Special Collections Department
403 Parks Library
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011-2140
RS 9/9/53
Earl N. Bressman (1894-1985)
Papers, 1922-1988, n.d.
creator: |
Bressman, Earl N. (1894-1985) |
title: |
Papers |
dates: |
1922-1988, n.d. |
extent: |
0.84 linear ft. (2 document boxes) |
collection number: |
RS 9/9/53 |
repository: |
University Archives, Special Collections Department, Iowa State University. |
access: |
Open for research |
publication rights: |
Consult Head, Special Collections Department |
preferred citation: |
Earl N. Bressman Papers, RS 9/9/53, Special Collections Department, Iowa State University Library. |
Earl Norman Bressman was born August 27, 1894, near Omaha, Nebraska. He received his B.S. (1920) and M.S. (1927) from Iowa State College (University) and his Ph.D. (1930) from the University of Nebraska. After receiving his B.S., Dr. Bressman was hired at Iowa State College (University) as Instructor (1920-1922) in the Department of Agronomy. He went on to become Head (1922-1923) of the Agronomy and Farm Management Department at New Mexico State College (University) and then Assistant Professor (1923-1924) of agronomy at Montana State College (University). He was also Associate Agronomist and Professor (1924-1933) at Oregon State College (University). While attending school at Iowa State, Dr. Bressman became associated with Henry A. Wallace, then the editor of Wallace's Farmer. In 1922, the two of them collaborated on Corn and Corn Growing, a book which was used as a text in college classrooms for over 30 years with the fifth and final edition released in 1949. Dr. Bressman also wrote scientific articles on farm crops such as corn, hops, and wheat. Dr. Bressman's long association with then Secretary of Agriculture, Henry A. Wallace, brought him to work for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as Scientific Adviser (1933-1940) to the Secretary. In this capacity, Dr. Bressman was in charge of the Agricultural Experiment Station at Beltsville, Maryland, as well as twenty other departmental bureaus. He then took a position as Assistant Director (1940-1941) in the Office of Foreign Agricultural Relations and was responsible for USDA participation in agricultural programs in the Western Hemisphere. In 1941, Norman A. Rockefeller, Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs, appointed Dr. Bressman to be Director (1941-1942) of the newly formed Agricultural Division in the Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs. The primary goal of this job was to establish the Inter-American Institute of Agricultural Sciences (now the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture or IICA) which was subsequently headquartered in Turrialba, Costa Rica. Dr. Bressman served as the first Director (1942-1946) of the Institute. He married Leone Anita Moorhead on September 1, 1921, and together they had two children: Donna Ann and Charles Moorhead. Dr. Bressman died on January 3, 1985. |
The collection (1922-1988, n.d.) contains articles, an oral history, reports, and writings by and about Dr. Earl N. Bressman. The articles include published materials related to Dr. Bressman's research in plant genetics and breeding. Transcripts of an oral history interview with Dr. Bressman conducted by Douglas Helms of the Soil Conservation Service, USDA, covers Dr. Bressman's childhood, highlights of his career in both education and government, and his relationship with Henry A. Wallace. The collection also contains material related to Dr. Bressman's government employment. Reports and news clippings from the Inter-American Institute of Agricultural Sciences, of which he was the first director, are available. Of particular interest are the two diaries included in the collection. Both diaries date from Bressman's time working in the Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs. The daily diary documents official meetings and planning for the Institute. The "rubber diary" was started at the request of Vice President Wallace and documents the United States government's efforts to investigate and secure a stable source of rubber prior to its engagement in World War II. |
The collection is organized with biographical information filed first and alphabetically thereafter. |
Box |
Folder |
Title |
Dates |
1 |
1 |
Biographical information |
1930-1982, n.d. |
1 |
2 |
Article: "Corn Culture" |
n.d. |
1 |
3 |
Article: "Developing New Varieties of Hops" |
1931 |
1 |
4 |
Article: "Differences Between Barnyard Grasses and Japanese Millet" |
1932 |
1 |
5 |
Article: "Effect of Bunt on Height of Wheat Plants" |
1932 |
1 |
6 |
Article: "Environment and Crop Production in Oregon" |
1932 |
1 |
7 |
Article: "Fundamentals of Heredity for Breeders" |
1937 |
1 |
8 |
Article: "Harvesting and Showing Seed Corn" |
1926 |
1 |
9 |
Article: "Inauguration of the Inter-American Institute of Agricultural Sciences" |
1943 |
1 |
10 |
Article: "Inheritance in Albit Wheat of Resistance to Bunt, Tilletia Tritici" |
1933 |
1 |
11 |
Article: "Inheritance of Sex in Certain Seed Plants" |
1933 |
1 |
12 |
Article: "Lolium Infected with Bunt of Wheat" |
1932 |
1 |
13 |
Article: "The Present Status of Breeding Varieties of Wheat Resistant to Bunt" |
1931 |
1 |
14 |
Article: "The Quest for Rubber" (Statements by Dr. Earl N. Bressman before Senate Special Committee investigating industrial alcohol and synthetic rubber) |
1942 |
1 |
15 |
Article: "Rye Infected with Bunt of Wheat" |
1931 |
1 |
16 |
Article: "Some Dioecious Plants" |
1932 |
1 |
17 |
Article: "Spillman's Work on Plant Breeding" |
1932 |
1 |
18 |
Article: "Susceptibility and Resistance of Wheat Varieties to Bunt" |
1932 |
1 |
19 |
Article: "Susceptibility of Markton and Other Varieities of Oats to Covered Smut (Ustilago Levis)" |
1931 |
1 |
20 |
Article: "Unproductive Hop Plants and Varieties in Oregon" |
1931 |
1 |
21 |
Correspondence |
1934-1942 |
1 |
22 |
Correspondence: Carl Hamilton, Iowa State University |
1984 |
1 |
23 |
Correspondence: Richard S. Kirkendall, The Henry A. Wallace Professor, Iowa State University |
1983 |
1 |
24 |
Daily diary |
1941-1943 |
1 |
25 |
Inter-American Institute of Agricultural Sciences: Annual report |
1943 |
1 |
26 |
Inter-American Institute of Agricultural Sciences: Annual report |
1944 |
1 |
27 |
Inter-American Institute of Agricultural Sciences: Annual report |
1945 |
1 |
28 |
Inter-American Institute of Agricultural Sciences: News articles and press release |
1938-1965 |
1 |
29 |
Inter-American Institute of Agricultural Sciences: Progress report |
1945 |
1 |
30 |
Lists of publications and courses taught |
n.d. |
1 |
31 |
Memorandum of Agreement and brochure for Corn and Corn Growing by Henry A. Wallace and Earl N. Bressman |
1923-1949 |
1 |
32 |
Reference materials: Hybrid corn publications and research articles |
1937-1939 |
2 |
1 |
Report of the First Corn Improvement Conference held at Chicago, Illinois, December 3, 1937 |
1938 |
2 |
2 |
Report of the Second Corn Improvement Conference held at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, September 16-17, 1938 |
1939 |
2 |
3 |
Report of the Subcommittee of the Seed Verification Service of the Department Committee on Seed |
1938 |
2 |
4 |
Rubber diary (copy) |
1942-1943 |
2 |
5 |
Rubber diary (includes memo to Vice President Henry A. Wallace) |
1942-1943 |
2 |
6 |
Soil Conservation Service, USDA: Legislation establishing Soil Conservation Service (copies) |
1935 |
2 |
7 |
Soil Conservation Service, USDA: Oral history discussion outline and notes |
1982 |
2 |
8 |
Soil Conservation Service, USDA: Oral history interview with Earl N. Bressman (draft transcript) with related correspondence |
1982-1984, n.d. |
2 |
9 |
Soil Conservation Service, USDA: Oral history interview with Earl N. Bressman (transcript) with related correspondence |
1982-1988 |
2 |
10 |
Synthetic rubber program: Estimated operating costs |
1944 |
2 |
11 |
Teaching, Iowa State College (University): Genetics 130 course syllabus |
n.d. |
2 |
12 |
Teaching, Montana State College (University): Agronomy 305 – Field Crop Improvement, course outline |
1922 |
2 |
13 |
Teaching, Oregon State College (University): Agronomy 105 – Genetics, course notes |
n.d. |
2 |
14 |
Tropical Agricultural Research and Training Center (CATIE): Newsletters and publications |
1973-1982, n.d. |
2 |
15 |
Writings (unattributed): American agricultural research and farm policy |
n.d. |
2 |
16 |
Writings (unattributed): Hybrid corn tests and reports |
1938, n.d. |
2 |
17 |
Writings by others on agricultural topics |
n.d. |
2 |
18 |
Writings: "America's Benefit from War Advance in Preserved Foods" |
1942 |
2 |
19 |
Writings: Farm crops |
n.d. |
2 |
20 |
Writings: "New Varieties of Fruit, Garden, and Crop Plants" |
n.d. |
2 |
21 |
Writings: Notes on Henry A. Wallace |
n.d. |
2 |
22 |
Writings: "Pioneer Tests of Corn Varieties" |
n.d. |
2 |
23 |
Writings: "Rural Arts and Crafts" |
n.d. |
2 |
24 |
Writings: "Simple Remedies for Lazy Lawns" |
n.d. |
2 |
25 |
Writings: "Trees in the Prairie States" |
n.d. |
2 |
26 |
Writings: "Yield Plus Needed in Corn Hybrids" |
n.d. |