James M. Reinhardt, Sociology Papers
Scope and Contents
The papers include correspondence regarding criminal cases that Reinhardt worked on as a consultant or that he researched, as well as correspondence with convicts. Included in the convict correspondence are letters from Charles Starkweather. Also in the collection are research materials and notes, publications, memorabilia and awards presented to Reinhardt during his career. Of special note is an autographed picture of J. Edgar Hoover.
Dates
- Creation: 1924-1974
Creator
- Reinhardt, James Melvin, 1895-1974 (Person)
Conditions Governing Use
Property rights reside with the University of Nebraska. Copyrights are retained by the creators of the papers/records or their designees. For permission to reproduce or to publish, please contact Archives & Special Collections.
Biographical / Historical
James M. Reinhardt served as a professor of Sociology at the University of Nebraska from 1931-1963, instructing students in criminology and sociology. He was born on 5 October 1895 in Dalton, Georgia. Orphaned at age three, Reinhardt lived with his grandfather. Instead of attending school, he spent most of his young life working, mainly in cotton mills. During World War I, Reinhardt served as a private in the infantry. After the war he went back to school and received his high school diploma at age 22. He then enrolled as an undergraduate at Berea College in Kentucky and graduated in 1923. Reinhardt received his Master of Arts in 1925 and Doctorate of Philosophy in 1929, both from the University of North Dakota. He married Cora Lee Cook in 1922 and had one daughter. He died on 23 April 1974.
During his career, Reinhardt published many books and articles about sociology and criminology, including The Murderous Trail of Charles Starkweather, The Psychology of Strange Killers, and Principles and Methods of Sociology. Reinhardt served as a visiting faculty member at the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy in Washington, D. C. He received several awards, such as the Distinguished Citizen award, admiralty in the Nebraska Navy, and induction into the national Police Hall of Fame. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Department of Sociology grants the James M. Reinhardt Award to graduate student research in criminology.
Extent
13.00 Boxes
Language of Materials
English
Other Descriptive Information
Due to the graphic nature of the papers and documents related to murder and sex crimes in the Reinhardt papers, Boxes 4-10, are RESTRICTED. Access to these materials must be requested in writing.
- Status
- Completed
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries Repository
Archives & Special Collections
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries
P.O. Box 884100
Lincoln NE 68588-4100 United States
402-472-2531
archives@unl.edu