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TABLE OF CONTENTSInventory |
Guide to the Judge Charles S. Colden Papers
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Descriptive Summary | ||
| Creator | Colden, Charles S., 1885-1960 | |
| Title | Judge Charles S. Colden Papers, | |
| Dates: | 1937-1960,(Bulk 1950-1959) | |
| Abstract: | The Judge Charles S. Colden Papers document his active participation in Queens' organizations. All but a few of the records were created in the 1950's and relate to his participation. The papers consist of 15 series arranged in alphabetical order, and the records in the sub series and sub sub series are arranged in chronological order. They are Bowne House Records (1948-1957, n.d., 20 folders), Exempt Fireman's Benevolent Association (1952,1956-1957,2 folders), Flushing Chamber of Commerce(19511956,1 folder), Flushing Hospital (1956-1959,1 folder), Flushing Savings Bank (1951-1959,8 folders), Freemasons (1950-1960,1 folder), Girl Scouts of America (1952,1 folder), Good Fellows Club (1957-1959,1 folder), Long Island Historical Society (1952-1959,1 folder), Personal Papers (1937-1960, n.d., 30 folders), Phi Delta Phi (1911,1 folder), Protestant Lawyer's Association (1950-1952,1 folder), Queens County Bar Association (1951-1959,4 folders), Vestry Grace Episcopal Church and the Diocesan Council Long Island Episcopal Church (1947-1960,11 folders), and Work Records (1949-1959,6 folders). The Papers are in the form of correspondence sent and received, meeting minutes, printed material and photographs. | |
| Extent: | 6 boxes, 2.2 cubic feet | |
| Identification: | C-10 | |
| Location: | The material is located in the Archives at Queens Library. | |
Historical/Biographical Note
As a State Supreme Court Justice and volunteer Judge Charles S. Colden was an active participant in the development and administration of Queens County. Judge Colden was born on 3 June 1885 in Whitestone, Queens. He was a descendant of Cadwalleder Colden, lieutenant governor of New York from 1760-1775, and Cadwalleder David Colden, mayor of New York City from 1818 to 1821.
After being admitted to the Bar in 1913, Charles S. Colden became an assistant district attorney in 1918. Three years later he started work in private practice. He returned to public office in 1932 when Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed him Queens District Attorney. In 1935 he was appointed to the County Court and the next year was elected to a fourteen-year term. In 1942 he became a State Supreme Court Justice where he served for thirteen years. In 1955 he retired but continued working as a referee for the court.
Judge Colden was very influential in many of the social, cultural, and academic institutions of Queens. In the late 1930's he successfully petitioned the city of New York to create Queens College. He was also influential in creating the Bowne House Historical Society and served as its president for many years. He was a board member of the Flushing Savings Bank and the Flushing Hospital. He was president of the Queens County Bar Association. He was a member of the Diocesan Council Long Island Episcopal Church, Chamber of Commerce, Masons, Exempt Fireman's Benevolent Association, Good Fellows Club, the Long Island Historical Society and the vestry at Grace Episcopal Church. He concerned himself with the welfare of Queen's children by participating in the Girl Scouts of America and the Council of Churches' Youth Consultation Services.
Judge Charles S. Colden passed away on 14 September 1960 in his home in Whitestone, Queens.
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Scope and Content Note
The Judge Charles S. Colden Papers document his active participation in Queens' organizations. All but a few of the records were created in the 1950's and relate to his participation. The papers consist of 15 series arranged in alphabetical order, and the records in the sub series and sub sub series are arranged in chronological order. They are Bowne House Records (1948-1957, n.d., 20 folders), Exempt Fireman's Benevolent Association (1952,1956-1957,2 folders), Flushing Chamber of Commerce(19511956,1 folder), Flushing Hospital (1956-1959,1 folder), Flushing Savings Bank (1951-1959,8 folders), Freemasons (1950-1960,1 folder), Girl Scouts of America (1952,1 folder), Good Fellows Club (1957-1959,1 folder), Long Island Historical Society (1952-1959,1 folder), Personal Papers (1937-1960, n.d., 30 folders), Phi Delta Phi (1911,1 folder), Protestant Lawyer's Association (1950-1952,1 folder), Queens County Bar Association (1951-1959,4 folders), Vestry Grace Episcopal Church and the Diocesan Council Long Island Episcopal Church (1947-1960,11 folders), and Work Records (1949-1959,6 folders). The Papers are in the form of correspondence sent and received, meeting minutes, printed material and photographs.
The second largest series of the Judge Charles S. Colden Papers is the Bowne House Records (1948-1957, n.d., 20 folders). The records document Judge Colden's work as a Board member of the Bowne House. The sub series Correspondence Sent and Received (1951-1960, 5 folders) are letters, telegrams and memoranda to and from the Board of the Bowne House, to and from organizations in Queens concerning the House's outreach efforts. The sub series also contains correspondence to and from other board members including treasury reports, researchers and donors. The sub series Remonstrance (1957-1958, n.d., 6 folders) documents the efforts of the Bowne House to organize a celebration of the Flushing Remonstrance's 300th anniversary. The correspondence sent and received by Board Members in this sub series -from January to December 1956 document their efforts to lobby State politicians to pass the McGahan-Rice bill, that commemorates the Flushing Remonstrance; from January to July 1957 are invitations, solicitations for donations, and outreach to other community groups in Queens. Included in this sub sub series is a letter to Hon. Edwin A. Riley Director of the Division of Mail Classification in the Bureau of Post Office Operations from Frank F. Regan Chairman of the New York State Joint Legislative Committee for the Celebration of the Signing of the Flushing Remonstrance. In the letter Mr. Regan requests the Post Office issue a cancellation stamp commemorating the Flushing Remonstrance and provides an account of New York State's involvement with Remonstrance and the historical significance of the event. The Printed Material sub sub series in the Remonstrance sub series contains newspapers clippings about the celebration, press releases from institutions involved with the celebration, and a History report of the event. The sub sub series Notes (1957, 1 folder) contains someone's notes on the history of the Remonstrance.
The Exempt Fireman's Benevolent Association Correspondence Sent and Received (1952, 1956-1957, 2 folders) contain letters sent to members concerning bill #431. There are letters to and from the Judge to and from Queens General Hospital Administrators concerning John J. Daly a member of the Association. Also included are letters to the Judge from the Association inviting him to meetings.
The sub series Correspondence Sent and Received (1951-1956, 1 folder) of the series Flushing Chamber of Commerce (1951-1956, 1 folder) document the Flushing Chamber of Commerce’s board meetings and its involvement with the Flushing Branch of the Queens Borough Public Library. The Flushing Hospital Correspondence Sent and Received (1956-1959,1 folder) series documents John Holley Clark Jr.'s efforts to combat Flushing Hospital's management, prevent the proposed Hospital extension, and to be re-nominated to Board of Trustees.
The correspondence sent and received in the series Flushing Savings Bank (1951-1950, 8 folders) document Judge Colden's participation on the Board of Trustees for the Bank. The June through July 1951 letters are to and from the Savings Banks Association, to and from the Bank's Trustees about the Association's Members efforts to lobby the United States House Ways and Means Committee on savings banks tax reform. The majority of the correspondence from 1952 to 1959 is letters to Judge Colden from the Trustees secretary containing the Bank's monthly reports.
The Freemasons Correspondence Sent and Received (1956-1959, 1 folder) are invitations to meetings.
In the series Girl Scouts of America the correspondence sent and received (1952,1 folder) are letters concerning the Girl Scouts Council of Greater New York’s efforts in purchasing the YMCA building on 87-80 153rd St. Jamaica, NY. Included in the letters are an appraisal of the building and press releases from the Girl Scouts. Also enclosed in the sub series is a radio transcript in which the Judge participated in of a Round-Table discussion of the Girl Scouts' program for the Borough of Queens.
The Long Island Historical Society sub series' Correspondence Sent and Received (1952-1959, 1 folder) contains invitations to meetings and correspondence with the author Meade C. Dobson about a definitive history of Long Island.
The series Personal Papers (1937-1960, n.d., 31 folders) is the largest series of the papers and contains Correspondence Sent and Received (1937-1960, n.d., 26 folders), Printed material (1952, 1954, 1958, 2 folders), Photographs (n.d., 1 folder) and Awards, and Chairman, Queens Golden Anniversary Celebration (1948, 1 folder).
The majority of the sub series Correspondence Sent and Received of the Personal Papers series continues to document Judge Colden's commitment to the betterment of the Queens community. He was in communication with a variety of Queens' organizations giving his advice, political and financial support, and his presence at their functions. Included in the sub series are letters to and from family members and friends, and a group of letters, 1955-1959, to and from Judge Colden to and from the City of New York and the Social Security Administration regarding back pay owed to him from the city and the Federal Government.
The Printed Material sub series contains a 1952 Annual Report from the New York State Commissioner of Housing, a 25 March 1954 newspaper article detailing Judge Colden's career and a 1958 Annual Report from the Port Authority of New York.
The Photographs sub series contains two photographs one from 1955 of the Appellate Division of New York State and the other is of three unidentified men in front of the New York Supreme Court.
The Correspondence Sent and Received (1950-1952, 1 folder) sub series of the series Protestant Lawyer's Association (1950-1952, 1 folder) contain a memorandum about the goals and activities of the Association and letters to and from Judge Colden to and from the Association about his invitation to speak to the Association.
The Correspondence Sent and Received (1951-1959, 3 folders) sub series of the series Queens County Bar Association (1951-1959, 4 folders) contain invitations to meetings and letters to and from other Bar members. These letters provide information on Judge Colden's opinions of the legal profession. The Printed Material (1952-1958, 1 folder) sub series contains Nassau and Queens County Bar Association Directories, newspaper clippings about the Queens' legal profession, and programs from Association dinners.
The records in the Vestry Grace Episcopal Church and the Diocesan Council Long Island Episcopal Church (1947-1960, 8 folders) series are combined because the provenance of the letters was impossible to discern. The series provides insight into Judge Colden's commitment to and influence in the Episcopal Church of Long Island. The Correspondence Sent and Received (1947-1960, 8 folders) sub series document the Vestry's improvement of the structure of Grace Church, fundraising efforts by both the Vestry and the Diocesan Council, meeting announcements, and outreach efforts to other churches and the Bishop of Long Island. A majority of the correspondence from June 1956 to 1957 is to and from donors to the Episcopal Charities Appeal. This sub series contains Judge Colden's ongoing correspondence with the Right Reverend Jonathan Goodhue Sherman the Suffragan Bishop of Long Island about theological issues and the Episcopal Church.
The series Work Records (1949-1959, 6 folders) contain Correspondence Sent and Received. The majority of the correspondence was created by the Judge, participating lawyers, jurors, defendants, and plaintiffs for some of the trails that came before Judge Colden. Some of the cases documented by the correspondence are -Hilda Whiteside v. Kings Park State Hospital, Gerard advs. Babylon Milk and Cream, Petitioners v. Assessor of Town of Smithtown, Lucy Salvaggio v. Charles Salvaggio and Hader v. Hader. Also included in the series are letters to and from West Publishing Company concerning the publication of some of Judge Colden's decisions.
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Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Published citations should take the following form:
Creator of item, date of item (if known), identification of item, if a photograph its control number. The Judge Charles S, Colden Papers, Archives at Queens Library, Queens Borough Public Library.
Access Restrictions
Open for research without restrictions. Manuscripts are only available in the Archives at Queens Library, please call (718) 990-0770 for hours. Manuscript users will be required to complete the division's Manuscript Usage Form and deposit their photograph identification or Queens Borough Public Library card with a staff member. The identification will be returned to the user after she/he has returned the material. Manuscript users will deposit all their personal items behind the reference desk. Manuscript users must use the division's loose sheets of paper for note taking. To reiterate, no pen of any type is permitted. Paper and a pencil are available upon request. Manuscript users may be required to use special handling procedures depending on the conditions of the material.
Use Restrictions
Permission to publish materials must be obtained in writing from the:
- Archives at Queens Library
- Queens Borough Public Library
- 89-11 Merrick Boulevard
- Jamaica, NY 11432
- Phone: (718) 990-0770.
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Access Points
Subject Names:
- Colden, Charles S., 1885-1960
Subject Places:
- Queens (New York, N.Y.)
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Inventory
[The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.]
