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This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.
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Collection Overview
| Size | 0.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 100 items) |
| Abstract | Hatcher Hughes (1881-1945) was a dramatist from North Carolina who wrote folk and other plays and taught English and drama at Columbia University beginning in 1909. He served with the American Expeditionary Forces in France during World War I and won the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1924. The collection includes correspondence; writings, mostly plays and other materials relating to Hughes's career as a dramatist; and other papers, including genealogical and biographical materials relating to the Hughes family. Letters, 1917-1924 and undated, are chiefly from Hughes to his mother in North Carolina just prior to, during, and just after World War I. Letters from 1917 to June 1919 describe preparations for war at Fort Lee, Va., and his experiences with the American Expeditionary Forces in France beginning in summer 1918. Later letters include reports of Hughes's activities at Columbia University, his health, and other items of day-to-day interest. Writings include copies of plays; reviews of Hughes's plays, 1924-1925 and 1930s; and a few photographs of the French productions from Hell-Bent for Heaven. There is also a copy of an undated speech that Hughes gave in North Carolina about the state of drama. Other papers, 1914-1982, include genealogical and biographical materials, photographs of Hughes, and a few other items. |
| Creator | Hughes, Hatcher. |
| Curatorial Unit | Southern Historical Collection |
| Language | English. |
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Information For Users
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Subject Headings
The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.
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Biographical Information
Hatcher Hughes was born Harvey Hatcher Hughes on 12 February 1881 in Polkville, N.C., to Andrew Jackson and Martha J. Gold Hughes. His parents were sharecroppers and Hatcher was the youngest of 11 children. He received an A.B. degree in 1907 and an M.A. degree in 1909, both from the University of North Carolina. Beginning in 1909, Hughes taught English and drama at Columbia University in New York City, where he was instrumental in creating and leading the Drama Department. The Department was disbanded in the 1950s.
In 1917-1919, Hughes served as captain in the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I. He was stationed at Fort Lee, Va., and in France.
Hughes's first play was A Marriage Made in Heaven (1918). With Elmer Rice, he wrote Wake Up, Jonathan in 1921. In 1924, he wrote Hell-Bent for Heaven, a folk play for which he won a Pulitzer Prize.
Hughes married Janet Cool Ranney, an actress, in 1930. Their daughter, Ann Ranney Moss, was born in 1935. Hughes died on 18 October 1945.
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Scope and Content
The collection includes correspondence; writings, mostly plays and other materials relating to Hatcher Hughes's career as a dramatist; and other papers, including genealogical and biographical materials relating to the Hughes family. Letters, 1917-1924 and undated, are chiefly from Hughes to his mother in North Carolina just prior to, during, and just after World War I. Letters from 1917 to June 1919 describe preparations for war at Fort Lee, Va., and his experiences with the American Expeditionary Forces in France beginning in summer 1918. Later letters include reports of Hughes's activities at Columbia University, his health, and other items of day-to-day interest. Writings include copies of plays; reviews of Hughes's plays, 1924-1925 and 1930s; and a few photographs of the French productions from Hell-Bent for Heaven. There is also a copy of an undated speech that Hughes gave in North Carolina about the state of drama. Other papers, 1914-1982, include genealogical and biographical materials, photographs of Hughes, and a few other items.
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Papers, 1917-1982.
The collection includes correspondence; writings, mostly plays and other materials relating to Hatcher Hughes's career as a dramatist; and other papers, including genealogical and biographical materials relating to the Hughes family.
Letters, 1917-1924 and undated, are chiefly from Hughes to his mother in North Carolina just prior to, during, and just after World War I. Letters from 1917 to June 1919 describe preparations for war at Fort Lee, Va., and his experiences with the American Expeditionary Forces in France beginning in summer 1918. Later letters include reports of Hughes's activities at Columbia University, his health, and other items of day-to-day interest.
Writings include copies of plays; reviews of Hughes's plays, 1924-1925 and 1930s; and a few photographs of the French productions from Hell-Bent for Heaven. There is also a copy of an undated speech that Hughes gave in North Carolina about the state of drama.
Other papers, 1914-1982, include genealogical and biographical materials, photographs of Hughes, and a few other items.
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Items Separated