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Zella White Stewart papers

 Collection
Identifier: IWA0683

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Scope and Contents

The Zella White Stewart papers date from 1917 to 1927 and measure 3.5 linear inches. The papers are arranged in two series: Biographical materials and Correspondence. The collection would be of use to anyone interested in the study of allergies in the early twentieth century, the professional and domestic life of a female physician, or the biography of Zella White Stewart.

The Biographical materials series (1943 and undated) consists of one folder containing copies of two obituaries and a family tree.

The Correspondence series (1917-1927 and undated) comprises the rest of this collection. Zella White Stewart's papers contain a mix of professional and personal correspondence. Following the original order of Stewart's files, the series is arranged alphabetically by the writer's name or by the name of the organization they represent. Within an alphabetical grouping, letters are filed chronologically. When a series of letters by the same writer exists, they have been grouped together. Some letters are accompanied by a carbon copy of Stewart's reply.

Stewart's professional papers include correspondence with other doctors in the field of allergy research, business transactions with pharmaceutical companies, correspondence with patients, and a series of letters and bills connected to a dispute with a collection agency hired byS tewart.

Stewart's correspondence also offers insight into the status of women professionals. In fact, she specifically documents her attitude towards combining career and family in a letter written in response to a survey by The Woman Citizen. Both the original query and a rough draft of Stewart's response are located in the W-Z folder.

Stewart's personal letters range in content. Subjects covered include the failing health of her mother and an arrangement for two of her nieces to live with her and attend the State University of Iowa (now the University of Iowa). There are also a number of letters relating to other issues including the establishment of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority house, hiring domestic help, the management of apartments rented from the Stewarts and scattered references to the League of Women Voters.

A Biographical Portrait of Zella White Stewart, M.D., written by her husband George Walter Stewart, is shelved in the printed works collection of the Iowa Women's Archives.

Dates

  • Creation: 1917-1943

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

The papers are open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright held by the donor has been retained by the donor.

However, copyright status for some 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 the Iowa Women’s Archives, The University of Iowa Libraries, as the source of the material. For further information, visit https://www.lib.uiowa.edu/sc/services/rights/

Biographical / Historical

Dr. Zella White Stewart, an allergist, was born in St. Johns, New Brunswick, Canada, on January 9, 1878. She received her medical degree from Cornell University in 1903. In 1904, she married George Walter Stewart, a physicist. They had one son, Rodney, and also raised two nephews, Paul and Lyman White. The Stewarts also helped at least two other relatives, their nieces Mary and Betty White, through college. Stewart died at her home on August 4, 1943 after several months of ill health.

During her life, Zella White Stewart participated actively in both professional and social endeavors. She practiced medicine in Grand Forks, North Dakota, from 1904 until 1910 and in Iowa City, Iowa, from 1910 until 1938. For the last twenty years of her career, she specialized in the study and treatment of allergies. Stewart authored many professional papers in this field and was a member of both the American Association for the Study of Allergies and the International Correspondence Club for the Study of Allergy.

She also founded a chapter of the League of Women Voters in Iowa City and was a charter member of the Business and Professional Women's Club, the Iowa City Women's Club and the University Club. In addition, her husband's position as head of the University of Iowa's physics department involved Stewart in the university community. The Stewart home was used for several years "as an international house for university students of all nationalities."

Extent

3.50 linear inches

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Allergist who practiced in Iowa City from 1910 to 1938.

Method of Acquisition

The papers (donor no. 250) were transferred from the University of Iowa Archives.

Related Materials

League of Women Voters of Johnson County records (IWA): Zella White Stewart was the founder of the League of Women Voters in Iowa City. However, her correspondence contains only scattered references to it--primarily in regard to a national meeting in St. Louis, Missouri.

Additional Zella White Stewart papers are held at the Johnson County Historical Society, Coralville, Iowa.

Author
Marnie Schroer, 1995.
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
eng

Repository Details

Part of the Iowa Women's Archives Repository

Contact:
100 Main Library
University of Iowa Libraries
Iowa City IA 52242 IaU
319-335-5068
319-335-5900 (Fax)