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Chauncey Alexander papers

 Collection
Identifier: 0419

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Scope and Content

The Chauncey Alexander papers document a lifetime of social action. Particularly well-represented are the papers of the Bertha Capen Reynolds Society, the First Amendment Foundation, the National Association of Social Workers, and Alexander's own course materials in Social Work Management and Social Policy from CSU, Long Beach. Also included are copies of nearly 100 of Alexander's papers in manuscript or typescript form, beginning with junior high school papers and college work, through drafts, manuscripts, and submission copies of most of his major publications. Two draft books are included: a book on professional liability and Alexander's autobiography. Also included are over 70 years of correspondence; earlier correspondence can be found in the Personal Papers series and later correspondence is tied to the organization that employed Alexander. The Correspondence series consists primarily of correspondence created after Alexander's retirement from NASW. Autographed reprints from other authors are likely to be found in these correspondence files. Some materials created by outside authors have been retained. Those materials created when he was in charge of various organizations have been kept with the relevant organization. Those that were clearly used by Alexander for a variety of projects have been kept in their own series. Most other outside and redundant materials have been removed.

Dates

  • Creation: 1917 - 2004

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE. Advance notice required for access.

Conditions Governing Use

The use of archival materials for on-site research does not constitute permission from the California Social Welfare Archives to publish them. Copyright has not been assigned to the California Social Welfare Archives, and the researcher is instructed to obtain permission to quote from or publish manuscripts in the CSWA's collections from the copyright holder.

Biographical note

Chauncey Alexander was born in California and received his B.A. from UCLA and his M.S.W. from the University of Southern California. He completed course work for a doctorate, but never found sufficient time to complete his Ph.D.

He began his professional career as a case worker for the Family Association of Los Angeles in the California Department of Mental Hygiene and the State Relief Administration. During World War II, he served in the United States Army as a psychiatric social worker from 1944 to 1946 during which time he developed techniques for training army social workers. After the war, he worked in the Veteran Service Center from 1946 to 1948. He was the executive director of the Southern California Society for Mental Hygiene in Los Angeles between 1950 and 1954. He also served briefly as the associate director of the Regional Medical Program School of Medicine. For the next 13 years, he served as the Executive Director of the Los Angeles County Heart Association. Near the end of his tenure, he was accused of having Communist party connections, and although he successful refuted those charges, he ultimately resigned.



Between 1968 and 1982 he served as Executive Director for the National Association of Social Workers, creating programs such as ELAN (Education League Action Network) and PACE (Political Action for Candidate Election), and developing specialty professional publications, competence certification, and an insurance program. Concurrently, he helped to develop a number of International Social Work programs, and he served for many years as President of the International Federation of Social Workers. He was responsible for the official International Code of Ethics for Professional Social Workers and the International Policy on Human Rights.

Upon leaving the NASW, Alexander became involved in a wide variety of projects. He was an adjunct professor of Social Work at California State University, Long Beach from 1986 to 1998. He also opened his own consulting firm, working closely with Dale Masi. In the meantime, he also was active in the Bertha Capen Reynolds Society, which advocated political involvement on the part of social workers, and was the chairman of the board of directors of the First Amendment Foundation, which coordinated various radical groups and served as a funding conduit for NCARL (the National Committee Against Repressive Legislation). He also remained very active in the California Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. He was the founder and an executive committee member of the Orange County Health Care Council. He participated strongly in Orange County politics and in those of Huntington Beach, where he and his wife, Sally, resided.

Extent

43 Linear Feet (43 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The papers include material collected by Chauncey Alexander over a long and active life in social work and radical politics. Included are personal papers, school papers, and materials relating to Alexander's leadership of such organizations as the National Association of Social Workers, the International Federation of Social Workers, the First Amendment Foundation, and other organizations. Considerable materials are preserved from Alexander's service as an adjunct professor of Social Work at California State University, Long Beach.

Organization

The collection is organized into the following series: Series 1. Academics; Series 2. BCRS--Bertha Capen Reynolds Society [Social Welfare Action Alliance]; Series 3. California, State of; Series 4. Consultations; Series 5. Correspondence; Series 6. First Amendment Foundation; Series 7. International Social Work; Series 8. LACHA--Los Angeles County Heart Association; Series 8. Meetings and Conferences; Series 9. NASW--National Association of Social Workers; Series 10. NNSWM--National Network for Social Work Managers; Series 11. Notes; Series 12. Orange County; Series 13. Papers and Presentations; Series 14. Personal Papers; Series 15. Politics; Series 16. Professional Associations; Series 17. Projects; Series 18. Resource files; Series 19. Reviews; Series 20. Speeches

Acquisition

Donated by Chauncey Alexander to the California Social Welfare Archives in 2005.

Related Archival Materials

See also:

Greater Los Angeles Association for the Study of Community Organization records, Collection no. 0446, California Social Welfare Archives, Special Collections, USC Libraries, University of Southern California

National Association of Social Workers, Los Angeles Area and California Chapters records, Collection no. 0487, California Social Welfare Archives, Special Collections, USC Libraries, University of Southern California

Processing note

The collection contains autographed reprints from other authors; many of these can be found in the various correspondence files. Some materials created by outside authors have been retained. Those materials created when Alexander was in charge of various organizations have been kept with the relevant organization. Those that were clearly used by Alexander for a variety of projects have been kept in their own series. Most other outside and redundant materials have been removed.

Title
Finding aid for the Chauncey Alexander papers
Status
Completed
Author
John Howard Fowler
Date
2010
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the USC Libraries Special Collections Repository

Contact:
Doheny Memorial Library 206
3550 Trousdale Parkway
Los Angeles California 90089-0189 United States