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Office of the President & Chancellor: James F. Kelley records

 Collection
Identifier: SHU-0003-011

Scope and Contents

The James F. Kelley records contain personal papers, records of Seton Hall College, and both personal and business photographs.

The Seton Hall College records include correspondence relating to College business, meeting minutes from various committees, statistics of enrollment, departmental information, the expansion of the Seton Hall community, financial documentation, and athletic updates.

Msgr. Kelley's personal papers include correspondence and drafts for his memoir. There are some materials from Msgr. Kelley's college years at the University of Louvain continuing to his presidency at Seton Hall College, and concluding with his years at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Ridgewood, NJ. In addition, there are items once belonging to Msgr. Kelley including a pair of eyeglasses and a rolodex.

Finally there are personal photographs of Msgr. Kelley and his family, as well as numerous photographs of Msgr. Kelley at Seton Hall events, many after his retirement.

Dates

  • Creation: 1910-1996

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open to researchers at the Msgr. William Noé Field Archives & Special Collections Center. Some items in the collection require special handling and can only be used for research with staff assistance. Advance appointments are required for the use of archival materials.

Conditions Governing Use

All materials available in this collection (unless otherwise noted) are the property of the Monsignor William Noé Field Archives & Special Collections Center and Seton Hall University, which reserves the right to limit access to or reproduction of these materials. Reproduction of materials or content is subject to United States copyright restrictions and may be subject to federal or state privacy regulations. Permission to publish exact reproductions must be obtained from the Director of the Archives and Special Collections Center.

Biographical / Historical

Msgr. James F. Kelley was the President of Seton Hall College (now Seton Hall University) from 1936 to 1949. Msgr. Kelley was born to James F. Kelley, Sr. and Frances Shaw Kelley in Kearny, NJ on July 27, 1902. As a child, Msgr. Kelley attended Seton Hall Preparatory School and later Seton Hall College graduating in 1920 and 1924, respectively.

After completing his degree at Seton Hall College, Msgr. Kelley went to study philosophy at the American College at University of Louvain in Belgium. He was ordained in 1928 and received a graduate degree from Louvain in 1935.

Msgr. Kelley was appointed President of Seton Hall College in 1936, ushering in various changes that would foster the growth of Seton Hall College, eventually earning the status of a University only a year after his presidential resignation. After he stepped down as President of Seton Hall in 1949, Msgr. Kelley was assigned to Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Ridgewood, NJ. Msgr. Kelley stayed at Our Lady of Mount Carmel until he retired in 1976.

Upon retirement, Msgr. James F. Kelley resided in Rumson, NJ. He died September 11, 1996.

Extent

8.75 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Msgr. James F. Kelley was the President of Seton Hall University from 1936 to 1949. The James F. Kelley records contain both personal records and records of Seton Hall College.

Arrangement

Arrangment of the collection

  1. College records
  2. Correspondence
  3. Personal papers
  4. Photographs

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Materials were transferred to the Archives and Special Collections Center from Seton Hall University. Terms of accession unknown.

Related Materials

Bayley Seton League records, in the Monsignor William Noé Field Archives & Special Collections Center, Walsh Library, Seton Hall University.

Office of the President & Chancellor of Seton Hall University: Bernard J. McQuaid records, 1856-1866, SHU 0003.001, in the Monsignor Noé Field Archives & Special Collections Center, Walsh Library, Seton Hall University Library.

Office of the President & Chancellor of Seton Hall University: Michael A. Corrigan records, 1867-1873, SHU 0003.003, in the Monsignor Noé Field Archives & Special Collections Center, Walsh Library, Seton Hall University Library.

Office of the President & Chancellor of Seton Hall University: James H. Corrigan records, 1877-1888, SHU 0003.004, in the Monsignor Noé Field Archives & Special Collections Center, Walsh Library, Seton Hall University.

Office of the President & Chancellor of Seton Hall University: Joseph Synott records, 1898-1899, SHU 0003.006, in the Monsignor Noé Field Archives & Special Collections Center, Walsh Library, Seton Hall University Library.

Office of the President & Chancellor of Seton Hall University: John A. Stafford records, 1889-1907, SHU 0003.007, at the Monsignor Noé Field Archives & Special Collections Center, Seton Hall University.

Office of the President & Chancellor of Seton Hall University: James F. Mooney records, 1900-1928, SHU 0003.008, at the Monsignor Noé Field Archives & Special Collections Center, Seton Hall University.

Office of the President & Chancellor of Seton Hall University: Thomas H. McLaughlin records, 1923-1946, SHU 0003.009, at the Monsignor Noé Field Archives & Special Collections Center, Seton Hall University.

Office of the President & Chancellor of Seton Hall University: Francis J. Monaghan records, 1932-1936, SHU 0003.010, at the Monsignor Noé Field Archives & Special Collections Center, Seton Hall University.

Office of the President & Chancellor of Seton Hall University: John L. McNulty records, 1931-1970, SHU 0003.012, at the Monsignor Noé Field Archives & Special Collections Center, Seton Hall University.

Processing Information

Collection was processed and finding aid created by the Archives and Special Collections Center in 2010. Minor edits to coding, additional subject headings and user information by Tracy M. Jackson, 2012. Changed collection name to reflect office of president, 2013. Collection was reprocessed and finding aid updated by Patrick McCall in 2020.

Title
Office of the President & Chancellor: James F. Kelley records, 1910-1996
Author
Archives and Special Collections Center
Date
2010
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the The Monsignor Field Archives & Special Collection Center Repository

Contact:
Archives, Walsh Library
400 South Orange Ave
South Orange NJ 07079 US
973-761-9476