As an acquaintance and employee of William L. Clements, a graduate (Chem. Eng., 1908) and the son of a Regent of the University of Michigan, and a board member and benefactor of the Clements Library, James Shearer II had numerous connections with the Clements Library and the University.

After serving in the army during the First World War, Shearer worked for the Industrial Works of Bay City, the firm owned by William Clements. When the Chilean State Railways ordered two wreck cranes from the Industrial Works, Shearer accompanied the firm's agent to Chile to finalize the deal, intending to survey the economy and evaluate the prospects for further orders. Although no new business emerged directly from Shearer's efforts, the contacts he made in the Chilean copper industry proved valuable in the long run, and his reports were promising enough to the home office that the trip was extended to Argentina and Brazil. Shearer returned home in the late summer, 1922.

Scope and contents:

The Shearer Papers all stem from a South American working vacation undertaken by James Shearer in 1921-1922. In a series of engaging letters and postcards to his family, accompanied by a small number of photographs, Shearer described his travels in Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, and Brazil, focusing in particular on the economy and business prospects of the region.

An intelligent man, and already an experienced traveler, Shearer had a flair for describing the scenery of South America and evoking a vivid picture of sights from the Andes to the Ocean, the desert, the Indians, and the economy. While many of his letters concern topics such as the economy, even these are relayed with style, making them interesting, enjoyable reading.

Related materials:

The Bentley Library houses the Shearer Family Papers, containing the correspondence of Regent James Shearer, Sr. (1823-1896), the World War I diary of James Shearer II, and related family materials.

Provenance:

Gift of James Shearer, 1966.

M-404
Recat. 7/98 rsc

Subject index to the James Shearer II Papers

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