ABSTRACT
The College of the City of New York was a municipal-run institution controlled by the government of New York City. A series of procedural steps were therefore required before Russell’s appointment could be officially finalised. Russell received a letter from Nelson Mead, the college’s acting president, informing him that the Administrative Committee of City College had unanimously approved his appointment and, subject to one final step of ratification, that it would commence from February 1941. The body responsible for approving all appointments was the Board of Higher Education of the City of New York, which controlled the four tax-supported colleges of the city. At its meeting of 26 February, the Board unanimously approved the Russell appointment. As a result, Ordway Tead, Chairman of the Board of Higher Education, informed Russell on 29 February:
‘It is with a deep sense of privilege that I take this opportunity of notifying you of your appointment as Professor of Philosophy at City College for the period 1 February 1941 to 30 June 1942. … I know that your acceptance of this appointment will add luster to the name and achievements of the department and the college, and that it will deepen and extend the interest of the college in the philosophic bases of human living.’
