Guide to the William Stringfellow Papers,
1940-1985

Lawyer, theologian, and social critic.

William Stringfellow was born in Johnston, Rhode Island on April 26, 1928. He received his higher education at Bates College, A.B., 1949, London School of Economics and Political Science, 1950, and Harvard Law School, LL.B., 1956; and served in the U.S. Army from 1952-1953 where he attained the rank of Sergeant First Class. He was very active in student Christian youth movements throughout this time. A lawyer in East Harlem from 1957 to 1967, he was a pioneer among the advocates of the war on poverty. In 1966, after a prolonged illness, he moved to Block Island, R.I. where he concentrated on ecclesiastical matters. He contributed regularly to theological and legal journals, was a guest lecturer at leading universities, law schools, and seminaries, and authored or co-authored at least fourteen books. He died on March 2, 1985.

The William Stringfellow collection consists of correspondence, including letters to and from Stringfellow; legal business documents, including court records, legal documents, and some correspondence dealing with his law business; materials relating to Bishop Pike; manuscripts by Stringfellow; manuscripts by others; publications with articles by or about Stringfellow; Block Island material, including legal, political, and historical information; Anthony Towne (poet and author, co-author with Stringfellow, and joint owner of the house on Block Island); materials relating to circuses, a hobby of Stringfellow's; newspapers and clippings; other magazines; printed matter; and miscellaneous photographs, scrapbooks, medals, plaques, yearbooks, tapes, certificates, passports, film (Who Do You Kill?), posters, and records.

Also, "An Annotated Bibliography of the Works of William Stringfellow," by Paul D. West, 1990.

Series I. General Correspondence
Boxes 1-25
Letters to and from Stringfellow

Series II. Bishop Pike
Box 26
Materials dealing with Death and Life of Bishop Pike

Series III. Legal Business
Boxes 27-29
Court records, legal documents, and some correspondence dealing with his law business

Series IV. Manuscripts by Stringfellow
Boxes 30-35

Series V. Manuscripts by others
Boxes 36-39

Series VI. Magazines with Articles by or about Stringfellow
Box 40

Series VII. Block Island
Boxes 41-43
Materials pertaining to Block Island-legal, political history. Stringfellow was a Warden on Block Island from 1976-1978.

Series VIII. Anthony Towne Material
Boxes 44-45
Poet and author; co-author with Stringfellow, and joint owner of the house on Block Island

Series IX. Circus Materials
Boxes 46-47
Magazines, flyers, tickets, etc.

Series X. Newspapers
Boxes 48-54
Mostly clippings, various newsprint publications

Series XI. Other Magazines
Boxes 55-63
Mostly theological ( Sojourners, Witness, Christianity and Crisis, Presbyterian Survey, The Christian Century) and legal ( Harvard Law, New York State Bar Bulletin, Notre Dame Lawyer) with a few popular ones ( Esquire, New Yorker and Time).

Series XII. Printed Matter
Boxes 64-73
Includes any miscellaneous printed matter such as pages from magazines (excluding newspapers), books, pamphlets, flyers etc. and includes Xerox and mimeograph copies

Series XIII. Miscellaneous
Boxes 74-80
Photographs, scrapbooks, medals, plaques, yearbooks, tapes, certificates, passports, film: Who Do You Kill?, posters, records