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Boston College collection of Christopher Hollis

 Collection
Collection MS-1993-050: Boston College collection of Christopher Hollis

Dates

  • Creation: 1961-1975

Scope and Contents

This collection contains correspondence of Christopher and Maddie Hollis with Vincent and Adele Whelan. The letter dated June 1961 contains a request by Justice Vincent Whelan of the Fourth District Court of Appeals in San Diego to meet Hollis while on a trip to England. Following that meeting the two men exchanged letters regularly concerning personal matters and occasional remarks about politics of the Catholic Church. Also included are newspaper clippings from the San Diego Union and San Diego Tribune collected by the Whelans, which report on speeches Hollis gave as well as announcements of lecture itineraries. It also contains two corrected typescripts of Hollis's theological work, "The Mystery of Things."

Creator

Restrictions on access

Collection is open for research.

Restrictions on use

These materials are made available for use in research, teaching and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source. The original authors may retain copyright to the materials.

Biographical note

Maurice Christopher Hollis, known as Christopher Hollis, was born on March 29, 1902, the second son of Reverend Arthur Hollis, Anglican Bishop of Taunton. He was educated at Eton and Balliol College, Oxford in England. At one time he was the president of the Oxford Union and from 1924 to 1925 he toured the United States, New Zealand, and Australia as a member of the Oxford Union Debating Society. Hollis was received into the Catholic Church in 1924 and published his first book, Glastonbury and England, in 1927. He married Margaret Madeline (Maddie) King in 1929, with whom he had four children. From 1925-1935 he was assistant master at Stonyhurst and from 1935-1939 he lectured and did research in the United States and Canada.

Hollis was an economist, scholar, historian, biographer, lecturer, and journalist. He was a Conservative member of the British Parliament from 1945-1955 and also served with the Royal Air Force in World War II. He served as a member of the editorial board of the London Tablet and published many works during his lifetime, including American Heresy, Two Nations, and biographies of George Orwell and Evelyn Waugh. His last book, Oxford in the Twenties: Recollections of Five Friends, was published a year before his death in 1977.

Sources:

"Christopher Hollis," Simon and Schuster Authors Biographies, accessed July 9, 2019. https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Christopher-Hollis/160842995

"Christopher Hollis, 75; British Writer and M.P.," New York Times, 1977 May 9, accessed July 9, 2019.

Extent

0.25 Linear Feet (1 container)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

This collection documents the life and work of Christopher Hollis, a twentieth-century British Catholic author, historian, and politician. It contains correspondence, newspaper clippings, and typescripts for Hollis's theological work "The Mystery of Things."

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into three series: I. Correspondence; II. "The Mystery of Things", typescripts; and III. Newspaper clippings.

Provenance

Correspondence and clippings were a gift of Adele and Vincent E. Whelan (1996). "The Mystery of Things" manuscript was transferred from Joseph. A. Appleyard, SJ, Boston College Office of Mission and Ministry (1993).

Title
Boston College Collection of Christopher Hollis
Subtitle
1961-1975
Status
Completed
Author
Amy O'Sullivan, 1996; Rachael Young
Date
2019
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the John J. Burns Library Repository

Contact:
John J. Burns Library
Boston College
140 Commonwealth Avenue
Chestnut Hill MA 02467 United States
617-552-4861