Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

Grand Rapids, Michigan, attorney and political activist. Subject files relating to his interest in state legislative apportionment, Democratic Party affairs, and Citizen Action, a Grand Rapids, Michigan, non-partisan good government organization; also photographs.

The Kleiner papers consist of approximately 15.5 feet of materials covering the years of 1949 to 1982. Most of the files are dated in the period of 1961 to 1982, however, and relate to Kleiner's interest in legislative apportionment and Democratic Party affairs. The collection came in two principal accessions, thus some file series are physically separated among different boxes.

The collection has been arranged into five series: Apportionment; Democratic Party; Photographs; Scrapbooks; and Sound Recordings.

Cornelius Hoffius (1881-1943) and Stuart Hoffius (1914 - ), his son, practiced law in Grand Rapids, and both served as Kent County Prosecuting Attorney. Both men are best known for their respective tenures as Kent County Circuit Court Judges. Stuart Hoffius served as Chief Judge from 1976 until his retirement in 1988. Papers in the collection include personal correspondence, campaign files, speeches, and files documenting involvement with civic, service, and professional organizations, as well as some case files and judicial opinions.

This collection documents the careers, professional lives, and to a lesser extent, the personal lives of two prominent Grand Rapids jurists. The collection is particularly strong in its coverage of the Hoffius campaigns for circuit court judgeships, and their involvement with a number of different professional, civic, and religious organizations. Another strength of the collection lies in its coverage of speeches given by Stuart Hoffius, and associated supporting material. Also of interest in the collection is its representation of life during the Great Depression through the correspondence of Cornelius Hoffius. A few cases handled by the Hoffius family law firm, and several judicial opinions given by Cornelius Hoffius are included with the collection as well.

Papers associated with Cornelius Hoffius were produced between 1919 and 1943; the bulk of them were produced between 1926 and 1943. Papers associated with Stuart Hoffius were produced between 1930 and 2003; the bulk of them were produced between 1949 and 1992. The papers are organized into two series, Personal Papers and Business Files.

Grand Rapids, Michigan attorney, state attorney general, 1937-1938, associate justice and chief justice of the Michigan Supreme Court, U.S. District Court Judge for the Western District of Michigan. Correspondence, newspaper clippings, and business and professional papers, including material, 1950-1968, relating to his interest in Ferris State College, Big Rapids, Michigan; and photographs.

The Starr collection consists primarily of correspondence from 1936 to 1947. These correspondence files are arranged alphabetically with the bulk of them dated 1946 to 1947, the period when Starr was first appointed U.S. District Court Judge for the Western District of Michigan. A smaller portion of the collection relates to Starr's association with Ferris State College, to his various other organization interests, and to his real estate and business activities.