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Clarence E. Hamilton Papers

 Collection
Identifier: MsC1177

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Scope and Contents

All of the letters in this collection were written by Clarence E. Hamilton to his family. His family consisted of his wife Prudence, son Joe, and daughters Prudence, Noel, and Judy. Hamilton often signs his letters "Clair". His son, Joe, enlisted in the Navy Air Corp. at the age of 21 in 1941 and his daughter, Prudence, was married on July 14, 1945. Both of these things are referenced in the letters. Throughout 1944, Hamilton was taking classes to learn German, maps, and to study law in preparation for his work in Nuremberg, Germany as a judge. He spent much of 1944 overseas in Great Britain training and studying before arriving in Nuremberg on April 20, 1945. There, he was responsible for takinging over control of all German courts in the area, preserving court records, taking control of four prisons in the area, and acting as a judge and legal advisor in the Military Government Court which was intended to try all civilians that violated any of the Orders of the Army.

Notable letters include: April 26, 1945 in which he discusses who is working for the Americans; April 27, 1945 in which he discusses his work routine and visiting and inspecting prisons; May 10, 1945 in which he lists cases that he has tried; May 20, 1945 in which he goes into great detail about his work during his first month in Nuremberg; June 15, 1945 in which he writes his letter on Julius Streicher letterhead; September 16, 1945 in which he discusses a point system that is used to release soldiers after the war; November 28, 1945 in which he discusses the possibility of returning home or having the family come to him.

Dates

  • Creation: 1944-1945

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright status for collection materials may be unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owner. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility and potential liability based on copyright infringement for any use rests exclusively and solely with the user. Users must properly acknowledge University of Iowa Libraries Special Collections & Archives as the source of the material. For further information, visit https://www.lib.uiowa.edu/sc/services/rights/

Biographical / Historical

He was a University of Iowa Law School graduate and was the veteran of the year in 1917.

Extent

0.5 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Correspondence between Clarence and his family during his time in Europe during and after World War II.

Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the University of Iowa Special Collections Repository

Contact:
Special Collections Department
University of Iowa Libraries
Iowa City IA 52242 IaU
319-335-5921
319-335-5900 (Fax)