Robert Adger Bowen Papers
Collection
Identifier: Mss-0119
The papers contain many of Bowen's early writings, both published and unpublished; scrapbooks of his letters to the editor and columns from his retirement years; reports and information from his position with the Bureau of Translations and Radical Publications and the FBI; hundreds of his poems organized by topic, clippings related to his interests in royalty, literary figures and politics.
Bowen's Poetry/Writings: Bowen wrote extensively from 1885 until his death at age 103 in 1972. His works are arranged alphabetically and by type of material, with his published short stories, essays, and college papers in Boxes 1-3. Box 4 contains files on the publication of the poetry books to benefit the Foundation for Historic Restoration in the Pendleton Area. Draft layouts, early sketches, hand-written notes, financial arrangements and correspondence about the process are included here. The bulk of Bowen's poetry is in Box 5. These are mostly unpublished and date primarily from his retirement in 1929 until his death. They are arranged alphabetically by dominant themes.
Scrapbooks: Bowen wrote many letters to the editor of the Greenville News and other regional papers. He also had a regular column during the 1930's and 1940's. These scrapbooks in Boxes 6, 7, and 8 contain clippings of his letters as well as responses by readers. Each book has been copied; they are in chronological order with the originals behind the copies. Loose papers which had been inserted into the scrapbooks have been copied and inserted into the copies in their original location.
General Correspondence: Bowen carried on a variety of correspondence over his lifetime, which is contained in Box 9. Letters regarding the publication of a book on local poets in which Bowen was featured is interesting and continues after his death, with Mary Stevenson writing to A. Reid about Bowen's works. The give-and-take between Bowen and Wayne Freeman, editor of the Greenville News provides insights into a relationship that was both respectful and full of conflict. Their mutual respect is apparent, even as Bowen attacked the paper and Freeman for their policies on letters to the editor. General correspondence with his friends and fans provide insight into his beliefs and interests. This group of letters also demonstrates the audience he had developed from his columns and editorials in the paper. While an editor at D. Appleton Co., Bowen received letters from aspiring authors which are included here along with the occasional editorial comment regarding the author or his book.
FBI related material-Boxes 10 and 10A: Between 1917 and 1929 Bowen was employed as director of the Bureau of Translations and Radical Publications of the United States Justice Department. The Bureau was later absorbed into the newly formed Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Bowen was the author of several studies on communists in the United States, the subversive/radical presses of the period and the relationship of communists with minority presses. These reports were presented before Congress and some appear in published Congressional records. His personal correspondence with FBI director, J. Edgar Hoover spans a 50 year period and is included here along with letters from Melvin Purvis, a South Carolina native who was director of the FBI office in Chicago during the 1930's. An unusual collection of communist postcards are included here. Also included are two accounts of the Japanese occupation of Nanking, China during 1937-38 which Bowen received from friends who were U. S. Embassy employees during the occupation. Box 10A has a copy of The FBI Story (1956) by Don Whitehead with annotations by Bowen and inserts of clippings, letters and notes dating between 1924 and 1966.
Bowen's Clippings-Box 11: Bowen kept many news clippings on topics which interested him, including literary figures, European royalty, politics, local history/preservation and places he had lived. These clippings are arranged by topic and chronologically within folders.
Miscellaneous Materials: Materials in Box 12 include magazines which Bowen collected on a variety of topics, reviews of his novel Uncharted Seas, clippings which portray his life in later years, and genealogical information about the Bowen, Adger, and Smyth families in Pendleton and Charleston, South Carolina. Bowen's notes about the disposition of his books and papers are included here.
Legal-sized documents and publications-Box 13: these include correspondence received while an editor at D. Appleton Co., reduced photocopies of material from the scrapbooks, and bound volumes of his short stories and verses.
Oversize: Oversize materials are in the map case. Oversize materials include page proofs from Bowen's books, maps, and a work agreement between Bowen's father and his former slaves.
Photographs: They include Charleston scenes, family photos from Rivoli, photos of the Bowen children, and Bowen as a young man in New York, along with several photos of Bowen's friends.
This collection was donated by Robert Adger Bowen over a period of years. Additional material was received from his nieces, Clarissa and Jean Taylor and from his friend, Mary Stevenson, former head cataloger at Cooper Library. Bowen's donation was presented to Clemson through the efforts of Mary Stevenson. During his lifetime, Bowen donated the originals of his unpublished poetry to Furman University, where they remain in Special Collections.
Robert Adger Bowen was the third son of O. A. and Clarissa Adger Bowen. He was born December 30, 1868 in Charleston, South Carolina. Prior to the Civil War, many family members lived on plantations near Pendleton, South Carolina; his parents lived at Rivoli, his maternal grandparents at Ashtabula and other maternal relatives lived at Woodburn. As a youth, he spent much time at the plantations, developing a love for historic homes, architecture and preservation which remained constant throughout his long life. He was educated at the College of Charleston, the University of Washington and Lee and Cornell University.
Between 1894 and 1916 (approximately) he worked as an editor and translator for D. Appleton Publishers, New York City and also worked free-lance as a writer, poet and editor. From 1917 to 1929 he served as director of the Bureau of Translations and Radical Publications, United States Justice Department. When the Federal Bureau of Investigation was formed, replacing the Bureau of Translations, Bowen became a special agent for the FBI. He was personally acquainted with J. Edgar Hoover and was influential in national anti-communist efforts during the 1920's. The collection contains copies of reports he submitted to Congress on "Communism and the Radical Press" and "Radicalism and Sedition Among the Negroes as Reflected in their Publications." He remained a strong supporter of J. Edgar Hoover, and the collection contains copies of his letters to the editor supporting Hoover during the 1960's when Hoover was criticized by some members of Congress and the presidential administrations of Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon. In addition there are several letters from Hoover to Bowen thanking him for his support of Hoover and the FBI.
In 1929 he retired to Greenville, South Carolina where he lived until 1972, except for a few years spent in Macon, Georgia during the late 1930's. During his retirement years, he wrote poetry, letters to the editor, had a regular column in the Greenville News, and carried on a wide correspondence. He spent the last three years of his life in a nursing home. Although his body was increasingly frail, his mind remained sharp and focused until his death in May, 1972.
In the last ten years of his life, he devoted much of his time and writings to the theme of local history and preservation. The Foundation for Historic Restoration in the Pendleton Area, through the leadership of Mary Stevenson and Lucille and David Watson published three books of Bowen's poetry to raise funds for the restoration of Woodburn and Ashtabula. Mary Stevenson sketched the illustrations, and after consultation with Mr. Bowen, planned the layouts of the books. Bowen's nephew and namesake, R. A. Bowen provided funds to begin restoration of Woodburn. After the death of R. A. Bowen (the nephew), his widow provided funding in 1969 for the third book of poetry in honor of her late husband and his uncle.
5 Cubic Feet
English
MSS 119 was formerly accessioned as: 66-6; 68-1; 70-5; 70-9; 78-2; 78-3; 78-8; 90-98; 90-105 and 93-14.
Arrangement of all accessions into MSS 119 was completed by Pauline Klein in November, 1990. James Cross added additional material to the collection and revised this finding aid in October 2008.
The conversion of this finding aid to Encoded Archival Description format was made possible with a grant from the South Carolina State Historical Records Advisory Board in 2009-2010. The finding aid was prepared for encoding by Carl Redd.
Part of the Clemson University Libraries Special Collections and Archives Repository