Arthur P. Rugg Papers

1815-1938

Offsite Storage Inventory

The Arthur P. Rugg papers are stored offsite and must be requested at least one business day in advance. Contact the Library at library@masshist.org or (617) 536-1608 to request materials. Please discuss your request with the reading room staff before requesting cartons by barcode.

Note: This collection is UNPROCESSED and closed to researchers pending processing.

Table of Contents

Collection Summary

Biographical Timeline

Acquisition Information

Restrictions on Access

Summary Description of the Collection

Collection Summary

Creator:	Rugg, Arthur Prentice, 1862-1938.
Title:	Arthur P. Rugg papers
Dates:	1815-1938
Physical Description:	42 record cartons, 2 oversize cartons (offsite), 1 document box (onsite)
Call Number:	OFFSITE STORAGE
Repository:	Massachusetts Historical Society 1154 Boylston Street Boston, MA 02215 library@masshist.org

Abstract:

This collection consists of the papers of Arthur P. Rugg of Sterling, Mass., lawyer, city solicitor for Worcester, Mass. (1897-1906), associate justice (1906-11) and chief justice (1911-38) of the Mass. Supreme Judicial Court. The papers contain correspondence, legal case files, notes, speeches, articles, papers relating to his personal and professional involvements, letterbooks, diaries (1875-1936, with gaps), personal account books, financial journals documenting his law partnership with John R. Thayer (1895-1903) in Worcester, and scrapbooks of his articles and on various subjects. The collection also includes correspondence with his wife, Florence May (Belcher) Rugg, and her diary of a trip to England and Scotland in 1914, as well as papers of other family members.

Table of Contents

Biographical Timeline

20 August 1862	Born in Sterling, son of Prentice Mason and Cynthia (Ross) Rugg
1883	Graduated from Amherst College
1886	Graduated from Boston University Law School; admitted to bar; entered the office of John R. Thayer
1889	Married Florence May Belcher
1891	Became a partner with John R. Thayer
1895	Appointed assistant district attorney of Mass. Middle District; served until 1897
1897	Appointed city solicitor of Worcester; served until 1906
1906	Appointed an associate justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts
1911	Appointed chief justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts
1933	Delivered memorial address on Calvin Coolidge at a joint session of Congress
12 June 1938	Died in Sterling, Mass.

Table of Contents

Acquisition Information

Gift of Mrs. John B. Cave of Summit, NC, Oct. 1965.

Table of Contents

Restrictions on Access

Note: This collection is UNPROCESSED and closed to researchers pending processing.

Table of Contents

Summary Description of the Collection

Note: Cartons 1-4 contain correspondence, arranged chronologically. Cartons 5-10 also contain correspondence, but unless specifically noted, it is not in any particular arrangement. Please note that additional miscellaneous correspondence may be found in Cartons 11-28.


Carton	Barcode	Contents
Carton 1	SH 14KJ 3	Congratulatory letters, 1890-1910
Carton 1	SH 14KJ 3	General correspondence: 1 January 1907 - 30 November 1913
Carton 2	SH 14KK 4	Correspondence, 1 December 1913 - 30 June 1919
Carton 3	SH 14KL 5	Correspondence, 1 July 1919 - 31 May 1925
Carton 4	SH 14KM 6	Correspondence, 1 June 1925 - 31 December 1932
Carton 5	SH 14KN 7	Correspondence, 1 January 1933 - 12 June 1938
Carton 5	SH 14KN 7	Undated correspondence, A - Z
Carton 5	SH 14KN 7	Miscellaneous correspondence
Carton 6	SH 14KP 9	Letterbook, correspondence received, 1920 -13 December 1921 Arranged alphabetically.
Carton 6	SH 14KP 9	Letterbook, correspondence received, 13 December 1921 - 21 April 1923 Arranged alphabetically.
Carton 6	SH 14KP 9	Letterbook, correspondence received, 23 April 1923 -30 April 1924 Arranged alphabetically.
Carton 7	SH 14KQ A	Letterbook, correspondence received, 16 July 1923 - 31 March 1925 Arranged alphabetically.
Carton 7	SH 14KQ A	Correspondence, 1913-1925
Carton 7	SH 14KQ A	Correspondence to Arthur P. Rugg, 1925
Carton 8	SH 14KR B	Correspondence, District Court, Appellate Division, 1926-1927
Carton 8	SH 14KR B	Miscellaneous correspondence, 1926-1936
Carton 8	SH 14KR B	Correspondence, 1929-1931
Carton 8	SH 14KR B	Miscellaneous correspondence, 1916-1938
Carton 9	SH 14KS C	Correspondence to Arthur P. Rugg from Florence May Rugg, 1884-1887
Carton 9	SH 14KS C	Correspondence from Arthur P. Rugg to Florence May Rugg, 1906
Carton 9	SH 14KS C	Correspondence to Arthur P. Rugg, Jr. (Prentice), 1898-1918 Correspondents include: A(lma) Beatrice Rugg, Charles Belcher Rugg, Cynthia Rugg, O. Willis Rugg, and Augustus Rugg.
Carton 10	SH 14KT D	Correspondence to Arthur P. Rugg and Florence May Rugg
Carton 10	SH 14KT D	miscellaneous materials (in original envelopes)
Carton 10	SH 14KT D	[1825] partial letter
Carton 10	SH 14KT D	Boston Amherst Alumni Assoc. materials, 1916
Carton 10	SH 14KT D	Clerks of Courts questionnaire on records, 1923
Carton 10	SH 14KT D	Clerk of Courts, Barnstable, 1931
Carton 10	SH 14KT D	Clerk of Courts, Nantucket, 1929
Carton 10	SH 14KT D	Judicial Council, 1924-1929
Carton 10	SH 14KT D	Judicial salaries, printed materials, 1926, 1928
Carton 10	SH 14KT D	letters from A. B. Andrews, 1925-1929
Carton 10	SH 14KT D	Messenger of the Supreme Judicial Court, job applications, 1919
Carton 10	SH 14KT D	Salary reductions in the City of Boston and County of Suffolk, 1933
Carton 10	SH 14KT D	Kettlebrook and Blackstone Valley Mill Owners, Petitioners, vs. City of Worcester, 1898. Opening for defense by Arthur P. Rugg.
Carton 10	SH 14KT D	Town of Athol vs. Athol Water Com., 1906 3 copies
Carton 10	SH 14KT D	Commonwealth v. Anthony DeStasio, 1937
Carton 10	SH 14KT D	Edward Speigel vs. Beacon Participations, Inc., et al., 1937
Carton 10	SH 14KT D	Summons and trustee writs [blank forms]
Carton 10	SH 14KT D	Forms of summons
Carton 10	SH 14KT D	Clerk of courts, Bristol County, 1928
		Arguments of Arthur P. Rugg:
Carton 10	SH 14KT D		Hearing before Joint Standing Com. Massachusetts Legislature on Railroads, 1900. 3 copies
Carton 10	SH 14KT D		Before Gas and Electric Light Com. O'Connell vs. Worcester Elec. Light Co., September 1901. 3 copies
Carton 10	SH 14KT D		Blackstone Mfg. Co. v. Blackstone, June 1900
Carton 10	SH 14KT D		Hearing before Committee on Railroads, March 1904 3 copies
Carton 10	SH 14KT D		Hearing before Joint Committee on Cities & Towns re: Petitions of Olney and others, 1903. April 1903
Carton 11	SH 14KU E	Sittings on Western Circuit and Worcester and Bristol, 1920
Carton 11	SH 14KU E	Judicial salaries, 1920, 1921
Carton 11	SH 14KU E	Judicial Council, 1924
Carton 11	SH 14KU E	Personal/family correspondence and genealogy; includes stock list of Florence May Rugg.
Carton 11	SH 14KU E	Newspaper clippings
Carton 11	SH 14KU E	Miscellaneous printed legal pamphlets, 1916-1936
Carton 11	SH 14KU E	Speech at the memorial to Mr. Justice Holmes, 1937
Carton 11	SH 14KU E	Newspaper clippings on Arthur P. Rugg, 1931
Carton 11	SH 14KU E	Articles, speeches, clippings re: Chief Justice Lemuel Shaw
Carton 11	SH 14KU E	Newspaper clippings, Chief Justice Hughes
Carton 11	SH 14KU E	St. Wulstan Society
Carton 11	SH 14KU E	List of Massachusetts decisions written by Oliver Wendell Holmes, 1937
Carton 11	SH 14KU E	Correspondence with the House of Lords re: the 'extended record' system, 1924
Carton 11	SH 14KU E	Correspondence and news articles re: Judge DeCourey
Carton 11	SH 14KU E	Constitutional decisions of Massachusetts, 1886-1914
Carton 12	SH 14KV F	Correspondence from Frank W. Grinnell, 1916, 1923-1924
Carton 12	SH 14KV F	Invitation list for Lincoln Square, n.d.
Carton 12	SH 14KV F	Letter, newspaper clippings re: Judge James Carroll, 1932
Carton 12	SH 14KV F	Commissioners to Consolidate the Laws communications, 1919
Carton 12	SH 14KV F	Tax appeals, 1930
Carton 12	SH 14KV F	Newspapers clippings re: Oliver Wendell Holmes, 1934
Carton 12	SH 14KV F	Calvin Coolidge address, Feb. 6, 1933 2 copies
Carton 12	SH 14KV F	Income Tax returns, Arthur P. Rugg, 1924, 1925, 1927
Carton 12	SH 14KV F	Commissioner of Banks v. Prudential Trust Co. et al., 1925
Carton 12	SH 14KV F	Bar meeting in France, 1924
Carton 12	SH 14KV F	Attorney General v. Tufts, 1921
Carton 12	SH 14KV F	Hearings to consider the claims of Clinton, Sterling and Holden, 1901.
Carton 12	SH 14KV F	Opening and closing by Arthur P. Rugg: Smith v. N. E. Aircraft Co./ Trustees of Andover v. Visitors et al.
Carton 12	SH 14KV F	Printed materials
		Cases argued by Arthur P. Rigg, 1900-1911:
Carton 12	SH 14KV F		Hearing before Board of Gas and Elec. Lt. Commissioners, Worcester, 1901
Carton 12	SH 14KV F		Blackstone Mfg. Co. vs. Town of Blackstone, 1900
Carton 12	SH 14KV F		Opening Statement at a Hearing before Joint St. Com. of Massachusetts Legislature on Railroads, 1900
Carton 12	SH 14KV F	Printed materials, 1923 Legislation
Carton 12	SH 14KV F	Clerk of Court, Barnstable County, 1926
Carton 12	SH 14KV F	Legislation affecting Supreme Judicial Court, 1924
Carton 12	SH 14KV F	Correspondence from law clerks, 1924-1925
Carton 12	SH 14KV F	Quarters for Supreme Judicial Court, 1923
Carton 12	SH 14KV

Table of Contents

http://www.masshist.org/findingaids/doc.cfm?fa=fa0126
Send reference questions to library@masshist.org.

Prepared by Elizabeth Krimmel.
Revised 2 Nov. 2005
Encoded by Aimée Primeaux, November 2004

Massachusetts Historical Society
1154 Boylston Street (directions)
Boston, MA 02215-3695
Tel: 617.536.1608
Fax: 617.859.0074

Terms and Conditions
Online Privacy Policy
E-Mail Newsletter
Feedback