Inventory of the Edmund J. Vandermillen Research Collection, 1886 – 2009
Descriptive Summary
Abstract: Edmund “Ed” J. Vandermillen (1935-2014) began his career with the U.S. Forest Service in 1959. He worked on several national forests before serving as State Forester of Connecticut under an inter-agency agreement from 1972-1974. He returned to the U.S. Forest Service in 1974 and served as Director of the Pinchot Institute for Conservation Studies in Milford, Pennsylvania, from 1983-1986 before becoming Director of Public Information and Involvement for the Forest Service in 1986. He retired in 1990.
The collection contains research files compiled by Vandermillen consisting largely of copies of correspondence to Pinchot from prominent figures in conservation. It also contains copies of some letters written to and from Pinchot’s wife, Cornelia “Leila” Bryce Pinchot and Dwight Eisenhower, Harry Truman, Herbert Hoover, and others. Most of these copies are labeled from The Collection of the Manuscript Division, Library of Congress. Unlabeled copies are likely from files at Grey Towers, Pinchot’s home, now a National Historic Site. Also in the collection are reference items related to conservation, Theodore Roosevelt, the Theodore Roosevelt Association, and miscellaneous items about antiques, art, architecture, and local history that Vandermillen compiled along with a few of his personal papers.
Title: Edmund J. Vandermillen Research Collection, 1886 – 2009
Creator: Vandermillen, Edmund J., 1935-2014
Repository: Forest History Society Library and Archives
Call Number: 2017-005
Language of Material: Material in English
Extent: 1.5 linear feet (1 record carton)
Biographical Note
Edmund “Ed” J. Vandermillen (1935-2014) began his career with the U.S. Forest Service in 1959, after receiving a B.S. degree in forestry from the University of Minnesota that year. While with the U.S. Forest Services he worked at several locations including Rogue River National Forest, in Oregon, Eveleth Tree Nursery at Superior National Forest in Minnesota, Clark National Forest in Missouri, Nicolet National Forest in Wisconsin, and Hoosier National Forest in Indiana. After serving as State Forester of Connecticut under an inter-agency agreement from 1972-1974, he returned to the U.S. Forest Service in 1974. He worked on teh Superior National Forest in Minnesota and the Chippewa National Forest in Minnesota, and at the Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry Office in Pennsylvania. From 1983-1986 he served as Director of the Pinchot Institute for Conservation Studies in Milford, Pennsylvania, before becoming Director of Public Information and Involvement for the Forest Service in 1986. He retired in 1990.
In his retirement, Vandermillen served on the boards of Carnegie-Stout Public Library and Cascade Forestry, and volunteered at the Loras College Center for Dubuque History in Dubuque, Iowa. He was also a founding member of the Gifford Pinchot Chapter of the Audubon Society in Milford, Pennsylvania, and a member of the Society of American Foresters.
Note: Biographical information taken from U.S. Forest Service biographies and his obituary in the Telegraph-Herald of Dubuque, Iowa.
Collection Overview
The collection contains research files compiled by Vandermillen consisting largely of copies of correspondence to Gifford Pinchot from prominent figures in conservation. It also contains copies of some letters written to and from Pinchot’s wife, Cornelia “Leila” Bryce Pinchot and Dwight Eisenhower, Harry Truman, Herbert Hoover, and others. Most of these copies are labeled from The Collection of the Manuscript Division, Library of Congress. Unlabeled copies are likely from files at Grey Towers, Pinchot’s home, now a National Historic Site. Also in the collection are reference items related to conservation, Theodore Roosevelt, the Theodore Roosevelt Association, and miscellaneous items about antiques, art, architecture, and local history that Vandermillen compiled along with a few of his personal papers.
Collection Arrangement
The collection is arranged in seven series:
1. Correspondence
2. Pinchot Speech
3. Conservation and Nature Related Publications
4. Theodore Roosevelt Related
5. Theodore Roosevelt Association
6. Miscellaneous
7. Vandermillen Personal Papers
Subject Headings
- Brandis, Dietrich, Sir, 1824-1907
- Eisenhower, Dwight D. (Dwight David), 1890-1969
- Eliot, Charles, 1859-1897
- Fernow, B. E. (Bernhard Eduard), 1851-1923
- Hoover, Herbert, 1874-1964
- Muir, John, 1838-1914
- Olmstead, Frederick Law, 1822-1903
- Pinchot, Cornelia Bryce, 1881-1960
- Pinchot, Gifford, 1865-1946
- Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919
- Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927
- Truman, Harry S., 1884-1972
- Vanderbilt, George Washington, 1862-1914
- Vandermillen, Edmund J., 1935-2014
Detailed Description of the Collection
1. Correspondence, 1886-1958.
All items in this series are copies of originals. All are labeled as copies from the collection of the Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, unless otherwise noted. Some copies include transcripts of hand written items that may be difficult to read.
Folder 1 – Cornelia Bryce Pinchot Files, 1917-1958
Correspondence to Cornelia Bryce Pinchot, Gifford Pinchot’s wife, from Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Harry Truman, Herbert Hoover, and others. Copies are likely from Gifford’s home Grey Towers.
Folder 2 – Gifford Pinchot Files, 1900-1946
Correspondence between Gifford Pinchot and Theodore Roosevelt, W. B. Colver, P.C. Bryce, and others. Copies are likely from Gifford’s home Grey Towers.
Folder 3 – Bernhard Eduard Fernow, 1886-1990
Folder 4 – Bernhard Eduard Fernow, 1891-1996
Folder 5 – Charles Sprague Sargent, 1889-1893
Folder 6 – John Muir, 1896-1900
Folder 7 – George Vanderbilt, c. 1891-1896
Folder 8 – Frederick Law Olmsted, 1891-1896
Folder 9 – Frederick Law Olmstead and Charles Eliot, 1892-1895
Folder 10 – Frederick Law Olmstead and Charles Eliot, 1896-1898
Folder 11 – Dietrich Brandis, c. 1889-1892
Folder 12 – Dietrich Brandis, 1893-1895
Folder 13 – Dietrich Brandis, 1896-1900
Folder 14 – Dietrich Brandis, 1890-1900
2. Pinchot Speech, 1908.
Copy, not an original, of a speech given by Pinchot on April 9, 1908, to the Society of American Foresters on Dietrich Brandis.
3. Conservation and Nature Related Publications.
National Geographic map, USDA 2005 pamphlets on 100 years of conservation, Audubon and Arizona Highways magazines, pamphlets on raptors and owls, and 3 books: “The Land Office Business” by Malcolm J. Rohrbough and “Proceedings of the North American Hawk Migration Conference” 1974 and 1983.
4. Theodore Roosevelt Related.
Time Magazine with Theodore Roosevelt on the cover and program from the Theodore Roosevelt Distinguished Service Medal award dinner April 20, 1985.
5. Theodore Roosevelt Association, 1983-2009.
Journals from the Theodore Roosevelt Association. Not complete sets from the years listed.
Folder 1 – Journals, 1983-1992
Folder 2 – Journals, 1996-2000
Folder 3 – Journals, 2002-2007
Folder 4 – Journals, 2007-2009
6. Miscellaneous.
Folder 1- Antiques and Book
Antique and book related magazines.
Folder 2 – Local History
Iowa history related items.
Folder 3 – Art
Brochures on art and architecture, some Iowa specific.
7. Vandermillen Personal Papers, 1990 – 2005.
Correspondence to Vandermillen from Miller Hist, Trinity University San Antonio, TX, and email printouts.
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
No restrictions.
Copyright Notice
The nature of the Forest History Society’s archival holdings means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The Forest History Society claims only physical ownership of most archival materials.
The materials from our collections 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.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Edmund J. Vandermillen Research Collection, Library and Archives, Forest History Society, Durham, NC, USA.
Acquisitions Information
Received from Leo Frueh, friend of Ed Vandermillen, in June 2017.
Processing Information
Processed by Christin Lampkowski, August 2017
Encoded by Christin Lampkowski, August 2017
Support for digitization and outreach provided by the Alvin J. Huss Endowment.
