Kenneth W. Thompson Papers, 1972/1999

Access and use

Location of collection:
University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept.
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
University of Virginia
P.O. Box 400110
170 McCormick Rd
Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4110
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Special Collections Public Services & Reference Staff
Phone: (434) 243-1776
Fax: (434) 924-4968
Restrictions:

This collection is open for access with the following exceptions:

This collection is housed at Ivy Stacks, an off-site storage facility. Requests for materials housed at Ivy Stacks require at least 72 hours' notice.

Original digital media (floppy disks, zip disks, thumb drives,) and other AV media formats such as LPs, audiocassettes, videotapes, reel-to-reel, DVD etc.) cannot be handled directly by patrons. Appointments must be made to request these items. In most cases, materials must be reformatted before they can be accessed, sometimes at the researcher's expense. Please use our online reference request form (https://small.library.virginia.edu/services/reference-request) to request access to these materials or for further information.

Material pertaining to individual student records may be restricted in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Please contact the Archives with specific questions regarding access to such records.

Terms of access:

Because of the assembled nature of this collection, copyright status varies across the collection. You are free to use materials in the collection in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

Preferred citation:

MSS12788-a, Kenneth W. Thompson Papers, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia Library

Summary

Extent:
53 Cubic Feet 53 record cartons
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

MSS12788-a, Kenneth W. Thompson Papers, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia Library

Background

Scope and content:

The Kenneth W. Thompson Papers document the professional activities of Kenneth W. Thompson, particularly his tenure as director of the Miller Center of Public Affairs from 1978 to 1998. The collection consists primarly of correspondence, along with writings and materials related to conferences, lectures, and institutional planning.

The Correspondence series, which comprises the majority of the collection, includes exchanges with prominent political figures and scholars such as Henry Kissinger, Richard Nixon, Condoleezza Rice, and David Rockefeller. These materials reflect Thompson's role in fostering dialogue on political thought, ethics, and public policy.

Additional materials include newspaper and magazine clippings, annual meeting files, lecture and conference materials, addresses, invitations, and institutional documents such as the Miller Center's Ten Year Plan and Executive Summary.

The collection is organized into two series: Correspondence and Writings and Professional Activities, and dates from 1972 to 1999.

Biographical / historical:

Kenneth Thompson (August 29, 1921 - February 2, 2013) was an American political scientist, author, and scholar of international relations known for his contributions to normative theory and the tradition of political realism. He received his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Chicago in 1950, where he studied under Hans J. Morgenthau, and subsequently held teaching positions at the University of Chicago and Northwestern University.

From 1955 to 1975, Thompson worked in international education and philanthropy, serving as vice president for international programs at the Rockefeller Foundation. He joined the faculty of the University of Virginia in 1975 as Commonwealth Professor of Government and Foreign Affairs and became director of the Miller Center of Public Affairs, a position he held until 1998.

During his tenure at the Miller Center, Thompson played a central role in shaping the institution's mission and programs, including the development of the Presidential Oral History Program, the Forum Program, and a series of bipartisan national commissions addressing issues such as presidential disability and the federal judicial selection process. His leadership contributed significantly to the study of the American presidency, public policy, and political history at the University of Virginia.

Thompson authored and edited numerous works on international relations, foreign policy, and political thought, and was a key figure in sustaining and advancing classical realist tradition in the twentieth century. His scholarship emphasized the importance of historical context, moral complexity, and the balance of power in international affairs.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard