Repository:
Historical Collections and Archives, Robert B. Greenblatt, M.D. Library,
Augusta University, 1120 15th Street, Augusta, Georgia, 30912
Collection Title:
Hervey M. Cleckley Collection
Collection Number: MSS010
Creator:
Hervey M. Cleckley
Dates:
1904 (approximate) to 1987
Extent/Size:
5 boxes (3.85 linear feet) plus one oil on canvas and one wooden chair
Access Restrictions: Unrestricted access
Preferred Citation: Hervey M. Cleckley Collection,
Historical Collections and Archives, Robert B. Greenblatt, M.D. Library
Augusta University
Reproductions:
Requests for reproductions are subject to copyright law of the United States
and departmental guidelines regarding reproduction.
Processed by:
Renée Sharrock, May 2014
Biographical/Historical Note:
Hervey Milton Cleckley, M.D. was born in Augusta, Georgia on September 7, 1903 to
William Conner Cleckley, D.M.D., and Cora Alberta Cleckley. After graduating from the Richmond
Academy in 1921, Cleckley first attended Princeton University before transferring to the University
of Georgia in the spring of 1922.
While at the University of Georgia, Cleckley excelled in academics and athletics. He was Phi
Beta Kappa and majored in mathematics and science. He played on the varsity football team and was
the captain of the track team his senior year. Cleckley was the editor-in-chief of Pandora, the UGA
yearbook, his senior year. He graduated summa cum laude in 1924 with a Bachelor of Science degree.
During his senior year at UGA, Cleckley was selected to receive a Rhodes Scholarship to the
University of Oxford in England. From 1924 to 1926, Cleckley studied physiology at the University
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Augusta University
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College of the University of Oxford. He competed in athletics while at Oxford and acquired a second
Bachelor’s degree from Oxford in 1926.
Cleckley was admitted to the sophomore class of the UGA School of Medicine (later known
as the Medical College of Georgia or MCG) in Augusta in the fall of 1926 due to his advance studies
at Oxford. He received his Doctor of Medicine degree in 1929. He served a surgical residency at the
University Hospital.
After his residency Cleckley obtained a position as a staff psychiatrist at the U.S. Veterans
Hospital No. 62 in Augusta, also known as the Lenwood Hospital. This hospital was a mental and
psychiatric facility for the Veterans Administration and was located on Wrightsboro Road.
In 1937 Cleckley joined the faculty at UGA School of Medicine (MCG) as an Associate
Professor in Neurology and Psychiatry and began practicing psychiatry at the University Hospital. It
was at this time that the Sub-department of Neurology and Psychiatry separated from the Department
of Medicine and became its own department. By 1938 Cleckley was made Chair of the Department,
which evolved into the Department of Neuropsychiatry in 1939.
Cleckley’s The Mask of Sanity was first published in 1941 and became an immediate classic as
it was influential in its clinical description of psychopathy. The book was published in five editions;
the last re-print of the fifth edition was in 1988.
Cleckley and Corbett Thigpen, M.D. (one of his former students at MCG) were partners in a
psychiatric practice while both were on the MCG faculty. Cleckley assisted Thigpen in the treatment
of a patient exhibiting multiple personalities. They co-wrote an article describing her in 1954
(Thigpen & Cleckley, A Case of Multiple Personality, 1954). Their work was expanded into a book,
The Three Faces of Eve, in 1957. The book was published in 27 languages and was made into a movie
the same year.
According to Thigpen, Cleckley considered his third book, The Caricature of Love, to be his
best book (Thigpen, Renaissance Man, 1985). Caricature was published in 1957. In addition to these
books, Cleckley authored chapters in eight textbooks; and authored or co-authored numerous
scholarly articles.
Cleckley retired in 1981 and was honored with a Clinical Professor Emeritus status by the
University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents, the governing board of the Medical College of
Georgia.
Cleckley married Louise Martin Marshall in 1930. Sometime after her death in 1974 he
married Emily Sheftall. When Cleckley passed away on January 29, 1984, he was survived by his wife
Emily, his daughter Mary Cleckley Creson, his grandson William A. Dolan, and his sister Connor
Cleckley Goodrich.
Bibliography:
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Augusta University
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Thigpen, C. H., & Cleckley, H. (1954). A Case of Multiple Personality. The Journal of Abnormal and
Social Psychology, 49(1), 135-151.
Thigpen, C. H. (1985). Renaissance Man. Journal of the Medical Association of Georgia, 74(1), 20-22.
Scope and Content:
The Hervey M. Cleckley Collection contains reprints of Cleckley’s published articles; book
reviews of The Mask of Sanity and newspaper clippings; personal photographs; diplomas, certificates,
and plaques; an oil portrait and a chair.
This collection includes three items retained by Cleckley’s second wife after his death: an
article written by Thigpen about Cleckley and two publications from Princeton University
memorializing Cleckley in 1987.
Arrangement:
Organized into six series: (1) Reprints of Published Articles; (2) Book Reviews and Newspaper
Clippings; (3) Varied Items; (4) Plaques; (5) Photographs, Diplomas, and Certificates; (6) Items on
display in the Historical Collections and Archives Room (AB-225).
Series I: Reprints of Published Articles, 1936-1966, .65 document box
Box Folder
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2
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8
9
Observations of a Russian neuropsychiatrist in Ethiopia during the war with Italy
in 1896: an historical note; co-author: Amdur, M.K.; 1936.
Psychiatric problems in a general hospital, 1939.
Anomalies and dangers in the metrazol therapy of schizophrenia; co-author:
Geeslin, Lawrence E.; 1939.
Nicotinic acid in the treatment of atypical psychotic states associated with
malnutrition; co-authors: Sydenstricker, V.P.; Geeslin, L.E.; 1939.
Four year correlative teaching plan for the nervous system; co-authors: Mettler,
Fred A.; Slaughter, R.F.; 1940.
Histologic changes following metrazol convulsions; co-authors: Bowles, Lester;
Mettler, F.A.; 1940.
Ocular manifestations of ariboflavinosis; co-authors: Sydenstricker, V.P.; Sebrell,
W.H.; Kruse, H.D.; 1940.
Prolonged coma in insulin therapy of the psychoses; co-author: Templeton, C.
M.; 1941.
The so-called psychopathic personality; with special emphasis on his status in the
selective service, 1941.
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Augusta University
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27
28
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32
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The treatment of intrinsic cord disease with vitamin E; co-author: Slaughter,
R.F.; 1941.
Progressive muscular atrophy and syphilis: report of a case with interesting
cerebrospinal fluid findings; co-author: Geeslin, L.E.; 1941.
Some observations on cardiovascular changes in shock therapy; co-author:
Egleston, DuBose; 1941.
Insight as an aim in psychotherapy, 1941.
The effect of metrazol upon the blood pressure of man and dog; co-authors:
Woodbury, R.A.; Hamilton, W.F.; Volpitto, Perry P.; 1941.
The effect of nicotinic acid in stupor, lethargy and various other psychiatric
disorders; co-author: Sydenstricker, V.P.; 1941.
Blood pressure studies in patients undergoing convulsive therapy; co-authors:
Hamilton, W.F.; Woodbury, R.A.; Volpitto, P.P.; 1942.
Electric shock therapy in personality disorders; co-author: Beard, Byron; 1942.
Semantic dementia and semi-suicide, 1942.
A new pyramidal sign of great frequency; co-author: Allen, Lane; 1943.
The psychosis that psychiatry refuses to face, 1944.
A shorter psychotherapy, 1946.
Psychopathic personality; entry in Encyclopedia of Criminology, 1949.
Common sources of confusion in psychiatric matters, 1949.
Electronarcosis in a general hospital; co-author: Estes, Marion; 1951.
The Mask of Sanity, 1951.
The medic-legal dilemma: a suggested solution; co-author: Bromberg, Walter;
1952.
Use of electric-convulsive therapy in morphine, meperidine, and related alkaloid
addictions; co-authors: Thigpen, F.B., Thigpen, C.H.; 1953.
A case of multiple personality; co-author: Thigpen, Corbett; 1954.
Depressive illness, 1954.
The dynamics of illusion; co-author: Thigpen, Corbett H.; 1955.
Freudian psychodynamics - science or mirage?; co-author: Thigpen, Corbett H.;
1961.
Book review: Archives of criminal psychodynamics; symposium on psychopathy,
1961.
The psychopathic personality; book chapter from Crime, Law and Corrections by
Slovenko, Ralph; 1966.
Series II: Book Reviews and Newspaper Clippings, 1941-1965, .35 document box
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Augusta University
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Box Folder
1
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
Mask of Sanity - Book Reviews, 1st Edition, 1941-1942.
Mask of Sanity - Book Reviews, 1st Edition, 1946-1947.
Mask of Sanity - typed reproductions of reviews and list of reviews, 1941-1951.
Mask of Sanity - Book announcement letters from publisher to Cleckley and
Thigpen, 1950 November 15.
Mask of Sanity - Book Reviews and advertisement flyers, 2nd Edition, 1950.
Newspaper clippings of Dr. Walter C. Alvarez mentioning Cleckley and
Thigpen, 1953 and 1958.
Newspaper article regarding Thigpen and Cleckley’s journal article about electric
shock treatment, 1953.
Mask of Sanity - Book Reviews, 3rd Edition, 1955.
Mask of Sanity - Book Reviews, 4th Edition, 1965.
Series III: Varied Items, 1925-1987, half document box
Box Folder
2
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Personal Notebook Journal, University College, Oxford, 1925.
ECT (Electroconvulsive Therapy) paper and film narrative, not dated.
Personal copy of “Augusta: Yesterday and Today” 1951. Signature on inside
cover: “Louise & Hervey Cleckley”.
Screenplay The Three Faces of Eve; first draft continuity, 1956 June 18.
Three Faces of Eve:
(1) Promotional circular for Reader’s Digest Condensed Book club, 1957
(2) Letter regarding order of books from Longanesi & C., 1977.
Personal copy of “Churchill: A Man of Destiny, 1874-1965”. Collector’s copy,
1965.
Raw statistical numbers regarding diagnoses, approximately 1968-1981.
(Note: Does not contain any information or data leading to patient
identification.)
Copy of letter to editor of “American Journal of Psychiatry” by Corbett Thigpen,
1972.
Personal copy of “The Million Dollar Legends: Margaret Mitchell and Gone with
the Wind” 1974. Signature on front: “Emily & Hervey Cleckley”. Signature inside
cover: “Hervey Cleckley”.
Reprint of article about Cleckley written by Corbett Thigpen: “Renaissance Man”
1985 January. Note affixed to article: “Return to Emily Cleckley”.
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Augusta University
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(Item retained by Mrs. Cleckley after his death.)
Princeton University (items retained by Mrs. Cleckley after his death):
(1) Princeton Alumni Weekly, 1987 April 22 (see page 32);
(2) Service of Remembrance, 1987 February 21.
Series IV: Plaques, 1957 and 1981, half document box
Box Item
3
1
2
Plaque reads:
Dr. Hervey Cleckley
Presented in recognition of his
outstanding contribution to the motion
picture industry and the world at large
“The Three Faces of Eve”
World Premiere
Miller Theatre
Augusta, Georgia
September 18, 1957
Spyros P. Skouras
President
20th Century-Fox
Film Corporation
Plaque has Medical College of Georgia emblem at top and reads:
Hervey M. Cleckley, M.D.
On the occasion of your appointment as
PROFESSOR EMERITUS,
We extend our appreciation for
Your leadership as founding chairman
and for your continuing service.
The Faculty
Department of Psychiatry
Medical College of Georgia
October 21, 1981
Series V: Photographs, Diplomas, and Certificates, 1904-1981 (scattered), 2 flat boxes (one: 18.5” x
14.5” x 3.5”; second: 32” x 25” x 2.5”)
Box Item
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Augusta University
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Diploma: University of Oxford, University College, Bachelor of Arts, 1926 July 27.
Membership card: American Psychiatric Association, Life Fellow, not dated.
Printed charcoal drawing of Cleckley, not dated.
Photographs (25), ca. 1904 to ca. 1980. Photographs include: Cleckley as a toddler,
young school boy, running track as a student, studio portraits as an adult, and
casual photographs as an elderly man.
Certificate: from American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Cleckley certified
and qualified to practice the specialty of Neurology and Psychiatry. Certificate no.
939, 1940 December.
Certificate: Fellow of the American College of Physicians, 1941 December.
Certificate of membership: Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, 1940.
Certificate: from Board of Regents, naming Cleckley Clinical Professor Emeritus,
1981.
Certificate: from Georgia Writers Association, Literary Achievement Award for
Non-fiction, 1957.
Recording disc: Production “Three Faces of Eve”. Titles: “I’ll Never Know” and
“Hold Me”. Joanne Woodward and Orchestra, Reeves Soundcraft Corp. Not dated.
Record disc: TV-Time Off-the-Air Recording, “Three Faces of Eve” WEVD, 1958
December 18.
Box Item
5
1
2
3
Framed: Lithograph of Old Medical College of Georgia with following: Presented
to Hervey M. Cleckley, M.D. by The Milton Antony Historical Society for
“Psychopaths in History” March 1, 1972.
Size: 13.5” x 12.5”.
Framed: “Judge Parker” cartoon with following inscription: To Dr. Hervey Cleckley
--- Whose understanding of the many Sandra Deares is much greater than mine --Best regards, Judge Parker & Nick Dallis.
1963 May 25
Size: 21.25” x 7.75”
Diploma: University of Georgia, Bachelor of Science, 1924 June 18.
(Diploma is in Latin).
Series VI: Items on display in the Historical Collections and Archives Room (AB-225).
HCA Room
(AB-225)
Item
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Augusta University
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Portrait of Hervey M. Cleckley, M.D. Painted in oil. Artist and date
unknown. Portrait is on display in the Historical Collections and Archives
Room.
Medical College of Georgia Chair given to Cleckley upon his retirement.
Chair is on display in the Historical Collections and Archives Room.
MCG logo on front. Engraved plate on back reads:
Hervey M. Cleckley, M.D.
Professor and Chairman
Department of Psychiatry
School of Medicine
Medical College of Georgia
September 1937 - June 1955
Clinical Professor
July 1955 - July 1981
Framed: Original artwork by Robert Korn for The Three Faces of Eve book
jacket, ca. 1957.
Note: Item is on display in The Three Faces of Eve book collection exhibit in
the Historical Collections and Archives Room (AB-225).