Frank Johnson Goodnow, Ph.D., LL.B. (January 18, 1859 – November 15, 1939), President of Johns Hopkins University, was an American educator and legal scholar, born in Brooklyn, New York. The collection consists of about 12,000 items and spans the years 1880 to 1940. The majority of the material is Goodnow's correspondence, but there are also lectures, addresses, writings and printed material.

Herbert Baxter Adams (1850-1901) was an American educator and historian. The collection consists of material spanning 1851-1903. The materials include correspondence, lectures, writings, research material, files related to Johns Hopkins University, the United States Bureau of Education, the American Historical Association Committee of Seven, personal files, and prints and photos.

Ira Remsen, American chemist, educator and second President of Johns Hopkins University was born in New York City on February 10, 1846. The collection spans the years 1868 - 1938. The material consists of correspondence, speeches, publications, lectures and lecture notes, notebooks, scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, photographs, reprints, books annotated by Remsen, and memorabilia.

John Holladay Latané was a history professor at Johns Hopkins University born in Staunton, Virginia on April 1, 1869. The collection consists of writings, lectures and speeches, correspondence, research material, and material on the invention of the McCormick Reaper spanning 1913-1930.

John Martin Vincent (1857-1939) years was a Professor of European History at Johns Hopkins University. This collection consists of correspondence, scrapbooks, subject files, and personal materials ranging in date from 1881 to 1925. The bulk of the material is correspondence dating from 1900-1910.