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Bobby Jones papers

 Collection
Collection number: ahc.MSS836

Scope and Content

This collection documents Bobby Jones's golf career and legacy. Material includes articles and periodicals, pamphlets, golf tournament programs, and magazine and newspaper clippings. Many clippings are obituaries and memoriams in Jones's honor. In addition, the collection contains correspondence, primarily letters of condolence written to Mary Malone Jones, and donations in Bobby Jones's name. Of particular note is a letter written by Bobby Jones and sent to General Dwight D. Eisenhower on January 15, 1953. Other items include Jones family history and ephemera and material relating to Jones's legal career.

Dates

  • 1924-1990, undated

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. All requests to publish, quote, or reproduce must be submitted through the Kenan Research Center.

Administrative/Biographical History

Robert (Bobby) Tyre Jones, Jr. (1902-1971) was born in Atlanta, Georgia, to Robert Purmedus Jones (1879-1956) and Clara Thomas (1880-1961). He began to play golf at six years old and to participate in amateur competitions at 14. He earned an engineering degree from Georgia Institute of Technology in 1922 and a literature degree from Harvard in 1924, and then went to Emory University Law School in 1926. In 1924, he married Mary Rice Malone (1902-1975) and they had three children, Clara Malone (1925–1994), Robert Tyre III (1926–1973), and Mary Ellen (1931-1977). During his 14 year career as an amateur competitor, Jones played in 52 tournaments, including 31 majors, 13 of which he won. In 1930 he won the first (and so far only) Grand Slam, winning the British Amateur, the British Open, the U.S. Open, and the U.S. Amateur within a year. Shortly afterward, Jones retired from competitive golf to practice law at his father's firm, Jones, Evins, Moore and Powell, but continued his interest in golf by writing books and producing 18 short instruction films. Jones opened the Augusta National Golf Club in 1933; a year later, the club hosted the first Masters Tournament. During World War II, he joined the U.S. Army Air Force and rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel. In 1974, three years after his death, he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Extent

3.25 linear ft. (three document cases, ten oversize folders, and one reel-to-reel audio recording)

Language

English

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

An audio recording of Jones's memorial service at Holy Trinity, St. Andrews is on a 7in 3M magnetic tape reel-to-reel. Patrons who request access to the audio content in this collection are responsible for digital conversion costs.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift, 1995, with subsequent additions

Related Archival Materials

Bobby Jones visual arts collection, VIS 227, Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center.

Description Control

This collection was reprocessed in 2016.

Title
Bobby Jones papers
Author
Laura Starratt and Leah Lefkowitz
Date
December 2016
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid is written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center Repository

Contact:
130 West Paces Ferry Road
Atlanta GA 30305
404-814-4040