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Collection

Alexander G. Ruthven Papers, 1901-1961 (majority within 1906-1951)

65.4 linear feet — 1 oversize folder

Zoologist, college professor, president of University of Michigan, 1929-1951. Professional files relating to his career with the University Museum and as a professor of zoology, and presidential files containing correspondence, reports, speeches, and other University materials, including budget and legislative files, material relating to changes in University administration, his relationship with faculty, students and alumni, and photographs.

The Alexander Ruthven papers consists of two series of records. The first is the papers of Ruthven as president of the University of Michigan, 1929 to 1951. The second, and smaller, series is the files maintained by Ruthven as a zoologist with the University Museum and as professor of zoology. This latter series dates largely from 1908 to 1929 but also includes collected earlier files from the 1870s.

Collection

Arthur J. Lacy Papers, 1891-1975

10 linear feet — 2 oversize folders — 1 oversize volume

Detroit, Michigan, attorney and judge, Democratic candidate for governor in 1934. Correspondence, legal case files, family materials, speeches, essays, diary notes, financial materials, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, photographs, and transcript of oral interview.

The Arthur J. Lacy collection consists of correspondence and other papers documenting his political activities within the Democratic party and career as a Detroit attorney. The collection has been divided into the following series: Biographical information; Personal letters; Professional correspondence and related papers; Lacy Family papers; Speeches; Early personal materials; Writings, essays, etc.; Financial files; Miscellaneous; Newspapers clippings; Photographs; and Legal files.

The Lacy Collection documents particularly well Lacy's major legal cases (Wilson vs. White, the Ford Stock Tax Case, Mary A. Rackham Estate) and his transition from conservative Democrat to conservative Republican. His letters home from Valparaiso, Indiana and Ann Arbor and his letters to his future wife Beth Garwick give a detailed picture of college life in the 1890's. Major subjects covered in the public papers are the Detroit Domestic Relations Court, problems of taxation and banking in the depression, Lacy's friendship with James Couzens, and the campaigns of 1932 and 1934. A series of notes Lacy wrote to himself from 1915-1928 and 1946-1956 reveal his political ideals, personal morality, and his relationship to his family.

Within the Professional Correspondence and related papers series, the researcher will find correspondence with many notable political and business figures. These include John W. Anderson, William R. Angell, Art Baker, Arthur A. Ballantine, C.C. Bradner, John V. Brennan, Thomas E. Brennan, Prentiss M. Brown, Wilber M. Brucker, George E. Bushnell, Daniel T. Campau, Harvey J. Campbell, John J. Carson, E.R. Chapin, John S. Coleman, William A. Comstock, Calvin Coolidge, Grace G. Coolidge, Frank Couzens, James J. Couzens, John D. Dingell, Patrick J. Doyle, William J. Durant, Henry T. Ewald, Mordecai J.B. Ezechiel, James A. Farley, Homer Ferguson, Woodbridge N. Ferris, Clara J.B. Ford, Edsel B. Ford, Joseph Foss, Fred W. Green, Alexander J. Groesbeck, Edgar A. Guest, James M. Hare, Herbert C. Hoover, J. Edgar Hoover, Kaufman T. Keller, Stanley S. Kresge, David Lawrence, Arthur F. Lederle, John C. Lehr, Fulton Lewis, Percy Loud, William G. McAdoo, William McKinley, George A. Marston, Eliza M. Mosher, Frank Murphy, George Murphy, William J. Norton, George D. O'Brien, Elmer B. O'Hara, Hazen S. Pingree, Mary A. H. Rackham, Horace H. Rackham, Clarence A. Reid, George W. Romney, Eleanor Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Alexander G. Ruthven, W.M. Skillman, Albert E. Sleeper, Edward D. Stair, Arthur E. Summerfield, William H. Taft, Joseph P. Tumulty, Arthur H. Vandenberg, A. VanderZee, Murray D. Van Wagoner, Henry F. Vaughan, Carl Vinson, Matilda R.D. Wilson, Clarence E. Wilcox, and R.A.C. Wollenberg.

The Lacy Family papers are rich in detail about life in Michigan in the nineteenth and early twentieth century; the surviving letters document family crises and Lacy's role in them as the oldest and most successful child and later, as family leader. Lacy was the family genealogist and he collected and preserved the family correspondence of his uncles and aunt, some of which date back to the 1850's.

Collection

Carl M. Weideman Papers, 1921-1972 (majority within 1932-1934)

3 linear feet — 1 oversize folder — 2 oversize volumes

Detroit, Michigan trial attorney, Democratic Congressman, 1933-1935, and Wayne County Circuit Court Judge. Correspondence and other materials concerning his term in Congress, national and local politics, and various judicial decisions; miscellaneous diaries, newspaper clippings, and scrapbooks concerning his association with the American Turners Association (German-American athletic society), Detroit, Michigan politics, and the election and recall of Detroit Mayor Charles Bowles; and photographs.

The collection consists of correspondence, primarily from the period when Weideman was a member of Congress; files relating to his election campaign and to a few of the issues of the time; and miscellaneous other materials from his career with the Wayne County Circuit Court and as a member of the American Turners. There is also an extensive series of scrapbooks detailing his professional and civic activities and several folders of photographs.

Collection

Charles A. Sink Papers, 1900-1996

21 linear feet — 1 oversize folder — 2.22 GB

Online
Republican member of the state house and the state senate; president of the University Musical Society. Legislative and campaign files, 1919-1935, detailing his election campaigns, his activities within the legislature, and his various responsibilities as a member of the Republican State Central Committee; general correspondence files, 1922-1960, largely pertaining to his work with the University Musical Society and other civic activities; topical files; family history and memoirs; diaries and appointment books; papers of wife Alva Gordon Sink; and visual materials.
Collection

Chase S. Osborn Papers, circa 1870-1949 (majority within 1889-1949)

149.9 linear feet ((in 152 boxes)) — 3 oversize volumes — 1 oversize folder

Governor of Michigan, writer, businessman; papers include correspondence, business records, speeches, writings, visual materials, diaries.

The Osborn collection consists of correspondence, diaries, business papers, scrapbooks, photographs, and other materials accumulated during his life. Materials prior to 1889 are scarce possibly because of a fire which destroyed Osborn's home; thereafter and up to the time of his death in 1949, the Osborn papers are voluminous, documenting each of this man's varied activities. Although his career as elected public official was limited to one term as governor, the collection reflects the importance of his life in areas beyond politics alone. His voice was heard, in letters and speeches and monographs, speaking out on the issues of the day - prohibition, conservation, the New Deal, and of course his life-long interest in the development of Michigan's Upper Peninsula economy and natural resources.

Collection

Frank A. Picard papers, 1907-1963

3 linear feet — 11 oversize volumes — 1 oversize folder

Chairman of Michigan Liquor Control Commission, 1932-1934, candidate for the US Senate in 1934, president of Michigan Bar Association, and U.S. Judge of Eastern District of Michigan, 1939-1963. Correspondence and other papers relating to Michigan and national politics, his work on the Liquor Control Commission and the Michigan Bar Association; also campaign speeches and scrapbooks.

The Frank A. Picard papers consist of correspondence and other papers relating to Michigan and national politics, his work on the Michigan Liquor Control Commission and the Michigan Bar Association; files of campaign speeches and scrapbooks; and scripts and related papers for plays he wrote. The collection has been arranged into the following series: Correspondence, speeches and other materials; Scripts and plays; Other writings and miscellaneous; and Scrapbooks.

Collection

Frank D. McKay Papers, 1909-1965

3 linear feet — 2 oversize volumes

Grand Rapids, Michigan businessman and politician; correspondence, business papers; scrapbooks, and photographs.

The Frank D. McKay collection is divided into the following series: Correspondence; Topical Files; Business and financial papers; Newspaper clippings and scrapbooks; and Photographs.

Collection

Frank Dwight Fitzgerald papers, 1928-1944 (majority within 1930-1939)

28 linear feet — 4 oversize volumes — 1 oversize folder

Michigan Secretary of State, 1931-1935; Governor of Michigan, 1935-1936 and 1939; and chairman, 1936, of the Michigan delegation to the Republican National Convention. Correspondence, speeches, press releases, newspaper clippings, and miscellaneous notebooks and printed materials concerning his political career.

The Fitzgerald papers date from 1928 to 1944 but the bulk of the collection falls within the period of 1930 to 1939, the year of Fitzgerald's death. Papers dated after 1939 are those of his wife Queena. The collection primarily concerns the mechanics of campaigning for office with little documentation of the administration of either the office of secretary of state or governor. The collection has been arranged into seven series: Correspondence; Biographical / Personal; Photographs; Speeches and Press Releases; Political Career; National Republican Party published material; and Scrapbooks.

The largest series in the collection - Correspondence - is important for showing the range of Fitzgerald's political acquaintances and his skill in achieving elective office. A selective index to those who corresponded with Fitzgerald is appended to this finding aid.

Collection

Frank Murphy papers, 1908-1949

166 microfilms — 24 linear feet (in 28 boxes) — 7 oversize volumes — 2 oversize folders — 474 MB (online) — 18 digital video files (online)

Online
Michigan-born lawyer, judge, politician and diplomat, served as Detroit Recorder's Court Judge, Mayor of Detroit, Governor General of the Philippines, Governor of Michigan, U. S. Attorney General and U.S. Supreme Court Justice. Papers include extensive correspondence, subject files, Supreme court case files, scrapbooks, photographs, newsreels and audio recordings, and other material.

The Frank Murphy Collection documents in detail the life and career of one of Michigan's most distinguished public servants. Through correspondence, subject files, scrapbooks, visual materials, and other documentation, the collection traces Murphy's life from his years as Detroit judge, later Mayor, to his service in the Philippines, his tenure as governor, his stint as U.S. Attorney General, and culminating in his final years as U.S. Supreme Court Justice.

The Frank Murphy Collection consists of eight series: Correspondence, Other Papers, Supreme Court Case Files, Speech File, Speech Material, Miscellaneous, Visual Material, and Newsclippings/Scrapbooks.

Collection

George Murphy papers, 1911-1961

15 linear feet — 1 volume — 1 oversize folder

Judge of the Recorder's Court in Detroit and Frank Murphy's brother; contain correspondence, legal briefs, newspaper clippings, and other materials concerning Detroit politics, 1935-1961, the grand jury investigation of Detroit street railways, 1936, arbitration of labor disputes, 1936-1941, investigation of the Charles Street housing project, 1939-1940, as well as materials illuminating the careers and personal affairs of both George and Frank Murphy, especially in relation to Detroit and the Philippine Islands.

The George Murphy papers, which encompass the years 1911 to 1961, are most comprehensive for the decade following 1932. During this period - the most politically active in Murphy's career - the correspondence is especially useful in illustrating George Murphy's role in his brother's emergence as a politician, especially his role as dispenser of patronage in the depression years. The papers, of course, illuminate the social function performed by the Recorder's Court and contain voluminous correspondence with state and federal judges, attorneys, prisoners, prison officials, probation officers, etc. Judge Murphy also maintained close contact with affairs in his home town, Harbor Beach. Included in the collection are significant materials on affairs in the Philippines during his brother's governorship there, particularly correspondence during the years 1933 to 1936 with his sister, Marguerite, Eleanor Bumgardner, and with leading Filipinos concerning conditions there.

Collection

George William Moore papers, 1859-1956

1 oversize folder — 5 oversize volumes — 7 linear feet

Detroit attorney and businessman; active in the Michigan Democratic Party and a strong supporter of and personal correspondent with William Jennings Bryan. Collection includes correspondence, clippings, and financial records related to Moore, his family, and his estate; the law firm of Moore & Moore; and associated business interests..

The George William Moore papers provide a complex view of life in Michigan in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Correspondence from the family home in Van Buren Township documents rural concerns and daily activities, while deeds and correspondence from the Upper Peninsula detail the explosive growth of land and mining interests in the farthest reaches of the state. Moore's personal materials cast light on the upper strata of Detroit's society at the height of the Gilded Age and his business records encompass a range of legal activities and reveal the frenetic pace of business and speculation in the years preceding the Great Depression. Political materials and personal writings further reflect some of the most contentious issues of his day, from Free Silver to the public ownership of utilities. This collection will be of value to those interested in the history of law, Democratic politics, mining, and industry as well as the social lives of Michiganians in rural and urban settings. The George William Moore papers are divided into three series: Personal, Moore & Moore, and Associated Businesses.

Collection

Guy H. Jenkins papers, 1931-1957

1 linear foot — 1 oversize item

Chief of the Lansing bureau of Booth Newspapers, Inc. Correspondence and other materials concerning his newspaper career and his interest in Michigan politics (particularly the election of 1932) and Michigan politicians Frank Murphy and Blair Moody.

The Jenkins collection consists of correspondence dating from 1931 to 1957, various subject files pertaining to issues of state government, and files of his expense accounts. Some of the individuals with whom Jenkins had correspondence included William A. Comstock, James A. Farley, John A. Hannah, Howard C. Lawrence, Frank Murphy, and Frank A. Picard.

Collection

Harry Burns Hutchins papers, 1879-1930

22 linear feet

Professor of law and president of the University of Michigan. Papers include correspondence, reports, and speeches relating to all aspects of his University activities; and visual materials.

The Harry B. Hutchins papers cover the years 1879 through 1929, and include records generated during his years as professor and dean of the law department, President of the University of Michigan, and in retirement. Boxes 1-18 are primarily comprised of correspondence. Reports of the departments, schools, and other units of the university are contained in box 19, folders 30-32, and box 20, folders 1-13. As president, Hutchins did not regularly submit annual reports to the Board of Regents. Additional materials include speeches, photographs, and biographical material.

Collection

James K. Pollock papers, 1920-1968

87 linear feet — 3 oversize folders — 2 film reels — 6 phonograph records (oversize) — 16.3 GB — 19 digital audio files

Online
University of Michigan professor of political science, special advisor to the U.S. Military Government in Germany after World War II, participant in numerous government commissions; papers include correspondence, working files, speeches, course materials, and visual and sound materials.

The James K. Pollock papers represent an accumulation of files from a lifetime of academic teaching and research and an extraordinary number of public service responsibilities to both his state and his nation. The files within the collection fall into two categories: types of document (such as correspondence, speeches and writings, visual materials, etc.) and files resulting from a specific activity or position (such as his work as delegate to the Michigan Constitutional Convention or his service with the Office of the Military Government in Germany after World War II).

The collection is large and of a complicated arrangement because of Pollock's many activities. When received in 1969, the files were maintained as received; very little processing was done to the collection so that an inventory to the papers could be quickly prepared. The order of material is that devised by James K. Pollock and his secretarial staff in the U-M Department of Political Science. Recognizing the anomalies within the order of the collection, the library made the decision to list the contents to the collection while at the same time preparing a detailed card file index (by box and folder number, i.e. 16-8) to significant correspondents and subjects. While there was much to be said for this method of preparing a finding aid expeditiously, it also covered up some problems in arrangement. Thus series and subseries of materials are not always grouped together as they were created by Pollock. Files on the Hoover Commission and the Michigan Constitutional Convention, for example, come before Pollock's work in Germany after the war. In 1999, effort was made to resolve some of the inconsistencies and obvious misfilings of the first inventory but because of the numbering system used in 1969 and the card index prepared for the files, there are still some problems. Researchers should be alert to these difficulties and take time to examine different parts of the collection for material on a similar topic.

Collection

James Orin Murfin papers, 1896-1940

8 linear feet

Republican politician and regent of University of Michigan. Correspondence, 1901-1940, personal and professional materials, legal briefs and letters relating to William Cook estate and other University of Michigan affairs during his regency, 1918-1937; also correspondence while member of University's Board in Control of Athletics concerning University's departure from and return to Big Nine Conference and college athletics in general.

The Murfin papers relate mainly to JOM's activities as regent and as member of the University of Michigan's Board in Control of Athletics. The collection contains information concerning Michigan's departure from and return to the Big Nine Conference and the amateur-professional dilemma in college athletics. The regental material documents such problems as administrative oversight, particularly selection of the president and settlement of the William Cook estate. As member of the Law Club's governing body, Murfin helped to shape the university's case when Cook's bequest was contested by his wife. Although Murfin was influential in Michigan Republican party affairs, he filed his political papers separately and thus they are not included here.

The collection has been divided into two series: Correspondence, 1901-1940 and Topical Files which contain personal information and legal briefs concerning in part the Cook bequest

Collection

Jesse Siddall Reeves Papers, 1853-1942 (majority within 1901-1942)

14 linear feet — 1 oversize folder

Chairman of the department of political science at University of Michigan. Correspondence, reports, manuscript articles, book reviews, lecture notes, and miscellaneous papers concerning family affairs and his academic interests in political science and international law.

The Reeves papers largely concern JSR's activities as professor (also chairman) of the University of Michigan Department of Political Science from his appointment in 1910 until his retirement in 1937. The great bulk of the collection consists of Reeves' correspondence. With this is a smaller series of such other materials as lectures, research materials, professional organizational materials. As an aid to accessing the correspondence, a selective index of correspondents and subjects has been prepared and is appended to the following containing listing.

Collection

Joseph A. Bursley papers, circa 1880s-1950 (scattered dates)

1 linear foot

Correspondence, photographs, directories, lists of members and other material concerning reunions of the University of Michigan class of 1899; and an article on student loan funds at the University of Michigan, 1927-1928. Correspondents include James B. Angell (July 17, 1909) and William A. Comstock. Visual materials include images of Bursley, and a childhood photograph of Bursley's wife, Marguerite Knowlton Bursley.

This collection documents the personal and business activities of Jospeh A. Bursley. Materials include correspondence--notably, with the University of Michigan president James B. Angell and Michigan Governor William A. Comstock,-- directories, information regarding reunions of the class of 1899, an article on student loan funds at the University of Michigan, and a selection of photographs which include a childhood photograph of Marrguerite Knowlton Bursley. The material spans from the 1880s to 1950.

Collection

Junius E. Beal Papers, 1869-1946

15.3 linear feet

Ann Arbor, Michigan, businessman, publisher of Ann Arbor Courier, Republican politician, and regent of University of Michigan. Correspondence, letter books, speeches, newspaper clippings, and photographs; papers (1909-1920) of Michigan Public Domain Commission, of which Beal was a member; papers (1877-1904) concerning Port Huron Gas Light Company; and printed material and miscellanea (1885-1905) concerning League of American Wheelmen and his interest in bicycling.

The Junius E. Beal papers include correspondence, papers accumulated from his various interests and organizational activities, subject files, speeches, newspaper clippings, and photographs. The series in the collection include: Correspondence, Michigan Public Domain Commission, Topical Files; and Other Materials. Most of the files in the collection relate in some way to Beal's life in Ann Arbor, either as a student, a businessman, a public figure, as someone who took civic responsibility seriously and was determined to serve his community and the university that he loved.

Collection

Lucius L. Hubbard papers, 1871-1935

5 linear feet — 1 oversize folder

State Geologist and University of Michigan Regent. Personal and business correspondence and letter books concerning personal matters, his literary and book collecting interests, geology and mining in Michigan, the publication of his writings, and University of Michigan affairs.

The Hubbard papers relate to his career as a geologist, to his service as a member of the University of Michigan Board of Regents, and to his other various literary and scientific interests. The collection has been arranged into four series: Correspondence; University of Michigan papers; Other Activities (mining and geological interests); and bound personal and business records.

Collection

Michigan Civil Service Study Commission records, 1935-1941

6 linear feet

Correspondence, reports, minutes, financial records, drafts of bills and clippings, including the 1936 report of the Public Administration Service on existing conditions in Michigan.

These records, maintained by commission chair James K. Pollock, include administrative files relating to the operation of the commission. There are also materials relating to the survey undertaken by the commission, to the hearings held, and to the drafting of the report prior to its submission to the governor.

Collection

Michigan Politicians Portraits collection, 1885-1982

0.4 linear feet

Collection of 26 portraits of Michigan governors, lieutenant governors and senators, scattered between 1885-1982. All portraits except two were autographed by politicians pictured to Charles A. Sink, Michigan Republican politician.

Portrait collection of Michigan politicians spanning the years 1885-1982, with most photos from the period 1927-1982. Collection consists of two folders: "Governors" which contains 19 photographs, and "Senators", which contains 7 photographs. All dates listed correspond to the terms served by each politician.

Collection

Murray D. Van Wagoner Papers, 1921-1949

4 linear feet — 2 oversize volumes — 10 film reels

Online
Construction engineer and Michigan Democratic politician; served terms as Oakland County Drain Commissioner, Michigan State Highway Commissioner, and as Governor, 1941-1942; include correspondence, scrapbooks, appointment books, and assorted miscellanea.

The series in the Van Wagoner collection are Correspondence (1933-1945); Newspaper clippings/Scrapbooks (1930-1933 and 1940-1949); Miscellaneous/Political; and Visual Materials. The collection is largely an accumulation of personal materials from his career as a public service. There is very little of these papers that might be classified as administrative or office files from his years as highway commissioner or his term as governor.

Collection

Prentiss Marsh Brown Papers, 1902-1973

28 linear feet (in 29 boxes) — 2 oversize folders — 12 microfilms

Michigan congressman and senator, head of the U.S. Office of Price Administration; papers include correspondence, legislative files, speeches, political files, business and legal records, diaries and scrapbooks, visual materials, and sound recordings.

The Prentiss M. Brown Collection is rich and full and offers researchers materials on a variety of local and national topics reflecting the diversity of the man's private and public life. The earliest item in the collection is a letter book dated 1902-04 of James J. Brown, like his son a prominent St. Ignace attorney. The collection then picks up Prentiss M. Brown's entrance to the legal profession in 1917, traces his rise to public office, his work in Congress and with the O.P.A., and then concludes with his later business interests and his crusade upon behalf of the Mackinac Bridge.

The Brown Collection comprises approximately twenty-eight feet of correspondence, letterbooks, scrapbooks, diaries, speeches, topical and legislative files, photographs and phonograph records, and legal case files and business records. Covering the period 1917 to 1973, the papers concentrate most heavily in the years 1932-1942 when Brown was in the U.S. Congress. The greatest gap in the collection is in the period of the 1920s when Brown was making his first bids for political office. Also missing are any extensive files for the time of Brown's O.P.A. directorship. What the collection has on the O.P.A. are largely speeches, scrapbooks, and congratulatory letters.

Collection

Rudolph E. Reichert Papers, 1907-2004 (majority within 1907-1962)

17.5 linear feet

Ann Arbor, Michigan banker and commissioner of the Michigan Banking Department during the depression. Correspondence and other papers concerning his activities as banking commissioner and officer of the Michigan Bankers Association; includes letters from Mrs. Christine Reichert to her children while touring Europe, mainly Germany, on the eve of World War II, 1939; also letters between Reichert and British manufacturer in which British-American foreign policy is discussed, 1939-1945; and photographs.

The Reichert papers span the period 1907-1965 but bulk largest for the years 1927-1936. The collection deals with Reichert's career as Commissioner of the State Banking Department of Michigan, his activities as a local bank president in Ann Arbor, an officer in the Michigan Bankers Association, and a stockholder in the Argus Corporation. There are a few scattered items of a personal nature, in short, such personal correspondence as was handled through his business office.

The papers are rich in materials on the financial crisis in Michigan during the Great Depression when he was Banking Commissioner. Reichert was also active until the early 1950's in the framing of both state and federal legislation dealing with banks, federal deposit insurance, etc., and he carried on a full correspondence with Congressman Earl Michener and Senator Arthur Vandenberg on these legislative matters. Considerable material exists on the Michigan Bankers Association, especially for the years 1941-1944, when he was an officer of the group. There is some material on Republican party matters, but it is not very full.

Ann Arbor's business and financial life is well covered for the whole period, including material on Argus, Inc. for the post-war period. The effect of both the depression and the war on small town economic life is particularly well documented. There is an interesting series of letters, 1939-1945, between Reichert and a British rope manufacturer named Hendy, in which British and American policy in foreign affairs and the conduct of the war is argued at length.

The collection has been divided into the following series: Professional Papers; State Banking Department and related; Biographical/Personal; and Photographs.

Collection

University of Michigan Board of Regents Portrait Collection, circa 1860-1970

0.4 linear feet

Portraits of some members of the University of Michigan Board of Regents.

This collection contains portraits of about 65 members of the University of Michigan Board of Regents. Most of the portraits are of regents who served between about 1870 and 1970, although a few earlier regents are also included.

Other portraits of regents are found in the papers of individual regents.

Collection

Wilber M. Brucker Papers, 1877-1968

54 linear feet — 2 oversize folders — 22 GB (online)

Online
Prosecuting attorney of Saginaw County, Michigan, attorney general of Michigan, 1929-1931, governor, 1931-1932, general counsel to the Department of Defense during the Army-McCarthy Hearing, 1954-1955, and Secretary of the Army, 1955-1961. Correspondence, speeches, tapes, appointment books, scrapbooks, photograph albums, newspaper clippings, and other materials concerning his political career.

The Wilber M. Brucker Collection consists of correspondence, subject files, scrapbooks, tape recordings, visual materials, political ephemera, and other materials from a lifelong career in public service. The collection provides significant, though not always extensive, material on his activities as state attorney general, governor, and secretary of the army. In addition, the papers include documentation from Brucker's private career: his law practice, his involvement in the preparation of a plan for the reapportionment of the Michigan Legislature, his devotion to Republican Party causes, his activities with the Knights Templar of Michigan, and as a member of the World War I Rainbow Division. With some exceptions, the early phases of Brucker's life are not as well represented as one might hope. There is really no body of Brucker gubernatorial materials extant. What remains are scattered items, largely concerning the election campaigns of 1930 and 1932.

The collection has been arranged into twelve series: Biographical; Correspondence; Family Papers; Subject Files; Knights Templar; Rainbow Division; Appointment Books; Speeches; Secretary of the Army; Newspaper Clippings; Personal: Albums, Scrapbooks, etc.; and Visual Materials.

Collection

William A. Comstock Papers, 1899-1949

14 linear feet — 2 oversize folders

Alpena, Michigan, businessman, University of Michigan regent and Democratic governor of Michigan, 1933-1934; correspondence, diaries, business papers, and other items, concerning Democratic party affairs, state and national elections, real estate and financial transactions, and photographs.

The William A. Comstock papers document activities of a businessman/promoter and a Democratic Party functionary. Although the collection dates from 1902 to 1949, the bulk of the papers date from 1919 to 1932, the period of Comstock's primary business involvements. The collection has been arranged into five series: Correspondence, Other Papers and Records, Business Record Books, Diaries, and Photographs.

Collection

William B. Mershon Papers, 1848-1943

46.5 linear feet — 1 oversize folder — 14 microfilms

Online
Saginaw, Michigan, lumberman and businessman, and Michigan State Tax Commissioner, 1912 and wildlife conservationist and sportsman. Papers include extensive correspondence files, business records and photographs.

The William Mershon collection consists of correspondence dealing with Mershon's various activities as a lumberman, Saginaw businessman, and member of the State Tax Commission in 1912. Subjects included in the papers are Michigan wildlife conservation, the Michigan Sportsmen Association, the Michigan Manufacturers Association, the Michigan State Tax Commission, Michigan politics, the Democratic party, personal business investments, lumbering and mining interest, and personal affairs.

The collection also includes diaries, a book of notes on hunting and fishing trips, and various business records such as cash books, time books, ledgers, and journals. These primarily concern his investments and lumbering business. Many of the business records are available on microfilm. The collection also includes photographs.