Leonard F. Guttridge - William M. P. Dunne Papers
Collection
Identifier: GTM-051101
The Leonard F. Guttridge-William M.P. Dunne papers consist of the research files amassed by historian William M.P. Dunne for a book he intended to publish about Stephen Decatur. The collection includes an extensive amount of photocopied documents deriving from original sources at various archives. The documents provide details on the life of Stephen Decatur, his father, and the Decatur family. Some of Dunne's research correspondence is also retained. Of particular importance is a 692 page unpublished manuscript by Dunne providing a detailed chronology of Stephen Decatur's life from his family ties dating back to 1689 to his death in 1820. The manuscript was drawn from log entries and other documents. Historians will benefit from having this much resource material about Decatur in one collection. After Dunne's death in 1995, Leonard Guttridge used Dunne's materials to publish the book entitled, "Our Country, Right or Wrong: The Life of Stephen Decatur, the U.S. Navy's Most Illustrious Commander" in 2006.
Most manuscripts collections at the Georgetown University Booth Family Center for Special Collections are open to researchers; however, restrictions may apply to some collections. Collections stored off site require a minimum of three days for retrieval. For use of all manuscripts collections, researchers are advised to contact the Booth Family Center for Special Collections in advance of any visit.
Leonard F. Guttridge (1918-2009) was a historian and author. Born in Bournemouth, England, Guttridge served in the British Royal Air Force during World War II as an airplane mechanic stationed in Tunisia and Morocco. In 1946, he immigrated to Washington, D.C. where he worked for a time at the Indian embassy. In 1960, he produced his first book entitled "Jack Teagarden: The Story of a Jazz Maverick," co-authored with Jay Smith. Guttridge subsequently published "The Commodores" (1969), "The Great Coalfield War" (1972), "Icebound" (1986), and "Dark Union" (2003), among other books. In 2006, Guttridge published "Our Country, Right or Wrong: The Life of Stephen Decatur, the U.S. Navy's Most Illustrious Commander."
[Source: Indiana State University, Cunningham Memorial Library, "Leonard Guttridge: A Brief Biography," 2018. Online].
William M.P. Dunne (1934-1995) was a historian who, at the time of his death, was researching the life of Stephen Decatur. Dunne had served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. He then received a B.A. in English from Southampton College, Long Island University. In 1987, he was accepted into the Ph.D. program in history at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Dunne focused on maritime history. In 1994, he published "Thomas F. McManus and the American Fishing Schooners: An Irish-American Success Story."
[Source: Dudley, Bill, "In Memoriam: Willian M.P. Dunne (1934-1995)." "Long Island Historical Journal," Vo. 9, No.1, 1996, p. 1-3].
4.5 Linear Feet (3 boxes)
English
Gift of Leonard F. Guttridge, 2005.
Part of the Georgetown University Manuscripts Repository