Wallace Perry papers
Collection
Identifier: Ms-0009
Scope and Content Note
The Wallace Perry papers span the years 1865 and 1971, with the bulk of the material falling between the years 1904 and 1956. The collection chronicles much of Perrys personal and professional life and contains his correspondence with family, friends, and business associates, in addition to clippings and business records from his lengthy journalism career, and research files and drafts illustrating his prose writing.
The collection is divided into three series: Family Papers, Professional Papers, and Photographs.
The first subseries contains historical and biographical materials. One folder contains family military papers from 1865. "Memoirs of Ingalls, Oklahoma, contains Perrys recollections of the outlaws who lived in and around Ingalls during his childhood.
The largest subseries of the Family Papers is comprised of correspondence between Wallace Perry and his wife Lena Alice Stubblefield Perry. The correspondence spans 1904 to ca. 1950, with the bulk between 1904-1915, and is largely of a romantic nature. While visiting New Mexico in 1912, Alice wrote to Perry of her first impressions of the state and its people. The remaining correspondence is composed of letters to and from family members and friends of Perry and his wife.
Also found in the Family Papers are files concerning Perrys personal interests and civic activities, such as the "Kids Rodeo, which Perrys co-founded as El Paso Herald-Post editor, and the Red Cross of Doa Ana County. The series ends with financial materials from the Perry household.
The Professional Papers series spans the years 1901 to 1971. The Professional Papers are divided into three subseries: Journalism, Poetry and Prose. A small amount of correspondence from the journalism subseries deals with Perrys editorship at the El Paso Herald-Post, and his loss of that position. A substantial part of this subseries relates to the Las Cruces Sun-News, which Perry purchased in 1939. One folder contains extensive clippings from Perrys editorial column, "Chaparral. These materials also include financial and legal documents.
The Prose portion of the collection consists of letters, research notes, clippings, and three of Perrys manuscripts. Research and notes for Each Purple Curtain comprises the most extensive part of this subseries. Published in 1954, the novel is a historic, fictional portrayal of the Rio Grande River Valley through three generations. Correspondence between Perry and Naylor Company, the publishers of Each Purple Curtain, document Perrys disappointment with the sales of the book. Copies of Perrys unpublished novels, "And His Tribe Increased, a story involving the high stakes of the Oklahoman oil wells, and "Rehearsal for Disloyalty, a novel concerning strikebreakers in Oklahoma mines, are included in the Prose subseries.
The Photograph series contains one album of family photographs and 159 loose postcards, prints, and negatives. The loose prints dated, ca. 1900 - ca. 1950, are images of the Perrys, famous American Indians, oil wells, and musicians.
The collection is divided into three series: Family Papers, Professional Papers, and Photographs.
The first subseries contains historical and biographical materials. One folder contains family military papers from 1865. "Memoirs of Ingalls, Oklahoma, contains Perrys recollections of the outlaws who lived in and around Ingalls during his childhood.
The largest subseries of the Family Papers is comprised of correspondence between Wallace Perry and his wife Lena Alice Stubblefield Perry. The correspondence spans 1904 to ca. 1950, with the bulk between 1904-1915, and is largely of a romantic nature. While visiting New Mexico in 1912, Alice wrote to Perry of her first impressions of the state and its people. The remaining correspondence is composed of letters to and from family members and friends of Perry and his wife.
Also found in the Family Papers are files concerning Perrys personal interests and civic activities, such as the "Kids Rodeo, which Perrys co-founded as El Paso Herald-Post editor, and the Red Cross of Doa Ana County. The series ends with financial materials from the Perry household.
The Professional Papers series spans the years 1901 to 1971. The Professional Papers are divided into three subseries: Journalism, Poetry and Prose. A small amount of correspondence from the journalism subseries deals with Perrys editorship at the El Paso Herald-Post, and his loss of that position. A substantial part of this subseries relates to the Las Cruces Sun-News, which Perry purchased in 1939. One folder contains extensive clippings from Perrys editorial column, "Chaparral. These materials also include financial and legal documents.
The Prose portion of the collection consists of letters, research notes, clippings, and three of Perrys manuscripts. Research and notes for Each Purple Curtain comprises the most extensive part of this subseries. Published in 1954, the novel is a historic, fictional portrayal of the Rio Grande River Valley through three generations. Correspondence between Perry and Naylor Company, the publishers of Each Purple Curtain, document Perrys disappointment with the sales of the book. Copies of Perrys unpublished novels, "And His Tribe Increased, a story involving the high stakes of the Oklahoman oil wells, and "Rehearsal for Disloyalty, a novel concerning strikebreakers in Oklahoma mines, are included in the Prose subseries.
The Photograph series contains one album of family photographs and 159 loose postcards, prints, and negatives. The loose prints dated, ca. 1900 - ca. 1950, are images of the Perrys, famous American Indians, oil wells, and musicians.
Dates
- 1865 - 1971
Access and Use Restrictions
This material may be examined by researchers under supervised conditions in the Search Room.
Copy Restrictions
Limited duplication is allowed for research purposes. User is responsible for compliance with copyright and other applicable statutes.
The copyrights in this collection possessed by Olive Robertson Hilles have been transferred and assigned to New Mexico State University.
The copyrights in this collection possessed by Olive Robertson Hilles have been transferred and assigned to New Mexico State University.
Biographical Sketch
John Wallace Perry was born in 1883 at Neosho, Missouri, to John Wesley Perry and Margaret Ann (Poage) Perry. His father, a Methodist minister, moved the family to Ingalls, Noble County, Oklahoma Territory to operate a general store, when Perry was a child.
In 1904, as a sophomore in history and journalism at the University of Oklahoma, Perry met Lena Alice Stubblefield, a senior in music. Perry and Stubblefield were married in Chandler, Oklahoma, in 1907, the day after his college graduation.
Perry was active in politics throughout his life, starting with his support of the Democratic Party in Oklahoma in the early 1900s. He was an active supporter of Woodrow Wilson in 1912 and 1916 and served as county chairman for J. B. A. Robertson's campaigns for the Oklahoma governor's office, 1910, 1914, and 1918 (term of office 1919-1923).
Perry's career in journalism began at Pawnee High School where he produced a handwritten paper, The Athenian Journal, 1901-1902. While attending the University of Oklahoma at Norman, 1903-1907, Perry was editor of the first University of Oklahoma official student publication, The Umpire, 1906-1907, and worked on the Pawnee, Oklahoma, daily during his summers. Upon graduation, he accepted the city editorship of the Lawton News-Republican and Constitution, a position he held until 1913. In 1913, Perry moved to the McAlister News-Capital, again as city editor. He was state editor for Oklahoma City Daily Oklahoma (1917-1919), then moved to New York City to edit Seamans Magazine, (1919-1920), the official publication of the Seamans Oil Company.
Perry returned to Oklahoma in 1920 when his wifes brother-in-law, Governor J. B. A. Robertson, appointed him to the publication board of the Oklahoma Agricultural & Mechanic Arts College, in Stillwater. Perry left this position in 1923, signing on with the Scripts-Howard Publishing Syndicate at the El Paso Postas managing editor. In 1927 he was promoted to the editor of the Post. When he arrived in 1923, the circulation was about 1,500. This figure tripled by 1927, and by 1931 the Post was able to force the El Paso Herald into a merger.
In 1937 Perry lost his job as El Paso Herald-Post editor. Perry's friends and supporters charged his "unceasing" fight against corrupt wealth earned the editor many enemies who had Scripts-Howard replace him. Upon his termination at the Herald-Post, Perry decide to attempt to purchase a small daily paper some where in West Texas. He liquidated his Scripts-Howard stock and began a search for an organization. In 1939 Perry found a small New Mexico newspaper, the Las Cruces Sun-News, which fulfilled his requirements. Perry purchased the newspaper and was editor and publisher of the Sun-News from 1939 to 1946.
Perry sold the Sun-News to Orville Priestley in 1946, choosing to devote more time to his novel, then titled Tired River. He did not, however, dissolve the corporation he had built up around the Sun-News, hoping eventually to re-enter the newspaper business.
Starting in 1952, Perry worked for the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Magazine, the official publication of the New Mexico Farm Bureau, first as business manager and later editor.
In 1954, one of Perrys three manuscripts was published. Titled Each Purple Curtain (formerly Tired River), the volume was published by the Naylor Company of San Antonio, Texas.
Perry retired from the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Magazine on 11 February 1956 and died of coronary thrombosis on 29 February 1956 in Las Cruces.
In 1904, as a sophomore in history and journalism at the University of Oklahoma, Perry met Lena Alice Stubblefield, a senior in music. Perry and Stubblefield were married in Chandler, Oklahoma, in 1907, the day after his college graduation.
Perry was active in politics throughout his life, starting with his support of the Democratic Party in Oklahoma in the early 1900s. He was an active supporter of Woodrow Wilson in 1912 and 1916 and served as county chairman for J. B. A. Robertson's campaigns for the Oklahoma governor's office, 1910, 1914, and 1918 (term of office 1919-1923).
Perry's career in journalism began at Pawnee High School where he produced a handwritten paper, The Athenian Journal, 1901-1902. While attending the University of Oklahoma at Norman, 1903-1907, Perry was editor of the first University of Oklahoma official student publication, The Umpire, 1906-1907, and worked on the Pawnee, Oklahoma, daily during his summers. Upon graduation, he accepted the city editorship of the Lawton News-Republican and Constitution, a position he held until 1913. In 1913, Perry moved to the McAlister News-Capital, again as city editor. He was state editor for Oklahoma City Daily Oklahoma (1917-1919), then moved to New York City to edit Seamans Magazine, (1919-1920), the official publication of the Seamans Oil Company.
Perry returned to Oklahoma in 1920 when his wifes brother-in-law, Governor J. B. A. Robertson, appointed him to the publication board of the Oklahoma Agricultural & Mechanic Arts College, in Stillwater. Perry left this position in 1923, signing on with the Scripts-Howard Publishing Syndicate at the El Paso Postas managing editor. In 1927 he was promoted to the editor of the Post. When he arrived in 1923, the circulation was about 1,500. This figure tripled by 1927, and by 1931 the Post was able to force the El Paso Herald into a merger.
In 1937 Perry lost his job as El Paso Herald-Post editor. Perry's friends and supporters charged his "unceasing" fight against corrupt wealth earned the editor many enemies who had Scripts-Howard replace him. Upon his termination at the Herald-Post, Perry decide to attempt to purchase a small daily paper some where in West Texas. He liquidated his Scripts-Howard stock and began a search for an organization. In 1939 Perry found a small New Mexico newspaper, the Las Cruces Sun-News, which fulfilled his requirements. Perry purchased the newspaper and was editor and publisher of the Sun-News from 1939 to 1946.
Perry sold the Sun-News to Orville Priestley in 1946, choosing to devote more time to his novel, then titled Tired River. He did not, however, dissolve the corporation he had built up around the Sun-News, hoping eventually to re-enter the newspaper business.
Starting in 1952, Perry worked for the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Magazine, the official publication of the New Mexico Farm Bureau, first as business manager and later editor.
In 1954, one of Perrys three manuscripts was published. Titled Each Purple Curtain (formerly Tired River), the volume was published by the Naylor Company of San Antonio, Texas.
Perry retired from the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Magazine on 11 February 1956 and died of coronary thrombosis on 29 February 1956 in Las Cruces.
Extent
13 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Papers of a journalist, southwestern novelist, and civic leader. The collection includes family correspondence, papers reflecting Perrys journalism career at the El Paso Post-Herald and the Las Cruces Sun-News, research notes and manuscripts of novels.
- Title
- Guide to the Wallace Perry papers
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Processed by Stephen M. Gens. Updated by Marah deMeule and Christine Moreland-Bruhnke.
- Date
- 2000
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- Finding aid is in English
Repository Details
Part of the New Mexico State University Library Archives and Special Collections Repository