James M. Buchanan papers

Access and use

Location of collection:
George Mason University
2400 Fenwick Library
Special Collections Research Center
Fenwick Library MS2FL
George Mason University
Fairfax, VA 22030
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Mieko Palazzo
Phone: (703) 993-2220
Fax: (703) 993-2669
Restrictions:

There are no access restrictions.

Terms of access:

There are no restrictions on personal use. Permission to publish material from the James M. Buchanan papers must be obtained from the Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.

Preferred citation:

James M. Buchanan papers, C0247, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.

Summary

Extent:
192.0 linear ft.
Creator:
Buchanan, James M.
Abstract:
This collection covers the career of Nobel Prize winning Economist James M. Buchanan, as well as records generated by the Center for the Study of Public Choice.
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

James M. Buchanan papers, C0247, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection contains material covering James Buchanan's life, education, and academic career, from his time at Middle Tennessee State University in the 1930s to his death in 2013. There is also a photo from his early childhood, circa 1920. Academic and personal correspondence, drafts, revisions, and printed versions of writings, conference materials and travel information, collected articles read by Buchanan, and material produced as part of the Center for the Study of Public Choice's operations are all included in the collection. Also of note is correspondence, etc. from Buchanan's long-time secretary Betty Tillman, as well as administrator for the Center for the Study of Public Choice Jo Ann Burgess.

Biographical / historical:

Economist James McGill Buchanan, Jr. was born on October 3, 1919 in Murfreesboro, Tenessee. Buchanan studied at Middle Tennessee State University, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and the University of Chicago, and he taught at a variety of schools, including the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, and George Mason University. At Virginia Tech, he founded the Center for the Study of Public Choice, which moved to George Mason in 1983. Buchanan was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1986 for his work on Public Choice Theory. He died on January 9, 2013.

Acquisition information:
Acquired by George Mason University Special Collections Research Center in September 2016.
Processing information:

Collection is currently being processed. EAD markup completed by Elizabeth Beckman in June 2017.

Arrangement:

The collection is currently being arranged into nine series.

  1. Series 1: Correspondence
  2. Series 2: Academic
  3. Series 3: Conferences and travel
  4. Series 4: Writings
  5. Series 5: Articles read
  6. Series 6: Photographs
  7. Series 7: Oversize
  8. Series 8: Audiovisual materials
  9. Series 9: Administration/Center for the Study of Public Choice
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard