Washington Duke papers, 1764-1987, bulk 1880-1905
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Summary
- Creator:
- Duke, Washington, 1820-1905
- Abstract:
- This artificial collection primarily documents Washington Duke's financial and philanthropic interests after his retirement from the tobacco industry in 1880 through his correspondence and bound volumes. An additional ledger and account book date from his family's move to downtown Durham in 1874, before the founding of W. Duke, Sons and Company. There is a small amount of legal documents and personal papers, including clippings, genealogical records, and photographic prints.
- Extent:
- 2.6 Linear Feet (Six boxes, one oversize folder, and three volumes.)
- Language:
- Material in English.
- Collection ID:
- RL.00334
Background
- Scope and content:
-
This collection primarily documents Washington Duke's financial and philanthropic interests after his retirement from the tobacco industry in 1880 through his correspondence and bound volumes. He was known for his generosity towards relatives, churches, and schools, especially Trinity College (now Duke University). An additional ledger and account book date from his family's move to downtown Durham in 1874, before the founding of W. Duke, Sons and Company. There is a small amount of legal documents and personal papers, including clippings, genealogical records, and photographic prints. Items that date from the 1970s-1980s tend to concern the Duke Homestead (where Duke began to dry tobacco) as a new state historic site.
- Biographical / historical:
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Date Event 1820 Dec. 20 Born in Little River, NC as eighth of ten children to Taylor and Dicey (Jones) Duke.1842 Married Mary Caroline Clinton.1844 Sidney Taylor Duke born.1846 Brodie Leonidas Duke born.1847 Mary Caroline Clinton died.1850s Settled on 300 acres four miles north of Durham's Depot.1852 Married Artelia Roney, Alamance County.1853 Mary Elizabeth Duke born.1855 Benjamin Newton Duke born.1856 James Buchanan Duke born.1858 Artelia Roney Duke and Sidney Taylor Duke die of typhoid.1864 Apr. Drafted into Confederate Navy.1865 Apr. Taken prisoner in Richmond, VA.1868 Joined Republican Party.1874 Moved family and business to downtown Durham.1878 Established W. Duke, Sons and Company.1880 Retired from tobacco business.1890 Offered Trinity College $85,000 to move from Randolph County to Durham.1896 Gave Trinity College $100,000 endowment to admit women as students.1905 May 8 Died; buried in family mausoleum in Maplewood Cemetery (Durham).1936 Remains moved to Memorial Chapel of Duke University Chapel along with those of sons James and Benjamin. - Acquisition information:
- The Washington Duke papers were initially assembled in 1951 from the former Trinity College papers and Benjamin Newton Duke papers. Over the years, additional transfers were made from the James Buchanan Duke papers and W. Duke, Sons and Company Records. Gifts to the collection came from Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans in 1969; Wachovia Bank and Trust Company in 1959; and the Duke Homestead in 1972.
- Processing information:
-
Processed by Madeleine Bagwell Perez, February 1990, with support from The Duke Endowment.
Encoded by Alvin Pollock.
Updated to add a missing folder title and adjust collection hierarchy by Tracy M. Jackson, March 2023. Further updated by Zachary Tumlin, January 2026.
- Arrangement:
-
The Washington Duke papers are arranged into five series: Correspondence, Financial, Legal, Genealogical, and Miscellaneous.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Subjects
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Contents
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- Restrictions:
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Collection is open for research.
- 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], Washington Duke papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Duke University.
- Permalink:
- https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m1h31b