Cooley, George R., Papers

Collection Type

Papers

Year Start

1941

Year End

1986

SC18858

Quantity

14 Boxes (6 cubic ft.)

Access

Open to research.

Acquisition

Donated to the New York State Library by Barbara C.M. Dudley, September, 1988.

Processed By

Thomas E. Lavery, Student Intern, The College of Saint Rose, June 1990.

View Catalog Record

Biographical Note

George R. Cooley was born May 29, 1896 in Troy, New York. He graduated from high school in 1914 and subsequently joined the armed forces to fight in the first World War. After his tour of duty, he returned to the Albany area and got a job with the banking house of Dillon, Read, and Company. Shortly thereafter, he opened his own investment house and became a successful investment counselor in the Capital District. After he retired he became interested in the field of botany and deeply involved in the modern conservation movement. In 1960, he joined the Board of Governors of The Nature Conservancy and was responsible for the establishment of several sanctuaries in Florida and New York State. He later received the 1971 American Motors Corporation Conservation Award and the 1985 Oak Leaf Award. He died at his home in Rensselaerville, N.Y., September 27, 1986.

Scope and Content Note

This collection contains material on George R. Cooley's personal interests in botany and conservation. It also contains various papers concerning his involvement with the Lower Hudson, Eastern New York, and Florida chapters of The Nature Conservancy, an organization committed to the preservation of ecologically significant areas. Also included are general files that deal with his contributions to various religious and wildlife protection organizations. It consists of an assortment of letters, articles, maps, cassette tapes, printed brochures, reports, and field books generated between 1941 and 1986 which comprise approximately six cubic feet of material.

The fact that Mr. Cooley was an important figure in the field of botany is well documented in this collection. For instance, he made major financial contributions to sustain many botanical research projects. He also sponsored the Cooley Award that some consider to be "the most prestigious annual prize available to plant systematists in North America." In 1955, he also published an article on the vegetation of Sanibel Island in Rhodora, a journal of the New England Botanical Club. Also included are letters to and from prominent botanists from the United States, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Jamaica, and Taiwan. Reports on Cooley's Jamaican expeditions of 1951 and 1952 are also available.

The fact that Cooley was a major force in the modern conservation movement is also well documented in this collection. For example, he made financial contributions to many organizations, such as the Florida Conservation Foundation and the Hudson River Conservation Society. A large portion of these papers reveal that he was an indispensable component of The Nature Conservancy. For instance, he was instrumental in the acquisition of several chapter preserves, such as Big Bear Swamp, Hannacroix Ravine, and Little Cumberland Island. The fact that he played a pivotal role in saving Tiger Creek is also documented. In addition, he was a trustee of The Mohawk Trust that was set up to "preserve the unspoiled natural beauty of the Shawangunk Mountains."

This collection unveils Cooley's interests in other areas as well. For example, he made substantial contributions to the National Council of Churches, the World Wildlife Foundation, "The 1001 : A Nature Trust," the American Baptist Historical Society, and the Colgate Rochester Divinity School.

The Cooley collection also contains material that might be of special interest to researchers in the field of environmental history. Included are financial reports of the Vroman's Nose Preservation Corporation, annual reports of the Nature Conservancy, financial and legal documents of the Mohawk Trust, and master plans for the Ten Mile Creek and Tiger Creek preserves. Also included is a copy of World Conservation Strategy: Living Resource Conservation for Sustaining Development that was prepared by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. This collection also contains a 1986 report by the Mohawk Preserve, Inc. on the endangered plants of the Shawangunk Mountains.

In short, the Cooley collection gives valuable insight into not only the field of botany, but it also provides the reader with the opportunity to peruse the papers of an extremely generous man who was dedicated to the preservation of our natural environment.

Box	Contents
1	BOTANY FILES A Correspondence, 1954-1985 Africa - New Guinea, 1963-1965 Allen, John S., 1948-1982 American Society of Plant Taxonomists, 1957-1985 Auckland Institute and Museum, 1964-1972 B Correspondence, 1953-1978 Beard, John S., 1964-1971 Boyce Thompson Institute, 1958-1962 C Correspondence, 1955-1986 Carnegie Museum, 1959-1975 Cayman Islands, 1972-1974 Cornell University, 1953-1977 Cooley, George R., 1955-1985
2	D Correspondence, 1953-1985 Eaton, Richard J., 1956-1976 Ewan, Joseph, 1955-1973 Florida, University of, 1951-1957 Florida, University of, 1958-1978 Fund For Peace, 1976-1985 G Correspondence, 1941-1982 Georgia, University of, 1952-1970 Gleason, H. Allen, 1953-1981 Goulding, Jeanne H., 1965-1981 Godfrey, Robert K., 1955-1973 H - I Correspondence, 1952-1985
3	Harvard University, 1953-1960 Harvard University, 1961-1969 Harvard University, 1970-1983 Hong Kong True Light Foundation, 1955-1963 J Correspondence, 1958 Jamaica, Institute of, 1952-1965 Keck, David D., 1954-1958 Kirstenbosch, National Botany Gardens of South Africa, 1964-1981 Kral, Robert, 1958-1960 L Correspondence, 1964-1984 M Correspondence, 1947-1986 McVaugh, Rogers, 1954-1964 Miscellaneous Correspondence, 1950-1986 Missouri Botanical Garden, 1961-1984 New Hampshire, University of, 1960-1963 New York Botanical Garden, 1958-1963 North Carolina State College, 1955-1969
4	North Carolina, University of, 1952-1986 Ray, James D., 1954-1980 Reitz, J. Wayne, 1952-1970 Rollins, Reed C., 1952-1965 Russell, Norman H., 1950-1981 S Correspondence, 1952-1984 Saint Vincent, 1945-1974 Smithsonian Institution, 1953-1965 Southern Methodist, University of, 1953-1958 St. John, Harold, 1952-1976 Staflen, Frans, 1961-1967 T Correspondence, 1956-1975 Taiwan, 1966-1973 Thorne, Robert F., 1955-1958
5	U Correspondence, 1964-1976 U Miscellaneous, 1965-1986 University of South Florida, 1958-1985 Vanderbilt University, 1957 Vernon Parish, 1943-1955 W Correspondence, 1954-1981 Wang, Hsien-yien, 1966-1967 West Virginia University, 1958-1963 Wisconsin, University of, 1955-1970 Wood, Carroll, 1957-1984 Yale University, 1960-1977 X - Z Correspondence, 1952-1984
6	Field Books (Botany), Vol. 1 - 7
7	Field Books (Botany), Vol. 8 - 12
8	CONSERVATION FILES, 1954-1986 B Conservation, 1966-1983 Costa Rica, 1975-1979 Craighead, Frank C., 1962-1986 E Conservation, 1970-1971 G Conservation, 1983 Goodwin, Richard H., 1957-1986 H Conservation, 1956-1974 J - M Conservation, 1968-1986
9	Little Cumberland Island, 1968-1978 Mohonk, Lake (Mountain House), 1954-1982 Mohonk Preserve, Inc., 1973l-1986 Mohawk Trust, 1964-1984 N - S Conservation, 1962-1985 Sanibel-Captive Conservation Foundation, 1961-1985
10	Sierra Club Correspondence, 1965-1969 World Conservation Strategy World Wildlife Fund, 1973-1986 THE NATURE CONSERVANCY, LOWER HUDSON CHAPTER, 1942-1985 Halle, Roger, 1964-1982 Halle, Roger, 1968-1980 Scarsdale-Bonticou Preserve, 1971-1975 The Native Conservancy, Lower Hudson Chapter, 1942-1985
11	THE NATURE CONSERVANCY, EASTERN NEW YORK CHAPTER, 1952-1986 Barberville Falls, 1968-1972 Bear Swamp, 1965-1967 Bergen Swamp Preservation Society, 1956-1967 Christman Sanctuary, 1970 Dome Island, 1961 Emmons Pond George, Carl, 1969-1981 Hannacroix Ravine, 1970-1977 International Paper, 1966-1976 Kenrose, 1967-1975 Lisha Kill, 1972 Loines Preserve, 1965 Otsego County, 1969 Pine Bush, 1981 Skidmore College, 1969-1985 State Bank of Albany, 1969-1970 State University of New York, 1969-1977 Stewart Preserve, 1966 Thompson Pond, 1972-1973 TNC - ENY General, 1957-1986 Vroman's Nose, 1948-19084 West Branch Native Preserve, 1973 Whitbeck Preserve, 1971 Wolf Hill, 1964-1971
12	THE NATURE CONSERVANCY, FLORIDA CHAPTER, 1961-1986 Bok, Cary, 1968-1986 Brown, Willie, 1967-1974 Florida, General, 1967-1986 Tiger Creek, 1966-1985 TNC - Florida Chapter, 1975-1985
13	THE NATURE CONSERVANCY, NATIONAL FILES Dartmouth College, 1961-1962 Eastman, Whitney, 1962-1977 Foster, Charles, 1966-1967 Georgia, 1970 Goodwin, Richard, 1965-1966 Hawaii, 1965-1967 Pough, Richard H., 1953-1984 TNC - National Office, 1953-1986 TNC - Suwannee River
14	General Files American Baptist Historical Society, 1962-1983 American Foundation, Inc., 1977-1984 Colgate-Rochester Divinity School 1951-1968 Colgate-Rochester Divinity School, 1969-1977 Harper, Francis, 1950-1976 J Correspondence, 1956-1985 Miscellaneous, 1956-1986 National Council of Churches, 1961-1972 Ocean Trust Foundation, 1979 Scott, Michael L., 1964-1965 W Correspondence, 1952-1986 World Policy Institute, 1985-1986