William Stringfellow papers, 1940-1985.
Collection Number: 4438

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.

Letters from Anthony Towne to Jack Dowling may not be published without Dowling's written consent until 1 January 2015 or Dowling's death.

William Stringfellow papers, #4438. Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library.