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Edward W. Dempsey Papers

Historical Note

Dr. Edward Wheeler Dempsey (1911-1975) was Dean of the Washington University School of Medicine from 1958-1964.  Dr. Dempsey served during a turbulent time when the medical school administration was involved in a dispute with the strong-willed president of the Board of Trustees of Barnes Hospital, Edgar Monsanto Queeny.  At the time, it was feared by some observers that a schism would result between the two institutions that would threaten the continued growth of the medical school.

Dr. Dempsey was a graduate of Marietta College (Marietta, Ohio) and received master of science and doctor of philosophy degrees in biology from Brown University.  He was a member of the faculty of the Harvard Medical School from 1938 until coming to Washington University as Professor and Head of the Department of Anatomy in 1950.  He continued as Head of Anatomy after being named Dean, and retained that appointment until 1966.

In 1964, Dr. Dempsey resigned from the deanship to serve in President Lyndon B. Johnson’s administration as Special Assistant to the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare.  Upon his return from Washington in 1966, he was appointed to the Chair of Anatomy at the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University.  He later served as a visiting professor at Stanford University.  The many honors given to Dr. Dempsey and the offices he held in professional organizations are detailed in this collection.

Provenance

The items in this collection were transferred to the Medical Library Archives by former WUSM Dean Kenton King.  Accessions 1994-036 and 1994-047.

Access and Use

The collection is open and accessible for research.  Certain categories of documentation, however, may carry restrictions on access.  For detailed information, contact the Archives and Rare Book Department of the Becker Library (arb@wusm.wustl.edu).

Scope and Content

This collection consists of material mostly from the year 1964, which was the year when the dispute between the medical school and Edgar M. Queeny, speaking for the Barnes Hospital Trustees, reached a point when there was practically no area of the joint operation on which the two institutions could agree.

Material regarding Carl V. Moore’s appointment as the first Vice Chancellor for Medical Affairs is included, as well as correspondence from M. Kenton King, Dr. Dempsey’s successor as Dean. The text of Dr. Dempsey’s resignation as Dean, his curriculum vitae and his obituary from 1975 are also included in the papers.

Preferred Citation

Edward W. Dempsey Papers, Washington University School of Medicine.

Related Material

See also:  Edgar M. Queeny Papers, Washington University School of Medicine.

Organization of the Collection (Series List)

Total Boxes: 1

Series 1: Papers.

Container List

Series 1: Papers. Box 1 of 1.

1.	Barnes Hospital, dispute regarding School building space.
2.	Bennett, H. Stanley, correspondence.
3.	Curriculum vitae.
4.	Dean, appointment as, 1958.
5.	Dempsey, Edward W., Aide-memoire on the dispute between Barnes Hospital and the School of Medicine, 29 March 1964.
6.	King, M. Kenton, correspondence.
7.	Medical school affairs, 9 July 1964.
8.	Memorandum on medical education, n.d.
9.	Memorial statements and obituaries.
10.	Moore, Carl V., correspondence, 1964.
11.	Report of Dean, handwritten notes (Agenda pp 11592-11593).
12.	Resignation from Dean’s office, see also Knowles-Hinsey report.
13.	Rinderer, Dorothy and Louise Jacoby correspondence, 1962, 1964.
14.	Memoranda on Barnes/WUSM dispute, 1964, comprehensive (incl. explanatory note from M. Kenton King).