MC 75 Philip W. Henry Papers Jenifer J. Kuba Jenifer J. Kuba 2010 Jenifer J. Kuba English Overview of the Collection Institute Archives and Special Collections, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY Philip Walter Henry Philip W. Henry Papers 1881-1947 2 linear ft. The Philip Walter Henry Papers (1881-1947) reveal Henry’s life as a Civil Engineer throughout World War I, his business affiliations in South and Central America, personal activities and interests, and political views expressed in letters to editors of various newspapers. MC 75 Collection materials are in English Biographical Note

Philip Walter Henry was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania on March 24, 1864, son of Eugene Thomas and Emma Elizabeth (Walter) Henry. He descended from Robert Henry, a native of Scotland who settled in Chester County, Pa. in 1722. Philip W. Henry was educated in the public schools of Oxford, New Jersey. After spending 3 years in railway surveying, in 1883 he entered the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York and graduated in 1887. After graduation Henry was employed by the Barber Asphalt Paving Company for fifteen years, first as foreman, then became assistant superintendent for the company at St. Joseph, Montana and Omaha, Nebraska. Then in New York City, he eventually became vice-president of the company. Beginning in 1902 Henry was a consulting civil engineer and actively involved in various companies and corporations. From 1904-1909 Henry was Vice-President of the Pan-American Company of Delaware. From 1906-1909 he was president of the South American Construction Company, which in 1907-08 built 125 miles of railroad in Bolivia. From 1909-1917 he was president of the Central Railroad of Haiti. In 1910 Henry made a reconnaissance of 700 miles of proposed railways in Spain. From 1916-1923 Henry was vice-president of the Siems-Carey Railway & Canal Co. as the civil engineer in charge of selecting the engineering organization for making canal and railroad surveys in China. From 1916-1923 Henry was Vice-President of the American International Corporation in charge of engineering investigations all over the world that were brought to the organization for financing. Henry was secretary of the American Institute of Consulting Engineers from 1924-1943 and was President in 1940. Henry served both the Pan-American Society and American Geographical Society as councilor, vice-president and chairman. Henry was also a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers. In 1898 Henry studied Spanish to assist in his business and enjoyed the language so much he translated several plays of Calderon de la Barca, a noted dramatist of the 17th century. The most notable of de la Barca’s plays translated by Henry is “La Vida es Sueno” (Life is a Dream) translated in 1921 and staged by the RPI players in March, 1939. Mr. Henry conducted the majority of his business in New York City at 75, West and lived in Scarborough, New York.

 Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Philip Walter Henry Papers consist of personal and business papers and memorabilia of Philip Walter Henry’s personal and business associations dating from 1881-1947. Papers reveal Henry’s life as a Civil Engineer throughout World War I, business affiliations in South and Central America, personal activities and interests, and political views expressed in letters to editors of various newspapers. This collection was once a scrapbook but dismantled, re-organized and then filed alphabetically according to the organizations and various themes (translations, articles, speeches) represented within the scrapbook.

 Arrangement of the Collection

The papers are divided into three Series. Series I, Personal Papers, has five subseries: Genealogical Information, Groups and Organizations, Translations, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and Miscellaneous Personal. Series II, Business Papers, has seven subseries: WWI Organizations, Engineering, Economics and Business Organizations, Professional Work, Central and South American Professional Affiliations, Speeches, and Miscellaneous Professional. Series III consists of bound and indexed correspondence books dating from 1933-1934.

 Related Material

Title: Papers, Author: Henry, Philip Walter Accession Number: 28439063. University of Wyoming, American Heritage Center, Laramie, Wyoming.

Separated Material

Map Case Miscellaneous no date Drawer 2

 Subject and Genre Headings Henry, Philip Walter, 1864-1947 Henry Philip Walter Henry Papers, 1881-1947 American International Corporation Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute--Alumni and alumnae Civil engineering Spanish poetry--Classical period, 1500-1700--Translations into English Engineering--South America--History American Geographical Society Asphalt industry--United States New York City (N.Y.) Letter(s) (corrrespondence) Scrapbook(s) Program(s) Play(s) genealogies (genealogy) Civil Engineer Use Restrictions

None

 Preferred Citation

Philip Walter Henry Papers, #MC 75. Institute Archives and Special Collections, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY.

Acquisition Information

The Philip W. Henry Papers was donated to the RPI Archives and Special Collections in 1965 by Miss Eugenia M. Henry.

 Inventory Personal Papers Genealogical Information Biographical and Genealogical Information (See also folder “Mining and Metallurgy”) 1900-1917, 1933-1940 1 1 Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania 1919 1 2 Groups and Organizations American Geographical Society 1917-1918, 1926-1940 1 3 American Red Cross 1918 1 4 Beechwood Playhouse 1917-1921 1 5 Century Association 1917-1919 1 6 Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church 1918-1921 1 7 New York City Mission Society 1932 1 8 Sleepy Hollow Country Club 1917-1918 1 9 Union League Club 1917-1921, 1942 1 10 University Club 1917, 1921 1 11 Young Men's Christian Association 1917-1921 1 12 Translations Translations 1921-1922, 1938 1 13 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute R.P.I. Alumni Activities 1917-1920, 1927, 1933-1943 1 14 R.P.I. Scrapbook (item list available) 1883-1889 4 Business Papers WWI Professional Organizations Allied Machinery Company of America 1918-1919 2 1 American International Corporation 1916-1919 2 2 American International Shipbuilding Corporation 1918-1920 2 3 American Mid-European Association 1919 2 4 British and French War Commission 1917 2 5 Mayors Committee on National Defense 1918 2 6 Navy Consulting Board 1916-1917 2 7 Submarine Boat Corporation 1918 2 8 War Convention of American Business 1917 2 9 War Emergency Services 1917 2 10 Engineering Organizations American Institute of Consulting Engineers 1917, 1931-1940 2 11 American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers 1917-1921, 1931-1939 2 12 American Society of Civil Engineers 1931-1942 2 13 American Society of Mechanical Engineers 1918 2 14 Engineers Club 1917, 1919 2 15 United Engineering Society 1917 2 16 Economics/Business Organizations Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York 1919-1936 3 1 Chamber of Commerce of the U.S. 1917 3 2 Economic Club of New York 1917-1920 3 3 United States Savings Bank 1917 3 4 Professional Work Published Essays 1907-1908, 1927, 1946 3 5 Professional Speeches 1901, 1933, 1942-43 3 6 St. Lawrence Waterway 1927-1932 3 7 Spain – The Belgian Syndicate – Tajuna Railway La Carolina Puertollano Railway (bound) 1918 3 Central and South American Professional Affiliations General Ismael Montes 1918 3 8 Haitian (Haytian) American Corporation 1917 3 9 Pan-American Society of the U.S. 1917-1920, 1927-1933 3 10 Puerto (Porto) Rican American Tobacco Company 1939-1940 3 11 Second Pan-American Financial Conference 1939-1940 3 12 Statue of Simon Bolivar 1921 3 13 Miscellaneous Professional Philip Henry - Letters to the Editor 1923-1942 4 1 Miscellaneous 1908, 1917-1918 4 2 Miscellaneous 1919 4 3 Miscellaneous 1920-1921, 1928-1930 4 4 Miscellaneous 1931-1943 4 5 Plan of Southern Part of the Grand Canal, China n.d. Map Case Drawer 2 NW bound survey 49th Parallel, Camp Simiahmoo n.d. Map Case Drawer 2 Correspondence 2 Correspondence Books (Bound and Indexed) 1933-1934 5