Antonio de Jesus (Tony) Cardozo was born in Fogo, Cape Verde, in 1903. Cardozo emigrated to the United States at the age of 17 to work on his uncle’s ranch in California. He then moved to Boston, where he attended high school and worked nights in a factory. Cardozo went on to earn a law degree at Suffolk Law School in June 1929 and was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar the same month. Cardozo then studied at Harvard University as a Special Student under the Faculty of Arts and Science, where he received an associate’s degree in arts in June 1933. However, Cardozo had a particular interest in international law, and was interested in attending the soon to be established Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He was the first student to enroll at Fletcher and was among its first graduating class.
Cardozo practiced law in Boston, specializing in cases involving laws of foreign countries. Additionally, he handled legal work for various consulates as he was fluent in Portuguese, Spanish, English, and Italian. He also was a secretary of the Middlesex Bar Association and a member of the American Bar Association. In 1961, Cardozo was presented with the Distinguished Service Award by the Tufts University Alumni Association—the first given to a Fletcher graduate. He also was a representative on the Tufts’ board of trustees. He died in 1984.
Materials in the collection primarily relate to Antonio de Jesus Cardozo’s various interests and civic involvement. Included in the collection are photographs of Cardozo’s uncle’s ranch, Cardozo with family members and the 50th anniversary event of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. The collection also includes Cardozo’s photographs, programs, menus, and travel documents regarding the Congresso das Comunidades Portuguesas em Lisboa (First Congress of Portuguese Communities in Lisbon). Additionally, the collection also contains papers and photographs relating to the testimonial dinner and dance honoring Cardozo, various membership and religious certificates, account books of the Cardozo family finances, event programs, as well as correspondence, both personal and relating to enrollment into the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.
Rhode Island College Special Collections holds copyright to materials in this collection created by Antonio de Jesus Cardozo. The collection contains materials not created by Cardozo, which may be under copyright restrictions. Researchers are advised to contact Rhode Island College Special Collections for questions regarding permissions to reproduce, distribute, or otherwise publish material from this collection. Although Rhode Island College has physical ownership of the collection, it does not necessarily hold literary rights to all materials in this collection. It is up to the researcher to determine the owners of the literary rights and to obtain any necessary permissions from them.
The collection is open for research, however select items in box 1, folders 4, 19, and 20 are only accessible electronically. Please contact Adams Library Special Collections for further information.
Antonio de Jesus Cardozo papers, MSS-0080, Special Collections, James P. Adams Library, Rhode Island College.
The collection is arranged in no discernible order.
Part of the collection was donated by Antonio de Jesus Cardozo’s wife, Virginia Cardozo, in 2009 with additional materials donated by his daughters, Carol and Maria Cardozo, in 2010. Deeds of gift were signed by all parties at the time of their respective donations.
The collection was initially arranged and described by Marlene Lopes, Special Collections Librarian at Rhode Island College around 2009. The collection was redescribed and additions incorporated by Veronica Denison, Digital Archivist and Special Collections Librarian, in 2022.
Works used in preparation of inventory: Biographical information was taken from information within the collection.
Publications were removed from the collection and added to the Special Collections Book Collection.
Digital copies were made of select materials in this collection and the original items returned to the donors. The index cards in box 1, folder 24 are physical reproductions made of the original index cards due to preservation concerns. The originals were removed from the collection but are being retained by Adams Library Special Collections.
Digital materials in the collection are not available online. For information about obtaining digital copies, please contact Adams Library Special Collections.
The news clipping in folder 19 is only available electronically
Two photographs are only available electronically
This folder is only available electronically