sex, and Religion

Box 81

Item 1: Card files: Bibliography; Mysticism/Sex, and Religion

Box 82

Item 1: Card File: Bibliography; Psychology, General

Box 83

Item 1: Card files: Bibliography; Religion

Box 84

Item 1: Card files: Bibliography; Religion

Box 85

Item 1: Card files: Bibliography; Sex

Box 86

Item 1: Card files: Books, Miscellaneous entries

Box 87

Item 1: Card files: books, miscellaneous entries

Box 88

Item 1: Card files: Mailing lists

Box 89

Item 1: Card files: mailing lists

Box 90

Item 1: Card files, case files, free speech league

Box 91

Item 1: Card files: Case Files, Obscenity, Notes on Catholicism and Mysticism

Box 99

Folder 1: The Bishop Brown Case, clippings (1924)
Folder 2: Erotogenetic Theory of Religion, clippings (1906-1914)
Folder 3: An extract from letter of Auberson Herbert to the editor of The Westminster Gazette, published November 22, 1893
Folder 4: Freedom of Speech, clippings (1907, 1916-1917, 1944)
Folder 5: "Jan Pouren and the Right of Political Asylum," an address by Moses Oppenheimer delivered before the Sunrise Club (October 18, 1908)
Folder 6: "A Mad Saint," by Charles Lombroso, trans. H. Ellis (n.d.)
Folder 7: Reference material - Religion and Sex
Folder 8: Source of these materials is placed separately under 'Oversize.'