Margaret Cross Norton

Norton was posthumously recognized in the December 1999 American Libraries article naming "100 of the most important leaders we had in the 20th century" for her influence on the archival profession.

Her mother's bookkeeping skills and her father's references to the Illinois Revised Statutes helped Norton recognize the "practical and legal values of local government records".

[5] Norton later claimed that her archival philosophy was heavily influenced by her parents' work and household discussions.Norton obtained her bachelor's and master's degrees in history from the University of Chicago in 1913 and 1914, respectively.

During this time, Norton attended an American Historical Association lecture by Waldo Gifford Leland, who emphasized the need for a national archives.

While this lecture inspired Norton to pursue an archival career, she soon left her position at Vassar College to become a manuscripts assistant at the Indiana State Library in 1918.

[5] After working there a year, she returned to the University of Chicago to complete a fellowship, then again moved on to become a cataloger at the Missouri State Historical Society from 1920 to 1921.

During her trip, she learned about the passive nature of the current American archives, and their practice to accept any records that were offered to their repository.

Within months of her starting at the State Archives, Norton traveled to the Mississippi Valley Historical Association's meeting in Des Moines, Iowa.

"[5] The availability of Hilary Jenkinson's Manual of Archive Administration "also confirmed Norton's theories on the "utility of governmental records and the importance of provenance.

While reorganizing and updating the archives, Norton discovered numerous historical and legal documents, including an 1823 Governor's letterbook explaining the chain of custody of a plot of land involved in a pending lawsuit.

"One might conclude from the report that the ideal archivist is a scholar sitting in a remote ivory tower safeguarding records of interest only to the historian.

[8] In addition to helping the archival field develop as a profession free from historians and librarians, Norton was also a pioneer woman of her time.

Upon the SAA's examination of her house, they discovered a framed picture of the Illinois State Archives Building on her bedside nightstand.