Carleton Stevens Coon papers
name: label: Creator
content: Coon, Carleton S. (Carleton Stevens), 1904-1981
creator: label: Creator
content: Coon, Carleton S. (Carleton Stevens), 1904-1981
bioghist: label: Biographical Note
content: Carleton S. Coon Chronology

June 23, 1904 -- Born in Wakefield, Massachusetts .

1921 -- Graduated from Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusettes.

1925 -- A.B., Harvard University.

1926 -- Married Mary Goodale.

1925 -- Morocco: Sheldon Travel Fellowship (Harvard).

1926-1928 -- Harvard expeditions to Morocco.

1928 -- Ph.D., M.A. in Anthropology, Harvard University.

1927-1948 -- Harvard Faculty, from Instructor to Professor [absent 1942-1945 for war service].

1929-1930 -- Harvard expedition to North Albania.

1933 -- Russia.

1933-1934 -- Peabody Museum expedition - Ethiopia and Yemen.

1936-1948 -- Asst. Curator, Peabody Museum at Harvard.

1939 -- Morocco (discovered "Aterian" fossil man).

1942 -- Membre D'Honneur, Association la Liberation of Francaise.

1942-1946 -- Military service, including: 1942-1945 OSS.

1942-1943 -- Special Assistant to American Legation, Tangier, Morocco; travels in North Africa.

1943-1944 -- North Africa: Tunisia, Bari; South Europe: Corsica.

1944 -- Divorced by Mary Goodale Coon.

1945 -- Married Lisa Dougherty Geddes.

1945 -- Decorated Legion of Merit.

1947 -- Morocco.

1948-1949 -- Member, Social Science Research Council.

1948-1963 -- Professor of Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania.

1948-1963 -- Curator of Ethnology, University Museum, University of Pennsylvania.

1948-1949 -- University Museum expedition to Iraq and Iran.

1949-1964 -- Panelist, "What in the World" TV show.

1951 -- Excavated 5 cave sites in Iran -- discovered Hotu man.

1951 -- Wenner-Gren Foundation medalist.

1951-1952 -- Saudi Arabia, Consultant to Arab-American Oil Co.

1952 -- Viking Medal in Physical Anthropology.

1954 -- Afghanistan (including Kara Kamar rock shelter) and Syria, Jordan, and Iran; Australia.

1955 -- Syria - cave near Palmyra; South and Central Africa.

1955 -- Member, National Academy of Sciences.

1956-1957 -- Trip around the world for USAF; especially India and Japan.

1956-1966 -- Consultant, Scott Foresman & Co.

1958-1963 -- Member, Committee on Education, National Science Foundation (NSF).

1959 -- Alakaluf Indians, Chile.

1961-1964 -- Committee on Science Personnel, NSF.

1962 -- Gold Medal, Philadelphia Athenaeum.

1962-1963 -- President, American Association of Physical Anthropologists.

1962-1963 -- Morocco: discovered Jebel Ighoud Man #2.

1963 -- Retired from University of Pennsylvania/University Museum and moved to Gloucester, Massachusetts.

1963-1981 -- Res. Curator of Anthropology, University Museum, Philadelphia.

1964 -- Russia.

1965 -- Yengma Cave excavation, Sierra Leone; and Ghana, Nigeria.

1966 -- Cameroon, Tibesti, Acacus.

1966-1967 -- Chad and Libya: Saharan Rock Painting expedition; "Archaeology" TV show.

1966-1981 -- Hon. Curator of Anthropology, Peabody Museum, Salem, Massachusetts.

1972 -- Travels in Asia, especially India.

1972 -- Gold Medal, Harvard Travelers Club.

June 3, 1981 -- Died at his home in Gloucester, Massachusetts.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 101.69 Linear feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1906-1982
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: National Anthropological Archives
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NAA.1985-02
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged in 5 series: (1) Correspondence, 1906-1979; (2) Anthropometric Data; (3) Subject Files, 1920-circa 1978; (4) Publications, 1939-1980; and (5) Photographs.
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: Processed by Kathleen T. Baxter, 1993.

Revised by NAA Staff, November 2001.

Encoded by Zac Greenfield, May 2018.

Portions of the collection are unprocessed.  Contact the repository for more information.
bibliography: label: Carleton S. Coon, Major Publications
content: 1931		Tribes of the Rif.

1932		Flesh of the Wild Ox.

1933		The Riffian.

1935		Measuring Ethiopia and Flight into Arabia.

1939		The Races of Europe.

1942		Principles of Anthropology (w/ E.D. Chapple).

1948		A Reader in General Anthropology.

1950		The Mountains of Giants.

1950		Races  (w/ J.B. Birdsell and S.M. Garn).

1951		Cave Explorations in Iran, 1949.

1951		Caravan.

1954		The Story of Man.

1957 	    The Seven Caves.

1958		Faces of Asia.

1962		Origin of Races.

1963		Anthropology A to Z  (w/ E.E. Hunt).

1965		The Living Races of Man.

1968		Yengema Cave Report.

1971		The Hunting Peoples.

1976		A Reader in Cultural Anthropology.

1980		A North Africa Story.

1981		Adventures and Discoveries (autobiography).

1982		Racial Adaptations (published posthumously).
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: These records concern the professional activities of Carleton S. Coon (1904-1981). Coon is well-known as an anthropologist, archaeologist, and writer. In the 1920's, when he began his career, the field of anthropology was not as specialized as it later became. As with many of the professionals in anthropology, Coon became proficient at physical anthropology, cultural anthropology, and archaeology. Knowledge and experience in these areas were all tied together by his special interest in the subject of race and the evolution of man.

Coon was particularly interested in the people of the Arab world (Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Morocco, etc.). He became fluent in the Arab language and made many trips to that part of the world, both as an anthropologist and, during World War II, as a member of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS).

This collection reflects Coon's spectrum of interest. There are original anthropometric records and photographs concerning virtually every race and nationality. In this collection is also a considerable amount of material regarding Coon's many publications, (e.g., notes, drafts, photographs, correspondence), particularly the publications which dealt with race and anthropology (see attached list of Coon's major publications). The correspondence series is almost entirely professional, but there is a small amount of personal correspondence.

The collection contains the following series: Correspondence, 7.14 linear feet (5.25 ft. chronological and 1.89 ft. topical); Anthropometric Data, 11.1 linear feet (5.1 ft. original data and 6 ft. data from published sources); Subject Files, 9.46 linear feet (5.46 ft. legal-sized papers and 4 ft. index cards); Publications, 17.73 linear feet; and Photographs, 53.74 linear feet.

For the first half of his career (1927-1948), Carleton Coon was affiliated with his alma mater, Harvard.  In 1948, Coon accepted a dual appointment with the University of Pennsylvania as Professor of Anthropology and Curator of Ethnology at the University Museum, from which he retired in 1963. Some of the records in this collection seem to have been acquired from the university, particularly the photographs credited to the University Museum. The bulk of the material in this collection concerns Coon's years as an active staff member of Harvard and then U. of P., (1927-1963), but there are some records preceding that period, and others which continue virtually up to his death in 1981.

Some records of Carleton Coon have been retained by the family.

Please note that the contents of the collection and the language and terminology used reflect the context and culture of the time of its creation. As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today. The information within this collection does not reflect the views of the Smithsonian Institution or National Anthropological Archives, but is available in its original form to facilitate research.