Richard Douglas Poll papers
Collection
Identifier: MS 0674
Scope and Contents
The Richard Douglas Poll papers (1844-1994) provide information on the personal life of Dr. Poll, the political and religious history of the United States, and the historical background of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The collection contains correspondence, personal notes, business files, research materials, and rough drafts of Poll's writings about special university programs, the "new" Mormon history, and significant members of the LDS Church, including Hugh B. Brown, Howard James Stoddard, and Henry D. Moyle. Poll's personal information is housed in boxes 1 through 12. Included in this section are Poll's personal correspondence, school papers and yearbooks, curriculum vitae, an autobiography, awards, and information on his mission to Germany and Canada for the LDS Church from 1939 to 1941. These files are followed by information about his family (both immediate and extended) and five scrapbooks with contents ranging from 1918 to 1958. These scrapbooks contain photographs, news clippings, letters, telegrams, program guides to events connected with him and his siblings, ticket stubs, class papers, commencement and graduation announcements, and certificates.
Poll's office files, contain academic, business, and research files from Poll's professional activities, and are housed in boxes 13 through 50. Poll was a professor of early Mormon history, political history in the United States, national and world history, and religious studies. All of Poll's academic files contain lecture notes, outlines, examinations, examination keys, course schedules, and attendance records. The academic files from Brigham Young University (BYU) are located in boxes 13 through 20. Files from his teaching at the University of Maryland during the 1958 and 1965 academic years are in box 21. Files from Western Illinois University (WIU) are located in boxes 22 through 29. Poll's business files, in boxes 30 through 41, contain information on real estate sales, associations in which Poll was a member, conference packets, business correspondence, LDS Church business files, information on business associates, political contribution records, and other documents. Boxes 42 through 50 contain Poll's general research files for background information on the articles and speeches he wrote. They include such topics as general research articles and information on various companies, organizations, people, and certain aspects of Mormon society. Boxes 51 through 76 contain his research and writing files. Notes, drafts, and other material related to Poll's writing activities are in these boxes and focus on LDS topics. The research files and drafts for each book project have been kept together and are in the order of publication. The files concerning Hugh B. Brown: His Life and Thought are located in boxes 51 through 54. The research files about Brown include his correspondence, an incomplete autobiography, interviews, biographical highlights and sketches, and some of his journals. Utah's History information is housed in boxes 55 through 58, and the research contains maps, correspondence, pictures, political notes, and statistical information. Howard James Stoddard: Founder, Michigan National Bank files are located in boxes 59 through 60. The research on Stoddard includes family correspondence, genealogy charts, and information from Michigan State University Press and the Singler Grand Jury. The History and Faith project is located in box 61. This book is a compilation of essays concerning the "new" Mormon history. Finally, the Henry D. Moyle project is in boxes 62 through 70. This final project was published posthumously, as it did not match the ideals of the Moyle family. The research includes samples of Moyle's writings, biographical excerpts, information from Consolidated Freightways Inc. and the Deseret Livestock Company, correspondence, information on his stake presidency, his diaries and daybooks, information about his educational background and missions, and several interviews with friends and family. Boxes 71 through 75 contain articles, pamphlets, speeches, and notes written by Poll. The articles or speeches that were reviewed or edited by Poll for another author are in box 76. Box 77 folders 1-12 contain research on the article "The Move South." Box 77 folders 13-15 through box 82 folders 1 and 2, contain research notes and transcripts of diaries and letters pertaining to the Utah War. Box 82 folders 3-21 contain transcripts of interviews done by Poll.
Poll's office files, contain academic, business, and research files from Poll's professional activities, and are housed in boxes 13 through 50. Poll was a professor of early Mormon history, political history in the United States, national and world history, and religious studies. All of Poll's academic files contain lecture notes, outlines, examinations, examination keys, course schedules, and attendance records. The academic files from Brigham Young University (BYU) are located in boxes 13 through 20. Files from his teaching at the University of Maryland during the 1958 and 1965 academic years are in box 21. Files from Western Illinois University (WIU) are located in boxes 22 through 29. Poll's business files, in boxes 30 through 41, contain information on real estate sales, associations in which Poll was a member, conference packets, business correspondence, LDS Church business files, information on business associates, political contribution records, and other documents. Boxes 42 through 50 contain Poll's general research files for background information on the articles and speeches he wrote. They include such topics as general research articles and information on various companies, organizations, people, and certain aspects of Mormon society. Boxes 51 through 76 contain his research and writing files. Notes, drafts, and other material related to Poll's writing activities are in these boxes and focus on LDS topics. The research files and drafts for each book project have been kept together and are in the order of publication. The files concerning Hugh B. Brown: His Life and Thought are located in boxes 51 through 54. The research files about Brown include his correspondence, an incomplete autobiography, interviews, biographical highlights and sketches, and some of his journals. Utah's History information is housed in boxes 55 through 58, and the research contains maps, correspondence, pictures, political notes, and statistical information. Howard James Stoddard: Founder, Michigan National Bank files are located in boxes 59 through 60. The research on Stoddard includes family correspondence, genealogy charts, and information from Michigan State University Press and the Singler Grand Jury. The History and Faith project is located in box 61. This book is a compilation of essays concerning the "new" Mormon history. Finally, the Henry D. Moyle project is in boxes 62 through 70. This final project was published posthumously, as it did not match the ideals of the Moyle family. The research includes samples of Moyle's writings, biographical excerpts, information from Consolidated Freightways Inc. and the Deseret Livestock Company, correspondence, information on his stake presidency, his diaries and daybooks, information about his educational background and missions, and several interviews with friends and family. Boxes 71 through 75 contain articles, pamphlets, speeches, and notes written by Poll. The articles or speeches that were reviewed or edited by Poll for another author are in box 76. Box 77 folders 1-12 contain research on the article "The Move South." Box 77 folders 13-15 through box 82 folders 1 and 2, contain research notes and transcripts of diaries and letters pertaining to the Utah War. Box 82 folders 3-21 contain transcripts of interviews done by Poll.
Dates
- 1844-1994
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.
Conditions Governing Use
Photocopying of materials in Box 70 is prohibited.
The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library’s Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.
The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library’s Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.
Biographical / Historical
Richard Douglas Poll (1918-1994) was a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), a first lieutenant in the United States Air Force, a Vice President for Administration at Western Illinois University (WIU), a successful professor and writer of Mormon history, and a civic-minded individual who spoke out on anti-communism and academic freedom. During his life he wrote six books, seven pamphlets, and many articles about his political views, history, and significant members of the LDS Church. Poll was born on April 23, 1918, in Salt Lake City, Utah. His family moved to Fort Worth, Texas, when he was ten years old. There, he graduated from W. C. Stripling High School in 1934, and then went to college at Texas Christian University (TCU) and graduated in 1938 with a degree in history. He was awarded the Wilber Kidd Fellowship from 1938 to 1939, and completed his master's studies at TCU in 1939. Soon after graduating from TCU, Poll began a mission for the LDS Church in Germany. However, as World War II approached, the LDS Church recalled its missionaries from Germany and reassigned them. Poll finished his mission in Canada and returned home in 1941. During World War II he served as a first lieutenant in the United States Air Force from 1942 to 1945, without seeing the front. He obtained his first teaching position at the United States Army Air Force Administrative Officer Candidate School, working there from 1942 to 1944. He met Emogene (Gene) Hill after giving a sermon in 1943; later that year, they were married in the Salt Lake City LDS Temple.
After World War II, Poll returned to school to obtain his Ph.D. in history. Financial assistance for these studies, from 1946 to 1948, came through the Willard D. Thompson Fellowship. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1948. He then began teaching history at Brigham Young University (BYU). Poll had an extensive teaching career. He taught regular classes at BYU until 1969. He also taught occasional classes at the University of Maryland, European Division, during the 1958 and 1965 academic years. In 1959, he was elected the Charter President for the American Association of University Professors at BYU, and he became the director of the Rocky Mountain Assembly in 1961. In 1970, he moved to Illinois to accepted the position of Vice President for Administration at Western Illinois University (WIU). He stepped down from this position in 1975. During his administrative years at WIU, he also taught history classes and continued teaching there until his retirement in 1983. However, even in retirement his teaching skills and knowledge of Mormon history were in great demand, and he continued to teach occasional classes at BYU from 1983 to 1994. Poll was active in academic and civic affairs. For example, in 1969 he became president of the Mormon History Association. He became the associate director of the BYU Honors Program in 1962, and he was named Honors Professor of the Year at BYU in 1969. He received the Presidential Merit Award in 1979 for his constant effort to maintain the highest quality and accuracy in his work. He was elected Secretary/Treasurer at the BYU Academy Foundation in 1985. In addition, from 1978 to 1993 Poll and his wife taught adult education classes in basic reading and writing skills offered through the LDS Church. Beginning in the late 1940s, Poll wrote articles and gave speeches on anti-communism and Mormon history. Poll used his spiritual teachings and beliefs to define two distinct types of active and dedicated Mormons. Symbols for the two types came from the Book of Mormon. The "Iron Rod" came from Lehi's dream, and "Liahona" from Lehi's experience in the wilderness. In "Liahona and Iron Rod Revisited" (located in box 73, folders 7-10), Poll explains his conceptualization of this dichotomy within the membership of the LDS Church, and it has become a defining metaphor within the discourse of the LDS culture. He explained this philosophy by stating, "The Iron Rod Saint does not look for questions but for answers, and in the gospel he finds or is confident that he can find the answer to every important question. The Liahona Saint, on the other hand, is preoccupied with questions and skeptical of answers; he finds in the gospel answers to enough important questions so that he can function purposefully without answers to the rest." Poll and his wife both considered themselves to be Liahona Mormons. The best known article that Poll wrote is considered to be, "What the Church Means to People Like Me," and was prepared in 1963. In 1975, his first book was published. It was co-authored by Eugene E. Campbell and entitled Hugh B. Brown: His Life and Thought. Poll's second book, Utah's History, was originally published in 1978, and was republished in 1989 after a revision. Howard J. Stoddard: Founder, Michigan National Bank was published in 1980. Poll became chairman of the WIU North Central Association Self Study Committee in 1979, and used this experience to write and publish Western Illinois University, 1980: A Self Study. In 1985, he published The Honors Program at Brigham Young University, 1960-1985, a book which evolved from Poll's work with the BYU Honor Program. History and Faith: Reflections of a Mormon Historian, the last of his books published while he was still living, was published in 1989. This book, written over a twenty year period, is a compilation of essays concerned with the "new" Mormon history. Poll also wrote a book about Henry D. Moyle, but it did not meet the Moyle family's expectations and they would not allow him to publish the manuscript. Posthumously in 1994, Poll's family donated his extensive collection of papers to the University of Utah. The Henry D. Moyle manuscript was among the papers donated. Special Collections Manuscripts Curator Stan Larson, Ph.D., edited Poll's manuscript on Moyle and directed its publication in 1999, with the title Working the Divine Miracle: The Life of Apostle Henry D. Moyle.
After World War II, Poll returned to school to obtain his Ph.D. in history. Financial assistance for these studies, from 1946 to 1948, came through the Willard D. Thompson Fellowship. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1948. He then began teaching history at Brigham Young University (BYU). Poll had an extensive teaching career. He taught regular classes at BYU until 1969. He also taught occasional classes at the University of Maryland, European Division, during the 1958 and 1965 academic years. In 1959, he was elected the Charter President for the American Association of University Professors at BYU, and he became the director of the Rocky Mountain Assembly in 1961. In 1970, he moved to Illinois to accepted the position of Vice President for Administration at Western Illinois University (WIU). He stepped down from this position in 1975. During his administrative years at WIU, he also taught history classes and continued teaching there until his retirement in 1983. However, even in retirement his teaching skills and knowledge of Mormon history were in great demand, and he continued to teach occasional classes at BYU from 1983 to 1994. Poll was active in academic and civic affairs. For example, in 1969 he became president of the Mormon History Association. He became the associate director of the BYU Honors Program in 1962, and he was named Honors Professor of the Year at BYU in 1969. He received the Presidential Merit Award in 1979 for his constant effort to maintain the highest quality and accuracy in his work. He was elected Secretary/Treasurer at the BYU Academy Foundation in 1985. In addition, from 1978 to 1993 Poll and his wife taught adult education classes in basic reading and writing skills offered through the LDS Church. Beginning in the late 1940s, Poll wrote articles and gave speeches on anti-communism and Mormon history. Poll used his spiritual teachings and beliefs to define two distinct types of active and dedicated Mormons. Symbols for the two types came from the Book of Mormon. The "Iron Rod" came from Lehi's dream, and "Liahona" from Lehi's experience in the wilderness. In "Liahona and Iron Rod Revisited" (located in box 73, folders 7-10), Poll explains his conceptualization of this dichotomy within the membership of the LDS Church, and it has become a defining metaphor within the discourse of the LDS culture. He explained this philosophy by stating, "The Iron Rod Saint does not look for questions but for answers, and in the gospel he finds or is confident that he can find the answer to every important question. The Liahona Saint, on the other hand, is preoccupied with questions and skeptical of answers; he finds in the gospel answers to enough important questions so that he can function purposefully without answers to the rest." Poll and his wife both considered themselves to be Liahona Mormons. The best known article that Poll wrote is considered to be, "What the Church Means to People Like Me," and was prepared in 1963. In 1975, his first book was published. It was co-authored by Eugene E. Campbell and entitled Hugh B. Brown: His Life and Thought. Poll's second book, Utah's History, was originally published in 1978, and was republished in 1989 after a revision. Howard J. Stoddard: Founder, Michigan National Bank was published in 1980. Poll became chairman of the WIU North Central Association Self Study Committee in 1979, and used this experience to write and publish Western Illinois University, 1980: A Self Study. In 1985, he published The Honors Program at Brigham Young University, 1960-1985, a book which evolved from Poll's work with the BYU Honor Program. History and Faith: Reflections of a Mormon Historian, the last of his books published while he was still living, was published in 1989. This book, written over a twenty year period, is a compilation of essays concerned with the "new" Mormon history. Poll also wrote a book about Henry D. Moyle, but it did not meet the Moyle family's expectations and they would not allow him to publish the manuscript. Posthumously in 1994, Poll's family donated his extensive collection of papers to the University of Utah. The Henry D. Moyle manuscript was among the papers donated. Special Collections Manuscripts Curator Stan Larson, Ph.D., edited Poll's manuscript on Moyle and directed its publication in 1999, with the title Working the Divine Miracle: The Life of Apostle Henry D. Moyle.
Extent
41 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The Richard Douglas Poll papers (1844-1994) contain essays; correspondence; articles; personal and family materials; research on the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), LDS Church apostles and prophets, "new" LDS Church history, world history, and communism; scrapbooks; and papers written by Poll with others and by others. Richard Douglas Poll (1918-1994) was a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), a first lieutenant in the United States Air Force, a Vice President for Administration at Western Illinois University (WIU), a successful professor and writer of LDS Church history, and a civic-minded individual who spoke out on anti-communism and academic freedom.
Arrangement
Organized in three series: I. Personal Information; II. Office Files; III. Research and Writing Files.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Boxes 1 through Box 77 folders 1-12 were donated 1994 through 1995.
Box 77 folders 13-15 through Box 82 folders 1 and 2 were donated in 1998.
Box 82 folders 3-21 were donated in 2000.
Box 77 folders 13-15 through Box 82 folders 1 and 2 were donated in 1998.
Box 82 folders 3-21 were donated in 2000.
Separated Materials
Photographs, slides, films, video tapes, audio tapes and other audio-visual material have been transferred to the Multimedia Division of Special Collections (P0660 and A0385).
Processing Information
Processed by Debra Penman in 1997.
Addendum processed by Lindsey Moore in 2006. Click here to read a statement on harmful language in library records.
Addendum processed by Lindsey Moore in 2006. Click here to read a statement on harmful language in library records.
- Academic freedom -- Utah -- Provo
- Anti-communist movements -- United States
- Articles
- Autobiographies (literary works)
- Brigham Young University. Department of History
- Brown, Hugh B., 1883-1975
- Church and state -- Latter Day Saints
- Colleges and Universities
- Correspondence
- Drafts (documents)
- Instructional materials
- Latter Day Saint churches -- History
- Latter Day Saints -- Government
- Lectures
- Mormonism (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
- Moyle, Henry Dinwoodey, 1889-1963
- Nauvoo (Ill.) -- History
- Notes (documents)
- Scrapbooks
- Speeches (documents)
- Stoddard, Howard J., 1901-1971
- Western Illinois University
Creator
- Title
- Inventory of the Richard Douglas Poll papers
- Author
- Finding aid created by Debra Penman and Lindsey Moore.
- Date
- 2006 (last modified: 2019)
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Repository Details
Part of the J. Willard Marriott Library Special Collections Repository
Contact:
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City Utah 84112 United States
801-581-8863
special@library.utah.edu
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City Utah 84112 United States
801-581-8863
special@library.utah.edu