Robert Donner Collection

Robert Donner Collection

The Robert Donner collection consists of books, serials, pamphlets and ephemera on American history, political science, economics, Americanism, minority groups, and Communist and Socialist activities within America.  Robert Donner collected most of his library, which he housed in his Colorado Springs, Colorado office, after his retirement from the Donner Corporation in 1957.

The ACU library received his collection in December of 1964 after his death in August of the same year. He gave his collection to ACU because, he said, "It is a Christian college, and that is what the world needs."

His collection consisted of about 4,000 volumes of books and over 3,000 pamphlets and ephemera.  Most of the ephemeral materials are printed by the political movement itself and not released in commercial channels.

Donner attended Yale University from 1912-1913 and started in his father's steel company business in 1915.  He married Margaret Hunter in 1928 and had two children.  He was at different times involved as president, director and chairman of the board in the Donner Foundation, Inc., which was started in memory of his brother, Joseph W. Donner, by their father, William Henry Donner.  This foundation provides funds for cancer research.   ( Article from National Cyclopaedia of American Biography )

The books and pamphlets of his collection are cataloged and searchable in the ALCON database.  Also, a complete index of the pamphlets, which are housed in a vertical file and on the closed stack shelves, can be browsed on the web at the Donner Collection Index Page .