Worthington Chauncey Ford (February 15, 1858 – March 7, 1941) was an American
historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...
,
archivist
An archivist is an information professional who assesses, collects, organizes, preserves, maintains control over, and provides access to Document, records and archives determined to have long-term value. The records maintained by an archivist c ...
and
editor
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...
of a number of collections of documents from early American history. He served in a variety of government positions: first, as the chief of the Bureau of Statistics for the
U.S. Department of State
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...
, from 1885–1889, then at the
U.S. Department of Treasury, 1893–1898, then as chief of the manuscripts division at the Library of Congress from 1902–1908. From 1909 to 1929 Ford was the editor of publications of the Massachusetts Historical Society, which had elected him a member in 1900. He also served concurrently as Librarian of the John Carter Brown Library at
Brown University
Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...
from 1917–1922.
Family notoriety
Ford was a member of a distinguished and notorious family. He was the great-grandson (through his mother) of
Noah Webster
Noah ''Nukh''; am, ኖህ, ''Noḥ''; ar, نُوح '; grc, Νῶε ''Nôe'' () is the tenth and last of the pre-Flood patriarchs in the traditions of Abrahamic religions. His story appears in the Hebrew Bible (Book of Genesis, chapters 5– ...
. His two younger brothers were
Paul Leicester Ford, an eminent biographer and novelist, and
Malcolm Webster Ford, a distinguished amateur athlete. Both died May 8, 1902 in a
murder-suicide when Malcolm shot Paul and then himself.
Historian
Ford was best known for his edited collections of a number of
Founding Fathers documents, including ''The writings of George Washington'' (14 Volumes), ''Alexander Hamilton's notes in the Federal convention of 1787'', and ''Writings of John Quincy Adams''. He also edited collections of the correspondence of
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...
,
John Adams
John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Befor ...
, and other figures in early American history.
Ford's historical work was also notable for his tenure as chief of the newly established Manuscripts Division at the
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...
. During his time in charge, from 1903 to 1909,
he organized a significant effort to photograph and copy manuscripts pertaining to early American history which resided in foreign archives (especially France, Britain, and Spain). In this way, copies of many documents which had been missing since 1812 or earlier were recovered. In addition, he edited and published the complete ''
Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774–1789''.
Ford was elected a member of the
American Antiquarian Society
The American Antiquarian Society (AAS), located in Worcester, Massachusetts, is both a learned society and a national research library of pre-twentieth-century American history and culture. Founded in 1812, it is the oldest historical society in ...
in 1907.
Ford was active in the
American Historical Association
The American Historical Association (AHA) is the oldest professional association of historians in the United States and the largest such organization in the world. Founded in 1884, the AHA works to protect academic freedom, develop professional s ...
and was elected President in 1917. Ford's presidential address, The Editorial Function in United States History, is notable for its careful exposure of the deliberate omissions made by early editors of the Founding Fathers papers, including faked memoirs, papers edited to hide controversies important at the time, and other "crimes and errors" common in the editing and publishing of historical documents of the time.
Ford defended the American purchase and annexation of the Philippines from Spain during the Philippine–American War by saying "Questions of Conscience need not trouble us.... Here are rich lands, held by those who do not or cannot get the best out of them, and awaiting the fructifying application of capital and organization in commerce. Under this beneficent view the natives, an inferior race, must get out or become laborers. The Filipino is an incumbrance to be got rid of, unless he accepts the mandates of a purchasing and conquering power."
Ford also edited collections of works of other American figures, including ''Letters of Henry Adams (1892–1918)'', and a collection of
Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr Jr. (February 6, 1756 – September 14, 1836) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the third vice president of the United States from 1801 to 1805. Burr's legacy is defined by his famous personal conflict with Alexand ...
's letters.
See also
Other notable American historians who edited and published Washington's papers:
*
William Wright Abbot
William Wright Abbot III (May 20, 1922August 31, 2009) was an American archivist and historian, widely noted for his work compiling and editing The Washington Papers. After his undergraduate study, he joined the U.S. Navy and served in the Pacifi ...
*
John Clement Fitzpatrick
John Clement Fitzpatrick (August 10, 1876 – February 10, 1940) was an archivist and an early American historian, widely regarded as an authority on George Washington. He was noted for his groundbreaking work editing Washington's diaries and many ...
*
James Kendall Hosmer, writer, historian and librarian
References
External links
*
*
AHA Information: Worthington Ford's Bibliographyat www.historians.org Partial Bibliography on Ford at AHA website.
* Worthington C. Ford, et al. ed. ''Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774–1789.'' (34 vol., 1904–1937
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ford, Worthington C.
1868 births
1941 deaths
Historians from New York (state)
Librarians at the Library of Congress
Writers from Brooklyn
Presidents of the American Historical Association
People who died at sea
Members of the American Antiquarian Society
Members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters