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Ernest Gordon Papers: Prohibition, Temperance, and Alcohol Reform [Manuscript]

The extensive archive of Ernest B. Gordon (1881-1965), a prominent author and researcher whose writings examined the temperance and anti-alcohol movements in Europe and the United States in the early twentieth century. The collection comprises a substantial body of typed research notes and clippings; drafts and proof copies; and correspondence relating to Gordon's major works, including The Wrecking of the Eighteenth Amendment (1943) and The East European Way: Jewish Distillers (1953). Also present are letters addressed to his son, Rev. John Gordon, who continued to advocate for anti-alcohol causes.

The papers document Gordon's methodical approach to the study of alcohol regulation and prohibition. Included are many letters exchanged with medical researchers, editors, fellow reform advocates, critics, and public officials. Among the correspondents are Dr. E. M. Jellinek and his colleagues at the Yale Center of Alcohol Studies; representatives of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union; politicians; magazine editors (often urged by Gordon to refrain from promoting alcohol); and numerous religious organizations.

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April 25, 2026 10:00 AM EDT
Portsmouth, NH, US

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