Identity area
Reference code
PPC/MCN
Unique identifier
Title
Date(s)
- 1851-1987 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
2 metres
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Arnold Duncan McNair (1885 -1975) international lawyer. Matric Caius, 1906; BA, 1909; LLB 1909; LLM 1913; MA, 1919; LLD, 1925. CBE, 1918; knighted, 1943; became 1st Baron McNair, 1955. Drosier Fellow, 1912; corporate Fellow, 1914; Life Fellow, 1937; College lecturer in Law, 1913-35. Tutor, 1919-23; Senior Tutor, 1928-31; Registrary, 1931-35. Lecturer in International Law, LSE, 1923-27; Reader, University of London, 1926-7, and Cambridge, 1931; Whewell Professor of International Law, 1935. Vice-Chancellor, Liverpool University, 1937. Professor of Comparative Law, Cambridge, 1945. Writer on English and international law. Elected Judge of the International Court of Justice in The Hague, 1946; President, 1952-55.
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
2001.031 - Donated to the Archive by Alice Prochaska on behalf of the McNair family in August 2001.
Content and structure area
Scope and content
The archive contains personal and professional papers of Lord McNair throughout his life. It also contains papers of other members of his family, which had been stored in the same chests and boxes, and reference material about Lord McNair after his death. There is substantial correspondence belonging to family members, particularly his wife.
Lord McNair's correspondence includes a fair amount of a professional nature from fellow lawyers, some politicians and long-standing friends - these include Lord Macmillan, Lord Wright, Lord Nathan of Churt, Lord Beveridge, Harold Laski, the Earl of Derby, Lord Sankey, President Max Huber and Dag Hammarskjold.
There are also lectures and speeches and reference material covering the whole period of Lord McNair's public career.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
The archive was accepted in its entirety and no appraisal has taken place.
Accruals
System of arrangement
The papers have been listed to reflect their arrangement when received. Much sorting had been undertaken by Lord McNair prior to his death, and notes appended advising executors on the disposition of some papers. Original envelopes etc have been retained.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
There are no access restrictions
Conditions governing reproduction
By deed of gift, copyrights, apart from those vested in existing published works (owned originally by Vera McNair), were assigned to Caius College.
Language of material
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
A selection of papers appear to have been extracted and scanned at some point - these are stored together at PPC/MCN/1/4/19.
Related units of description
British Library holds: Letter to Marie Stopes, 1916 (Add.5841, ff.259,263); Letter to AW Goodman, 1916 (Add.58669 f.2); Letters to Sir WJ Ashley, 1919 (Add. 42251, ff.259, 263); correspondence between Lord Cecil (of Chelwood) and AD McNair, 1944 (Add. 51191 ff.248, 264).