LidGaus

The Gaus Poetry Collection, in memory of Professor John Gaus, contains modern British and American poetry, literary studies, and books on the art of creative writing.

The Gaus Poetry Collection is located on the third floor of College Library at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

John Merriman Gaus (1894-1969) was a professor of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 1927 to 1947, when he went to Harvard as a professor. He was a member of the faculty of the Experimental College, headed by Alexander Meikeljohn, within the University of Wisconsin.

When he died in 1969, some of his friends agreed to start a fund for a memorial. They sent one announcement to other Gaus friends and $16,608 came back by return mail. This money was used to furnish an easy room with Gaus' personal books as the nucleus of the books to be known as the John M. Gaus Collection.