Charles E. Merrill Trust Collection
General International Standard for Archival Description
Amherst College Archives and Special Collections Amherst, MA
Finding aid encoded in NoteTab Pro. Encoded by Peter A. Nelson, Archivist. 2013-07-16
Encoded Archival Description
Encoded Archival Description (EAD) Version 2002
collection
Creation of Charles E. Merrill Trust Collection
Time of Creation of Charles E. Merrill Trust Collection
Charles E. Merrill Trust
Biographical History for: Charles E. Merrill Trust Collection
Historical Note The Charles E. Merrill Trust was established after the death in 1956 of Charles Edward Merrill (AC 1908), founder of Merrill Lynch & Co. Merrill laid out instructions for the Trust in his will, including naming the administrator and five original trustees, and instructing that the Trust's activities be concluded within twenty years. The Trust's money multiplied considerably after Merrill Lynch & Co. went public in 1972, and the Trust received a judge's approval to extend the timeframe by three years. Over its twenty-three year existence the trustees distributed over $114 million to 5,000 projects, and by the end they were receiving approximately 12,000 funding requests per year. Twenty percent of the Trust's income went to Amherst College, twenty percent to seven other named beneficiaries (schools and hospitals), and the remaining sixty percent was divided equally in three categories: education, religion (ten percent Protestant, five percent each to Catholic and Jewish), and established charitable, scientific, or religious institutions. At the time it was established, funds for the Charles E. Merrill Trust were taxable because the Trust owned a large amount of Merrill Lynch and Co. Because of this, various parties interested in the Charles E. Merrill Trust lobbied Congress and were instrumental in passing H.R. 8265 (Public Law 85-367) on April 7, 1958. This very limited law gave the Trust's funds tax-exempt status. There were only five trustees at a given time during the life of the Trust, and the grants reflected the particular interest of those trustees. The original trustees appointed in Charles E. Merrill's will were: Winthrop Smith, Sam Marks, Robert A. Magowan, Charles Cole, and Charles Merrill Jr. Marks was replaced by Doris Magowan in 1960, Smith was replaced in 1961 by Donald Regan, Peter Magowan replaced Cole after Cole's death in 1978, and Mary Merrill replaced Donald Regan as a trustee for the Trust's final meeting. The administrator for the life of the Trust was Dr. David A. Thomas, Dean of the Cornell University School of Business and Public Administration.
Donor Mary J. Oates is the author of The Catholic Philanthropic Tradition in America. The collection had been given to her on November 21, 1989 by Charles E. Merrill, Jr. while she was researching American philanthropy.
Gift by Mary J. Oates, 2012.
Scope and Contents of the Collection The Charles E. Merrill Trust Collection consists of 5 linear feet of material documenting the decision-making activities of the charitable organization's trustees. The bulk of the collection dates from 1959 to 1980 and consists of bound volumes of grant recommendations compiled by the Charles E. Merrill Trust administrator, David A. Thomas, and sent to the Board of Trustees prior to their meetings. These copies have "Mrs. Robert A. Magowan" (Doris Merrill Magowan) typed on the front, indicating that they were originally her copies. Each bound volume begins with an introductory letter from Mr. Thomas, including an update on funds available for distribution, a summary of the grants approved at the previous meeting, and a summary of the recommendations for the coming meeting. The grant applications are then included in the report that follows. Many volumes include handwritten notes, and some include photographs, architect-tural plans, or other supplementary material for the grant proposals. As the granting responsibili-ties were divided more in later years between the Trustees, this is reflected in the reports, with recommended grants listed under each Trustee's name. Also included in the collection are two copies of a report commissioned by Charles E. Merrill in 1954 entitled The Philanthropy of Charles E. Merrill, Book I, and written by David A. Thomas. This report examined Merrill's past giving and provided recommendations in establishing a trust. The collection also includes three published books by Charles E. Merrill, Jr., which are not directly related to operations of the Charles E. Merrill Trust.
There is no restriction on access to the Charles E. Merrill Trust Collection for research use. Particularly fragile items are restricted for preservation purposes.
Requests for permission to publish material from the Charles E. Merrill Trust Collection should be directed to the Archives and Special Collections. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights.
Processed in July 2013 by Claire Lobdell, Merrill Project Archivist.
Philanthropists.
lcsh
Charitable uses, trusts, and foundations--United States.
Endowments.
Merrill, Charles, 1885-1956.
lcnaf
Merrill, Charles E., Jr., 1920-
Thomas, David Ansell, 1917-
Merrill Family.
Merrill Lynch & Co. (1915-1940)
series
The Philanthropy of Charles E. Merrill, Book I, a report by Professor David A. Thomas of the Cornell University School of Business and Public Administration, compiled at Merrill's request. 1954
September 1959 Recommendations 1959
March 1960 Recommendations 1960
September 1960 Recommendations 1960
March 1961 Recommendations 1961
September 1961 Recommendations 1961
March 1962 Recommendations 1962
September 1962 Recommendations 1962
March 1963 Recommendations 1963
September 1963 Recommendations 1963
March 1964 Recommendations 1964
September 1964 Recommendations 1964
March 1965 Recommendations 1965
September 1965 Recommendations 1965
Copy of The Philanthropy of Charles E. Merrill, Book I, with introductory letter dated March 11, 1966. 1954-1966
March 1966 Recommendations 1966
September 1966 Recommendations 1966
March 1967 Recommendations 1967
September 1967 Recommendations 1967
February 1968 Recommendations 1968
September 1968 Recommendations 1968
March 1969 Recommendations 1969
September 1969 Recommendations 1969
April 1970 Recommendations 1970
September 1970 Recommendations 1970
April 1971 Recommendations 1971
September 1971 Recommendations 1971
November 1971 Recommendations 1971
January 1972 Recommendations 1972
April 1972 Recommendations (2 folders) 1972
June 1972 Recommendations 1972
August 1972 Recommendations (2 folders) 1972
November 1972 Recommendations 1972
February 1973 Recommendations (2 folders) 1973
June 1973 Recommendations 1973
November 1973 Recommendations 1973
April 1974 Recommendations (2 folders) 1974
July 1974 Recommendations 1974
March 1975 Recommendations 1975
July 1975 Recommendations 1975
November 1975 Recommendations (2 folders) 1975
April 1976 Recommendations (2 folders) 1976
June 1976 Recommendations 1976
December 1976 Recommendations (2 folders) 1976
March 1977 Recommendations (3 folders) 1977
June 1977 Recommendations 1977
November 1977 Recommendations (3 folders) 1977
February 1978 Recommendations Volumes I-III 1978
June 1978 Recommendations 1978
September 1978 Recommendations Volumes I-II 1978
April 1979 Recommendations Volumes I-III 1979
June 1979 Recommendations 1979
November 1979 Recommendations Volumes I-II 1979
March 1980 Recommendations Volumes I-II 1980
June 1980 Recommendations 1980
November 1980 Recommendations Volumes I-II 1980
The Journey: Massacre of the Innocents, by Charles Merrill. (1996) Cambridge: Kenet Media. Contains an inscription to Mary Oates and a handwritten note to Mary from Charles Merrill 1996
The Walled Garden: The Story of a School, by Charles Merrill. (1982) Boston: Rowan Tree Press. Signed by Charles Merrill. Interleaved are a copy of "The Commonwealth School: Letters to a Young Teacher," dated August 1975, and a 1993 article from the Wall Street Journal about James Merrill's memoir, A Different Person. 1982
Rok Emiliki, by Charles Merrill, trans. Piotr Mróz. Kraków: Agencja Wydawnicza. (Polish translation of Emily's Year by Charles Merrill).
Creation of Rok Emiliki, by Charles Merrill, trans. Piotr Mróz. Kraków: Agencja Wydawnicza. (Polish translation of Emily's Year by Charles Merrill).
Time of Creation of Rok Emiliki, by Charles Merrill, trans. Piotr Mróz. Kraków: Agencja Wydawnicza. (Polish translation of Emily's Year by Charles Merrill).