Angier Biddle Duke papers, circa 1920s-1995, bulk 1950-1995

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Summary

Creator:
Duke, Angier Biddle, 1915-1995
Abstract:
Angier Biddle Duke (1915-1995) was the oldest son of Angier Buchanan and Cordelia Drexel Biddle Duke and an American diplomat who served the Kennedy, Johnson, and Carter administrations. This collection primarily documents his professional life and philanthopy through his correspondence, diaries and appointment books, diplomatic papers, subject files, clippings and printed material, scrapbooks and photographs, and audio and video recordings.
Extent:
94 Linear Feet (96 boxes.)
1.8 Gigabytes
Language:
Material in English.
Collection ID:
RL.00326

Background

Scope and content:

This collection primarily consists of correspondence, diaries and appointment books, diplomatic papers, subject files, clippings and printed material, scrapbooks and photographs, and audio and video recordings which document Angier Biddle Duke's life and career, especially his role in US politics and diplomacy during the 1960s, as well as his philanthropic activities and leadership roles in institutions outside of the federal government. To a lesser extent, this collection also documents the social and political activities of members of the Duke, Drexel, and Biddle families and their residences in New York City and Long Island. National and international topics include civil rights and desegregation (especially in Washington, DC), economic and social conditions in post-war Europe, and international events like the Palomares nuclear incident, Pakistani refugees, and elections in Central and South America.

Angier was known for his ambassadorial skills and political acumen, beginning in earnest with his appointment as Ambassador to El Salvador in 1952 during the Truman administration (then the youngest US ambassador ever). His subsequent career in diplomacy and politics, including his appointments as Chief of Protocol and Ambassador to Spain during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, is well-documented throughout this collection.

The head of the US State Department's Office of Protocol serves as the principal adviser to the President and Secretary of State on matters of diplomatic procedures governed by law or international customs and practice. Angier served as Chief of Protocol from 1961-1965 and 1968, most notably handling arrangements for foreign dignitaries attending President Kennedy's funeral. This collection contains a mix of material that is either contemporary or reflective in nature on these experiences.

People represented include Angier's third and fourth wives (Maria-Luisa de Aranha Duke and Robin Chandler Lynn Duke); Presidents John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Jimmy Carter; Vice Presidents Hubert Humphrey and Al Gore; Secretaries of State Dean Rusk and Cyrus Vance; Ambassadors Adlai Stevenson and Walter Annenberg; Jacqueline and Senator Ted Kennedy; historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.; journalist Cyrus Sulzberger; Coretta Scott King; Henry Ford, II; Jay Rutherfurd; Prime Minister James Callahan; and many prominent ambassadors.

Angier was also active in nonprofits, local government, and education, especially later in life. This collection includes material on such bodies as the Council of American Ambassadors, International Rescue Committee, Long Island University, NYC Department of Civic Affairs and Public Events, and democratic efforts in El Salvador, Guyana, and Nicaragua.

Biographical / historical:
Date Event
1915 Nov. 30
Born in New York, NY to Angier Buchanan and Cordelia Drexel Biddle Duke.
1934-1937
Attended Yale University.
1937-1939
Marriage to Priscilla St. George. Had one son Angier "Pony" St. George Biddle Duke in 1938.
1940-1952
Marriage to Margaret Screven White.
1940-1945
Served in US Army; promoted from Private to Major.
1945
Officer in charge of Air Transport Command, Paris section.
1945-1948
President, Duke International Corporation, NYC.
1949
Appointed to post in American Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
1951
Special Assistant to Ambassador, American Embassy in Madrid, Spain.
1952-1961
Marriage to Maria-Luisa de Aranha, cut short by her death in a plane crash. Had two children: Maria-Luisa "Marilou" Biddle Duke in 1954 and Dario Drexel Duke in 1957.
1952-1953
US Ambassador to El Salvador (youngest US ambassador ever at 36 years old).
1954-1960
President, International Rescue Commission.
1955-1961
Commissioner, Long Island State Park.
1957
LL. D., Iona College.
1958-1960
Vice President of CARE.
1961-1965
Chief of Protocol, US Department of State, Kennedy and Johnson administrations.
1962-1995
Marriage to Robin Chandler Lynn. Had one son Angier Biddle Duke, Jr. in 1963.
1965-1968
US Ambassador to Spain.
1968
Chief of Protocol, US Department of State.
1968-1969
US Ambassador to Denmark.
1969
LL. D., Duke University.
1973-1976
Commissioner, Department of Civic Affairs and Public Events, NYC.
1974-1995
Director, Appeal of Conscience Foundation.
1976-1977
Chairman, NYC Democratic Committee.
1977-1979
President, The Spanish Institute (Chairman, 1983-1987).
1978-1979
President, National Committee on American Foreign Policy, Inc.
Chairman, NY State Council on Ethnic Affairs.
1979-1981
US Ambassador to Morocco.
1981-1990
Trustee, Long Island University.
1981-1986
Chairman, US-Japan Foundation.
1981-1995
Chairman, World Affairs Council.
1986-1990
Chancellor, Long Island University, Southampton Campus.
1988-1995
Chairman, Duke Family Association of NC.
1992-1995
President, Council of American Ambassadors.
1995 Apr. 29
Died in rollerblading accident in Southampton, Long Island, NY.
Acquisition information:
The Angier Biddle Duke papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library as gifts from Angier Biddle Duke between 1973-1995, Bill Loeser in 2008, and Robin Chandler Lynn Duke in 2009, and as transfers in 2000 and 2002
Processing information:

Processed by Paula Jeannet with the assistance of Claude Fernandez, Julia Herron, and Jean Kaluk, 1997.

Encoded by Paula Jeannet, 1997.

Updated by Alice Poffinberger, 2009; Paula Jeannet, 2014; and Zachary Tumlin, 2024.

Accessions described in this collection guide: various between 1973-1995, 2000-0185, 2002-0153, 2008-0156, and 2009-0257.

Arrangement:

The Angier Biddle Duke papers are arranged into 16 series: Biographical, Financial, Legal, Interviews, Correspondence, Diaries, Writings and Speeches, Protocol Papers, Visual Material, Appointment Books, Subject Files, Audio and Video Recordings, Clippings, Printed Material, Travel, and Other Papers.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

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Restrictions:

Access note. Some materials in this collection are fragile audiovisual/photographic formats that may need to be reformatted before use. Contact Research Services for access.

Access note. This collection includes unprocessed and minimally processed material.

Access note. Some materials in this collection are electronic records that require special equipment. Contact Research Services with questions.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

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Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Angier Biddle Duke papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Duke University.

Permalink:
https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m1sk6j