 Martin J. Hillenbrand Papers
Collection DescriptionBiographical NoteMartin Joseph Hillenbrand was born, August 1, 1915, in Youngstown, Ohio, and grew up in Chicago, Illinois. He graduated from the University of Dayton with a Bachelor of Arts in 1937. He received a Doctorate in Philosophy in 1948 from Columbia University and completed postgraduate work at Harvard in 1950. He received honorary degrees from both the University of Dayton and the University of Maryland. Ambassador Hillenbrand served thirty-five years as a professional United States Foreign Service Officer, including service in Burma, India, Mozambique, Hungary, France, and Germany. He entered the Foreign Service in 1939 as vice consul in Zürich and also served in Rangoon, Burma. Hillenbrand worked in Bremen, Washington and Paris, rising to Embassy First Secretary in 1952. In 1956, Hillenbrand served as an American political adviser in Berlin. Later he was appointed as the first U.S. Ambassador to Hungary (1967-1969) and Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs (1969-1972). Hillenbrand concluded his diplomatic career serving as Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany from 1972 until his retirement in 1976. After retiring from diplomatic service, Hillenbrand worked from 1977 to 1982 as the Director General of the Atlantic Institute for International Affairs in Paris. In September 1982, he became the first Dean Rusk Professor of International Relations at The University of Georgia. He also served as the Director of the Center for Global Policy Studies and Co-Director of the Center for East-West Trade Policy (Center for International Trade and Security) at the University. In 1983, Hillenbrand received a Director General's Cup, an award which recognizes retired Foreign Service officers for distinction in service and continued interest in foreign affairs. Upon his retirement from The University of Georgia in 1997, Hillenbrand completed his memoirs, Fragments of Our Time: Memoirs of a Diplomat. He authored, co-authored and edited four books and more than twenty-five book chapters and articles including: Power and Morals (1949); Zwischen Politik und Ethik (1968); The Future of Berlin (1980); Global Insecurity: A Strategy for Energy and Economic Renewal (1982); Germany In An Era of Transition (1984). In 1997, the Robert Bosch Foundation created the Martin J. Hillenbrand Fellowship at The University of Georgia's Department of Political Science. Hillenbrand was married to Faith Stuart (1917-2004). The couple had three children David, John and Ruth. The Hillenbrands resided in Athens, Georgia until his death on February 2, 2005, at the age of 89. Scope and ContentThe papers of Martin J. Hillenbrand document his diplomatic career with the U.S. Foreign Service from 1939 to 1976, his involvement with international diplomatic organizations, and his academic career at the University of Georgia from 1982 to 1997. Several important events highlighted in this collection include: the imprisonment of Cardinal Mindszenty; 1971 Quadripartite Agreements; 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty; SALT I and SALT II; U.S.-Soviet Cultural Exchange Agreement; Agreement of Cooperation on Environmental Affairs between U.S. and Federal Republic of Germany; and the reunification of Germany. The majority of the collection is comprised of Hillenbrand's writings and research on numerous topics including pre and post-unification German-American Relations, the European Community, the global economy between the 1970s and mid-1990s, arms control and morality in international relations. Biographical materials, early writings and correspondence provide insight into his the personal life from his school age years through retirement. Of particular interest are the forty hand-written, personal journals documenting Hillenbrand's life from the 1920s to 2004. Included in the collection are published and unpublished articles, drafts, speeches, notes, journals, reports, correspondence, clippings, photographs, artifacts and audiovisual material. Organization and ArrangementDr. Hillenbrand and his assistant, John Thomaston, arranged the papers into series and sub-series prior to donation to the Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies. As much as possible, the original arrangement of the collection, as established by Ambassador Hillenbrand and John Thomaston, has been preserved. The papers are divided into eight series: I. Biographical Material; II. Writings, Speeches and Interviews; III. Personal Correspondence; IV. Supplemental Material; V. References to Hillenbrand archival materials; VI. Photographs; VII. Artifacts; and VIII. Audiovisual Material. Administrative InformationAccess RestrictionsConfidential and sensitive materials have been restricted. Preferred CitationMartin J. Hillenbrand Papers, Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia, 30602-1641. Processing InformationThe collection was re-foldered in acid free folders and re-housed in archival boxes during processing. Clippings, telegrams and thermo fax paper have been photocopied onto bond paper. Paperclips, rubber bands and binder clips have been replaced. Photographs, artifacts, and oversize items have been separated from manuscript materials for preservation and storage. User RestrictionsLibrary acts as "fair use" reproduction agent. Copyright InformationBefore material from collections at the Richard B. Russell Library may be quoted in print, or otherwise reproduced, in whole or in part, in any publication, permission must be obtained from (1) the owner of the physical property, and (2) the holder of the copyright. It is the particular responsibility of the researcher to obtain both sets of permission. Persons wishing to quote from materials in the Russell Library collection should consult the Director. Reproduction of any item must contain a complete citation to the original. Finding Aid PublicationFinding aid prepared on: 2008. Related Materials and SubjectsSubject TermsRelated Collections in this Repository
Martin J. Hillenbrand Oral History Collection William Tapley Bennett, Jr. Papers Dean Rusk Oral History Project Richard B. Russell, Jr. Collection Related Collections in Other RepositoriesLectures from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, 1924 - 1942 and 1946 – 1965, National Defense University Library | ||||||||||||||||||||