Title: Fred and Mary Keith Blair Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1923-1994

Creators:

• Blair, Fred Bassett, 1906-
• Blair, Mary Keith

Call Number: Mss 234; Tape 303A; AB 881

Quantity: 3.2 c.f. (7 archives boxes), 1 tape recording, and 1 film

Repository:

Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

Abstract:

Papers of a leader of the Wisconsin Communist Party, mainly consisting of correspondence, writings, biographical material, and subject files. Biographical material includes transcripts of two taped interviews (one of the tapes is in the collection) dealing with his views on politics and the Vietnam War and a film of a Great American Dream Machine (WNET-TV) episode based on his life. Correspondence, 1941-1979, is incomplete although it provides a picture of some party concerns. The later files are dominated by exchanges with a sister residing in Hungary. Writings, 1934-1979, include poetry and copies of speeches, articles, and press releases, many apparently written in behalf of the party. Of the subject files, the material on the Wisconsin Communist Party is most valuable. Here are included materials issued by the party which are not identified as having been written by Blair and clippings pertaining to the Wisconsin Gentile League and an advertisement placed in some Wisconsin newspapers.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mss00234

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Carroll Blair, the son of poor French-Canadian parents, was born in Berlin, Wisconsin, October 4, 1906, and graduated as salutatorian from Wautoma High School in 1923. After working for four years he saved enough money to enroll at the University of Wisconsin, where he was an outstanding student for two years in the Meiklejohn Experimental College and a participant in campus politics and sports.

Blair left the University in 1929, went to Milwaukee, and in 1930 became a member of the Communist Party. That year he was arrested for striking a policeman in the Haymarket Square Riot, and he subsequently served a year in prison. To protect his family, he changed his name at this time to Fred Bassett and ultimately to Fred Bassett Blair. During the Depression Blair was unable to find work and so he devoted himself to organizing the unemployed. After 1936 he became a paid party functionary, sometimes serving as state chairman and as a member of the Wisconsin executive board. Blair also served as a member of the national committee of the Communist Party from 1945 to 1948. In Wisconsin, he was a candidate for senator in 1938 and for governor in 1930, 1932, 1940, 1942, and 1966. He has edited the Wisconsin edition of The Worker and is a frequently-published poet.

At the height of the McCarthy era Blair and his wife were forced underground, but they returned to Milwaukee in 1955 to open a secondhand bookstore. They closed the bookstore in 1969, but Blair has remained active as a writer, poet, and party leader.

The collection mainly relates to Blair's writing and activities in behalf of the Wisconsin Communist Party, and it includes correspondence, writings, subject files, and biographical material. The collection begins with a folder of biographical material, including clippings; campaign materials; transcripts of a 1976 interview chiefly concerning his attitudes toward the Vietnam War and a 1963 interview with David Thelen of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin concerning the general political situation; and “Old Comrades,” a 16mm print of a 1972 episode of WNET-TV's Great American Dream Machine series which concerned Blair's life. The correspondence, 1941-1979, is incomplete, containing no letters from the 1930's and only fragmentary exchanges from more recent years. The correspondence of the 1960's and 1970's is dominated by exchanges with Blair's sister Naomi and his sister and brother-in-law Grace and Emil Gardos who resided in Hungary, though there are numerous exchanges concerning political conditions in Wisconsin throughout.

The writings, 1934-1979, include copies of many of his poems, some present in more than one draft, and press releases, articles, and speeches, all apparently written as a result of his communist activities. It is not certain, however, that Blair is the author of all of the articles in the collection. The prose writings cover a wide variety of topics, though the majority pertain to Wisconsin politics during the 1940's and 1950's.

The subject files are made up of printed matter and clippings on a variety of topics that interested Blair. Most valuable here is the file on the Wisconsin Communist Party which contains materials issued by the party that were apparently not written by Blair. The clippings collected in this folder pertain to the Wisconsin Gentile League and to an advertisement placed in some Wisconsin papers by the party.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Fred Bassett Blair, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1963-1982. Accession Number: M63-169, M63-170, M65-059, M66-113, M72-137, M74-289, M75-591, M76-565, M78-598, M79-002, M79-416, M80-001, M81-011, M82-078

Processing Information

Processed by Jack T. Ericson, 1964; Karen Baumann, 1973; Carolyn Mattern, 1980, and Geoffrey Wexler and Joanne Hohler, 1983.

Mss 234	Series: Biographical Material
Box   1 Folder   1	Biographical Material, 1923-1979
Box   4 Folder   1	Biographical Clippings, 1928-1972
Box   4 Folder   14	Blair Family Genealogy
AB 881	Great American Dream Machine [segment] : Old Comrades, 1972 January 5 Physical Description: 323 ft. : sd., col. (16mm) print  Scope and Content Note: WNET-TV portrait of Fred Blair in which he reminisces about his early life, reasons for joining the Communist Party, and various Party activities over the years. Footage shows Blair and his wife Mary at home with friends, shopping, and circulating a petition in their Milwaukee neighborhood.
Tape 303A	Interview with David Thelen
Mss 234	Series: Correspondence	⇧
Box   1 Folder   2-4	Correspondence, 1941-1979
Box   4 Folder   3A-3B	Correspondence, Miscellaneous, ca. 1943, 1947, 1957-1980, undated
	Blair Family
Box   4 Folder   15	Blair, John and Harriet (brother and sister-in-law), 1971-1980
Box   5 Folder   1	Blais, Clemence (nephew) and Edna, 1973-1979
Box   5 Folder   2	Gardos, Grace Blair and Emil (sister and brother-in-law), 1964-1980
Box   5 Folder   3	Slye, Aimee Blair and Orville (sister and brother-in-law), 1973-1980
Box   5 Folder   4	Smith, Mary Sue (niece) and Michael, 1965-1980
Box   5 Folder   5	Thurston, Madeline Blaine Blair (sister)-clippings, correspondence, poetry, 1963, 1971-1980
	Series: Writings	⇧
Box   4 Folder   4	Miscellaneous--Press Releases, Articles, Notes, 1954-1980
Box   1 Folder   5-6	Poetry, 1934-1979, undated
Box   4 Folder   8	Poetry, 1943-1981
Box   2 Folder   1	Press Releases, 1944-1979
Box   2 Folder   2-4	Articles, 1934-1979, undated
Box   4 Folder   6	End the Loathsome Curse of McCarthyism (Typescript--carbon), ca. 1952
Box   4 Folder   7	Incident at Mosinee, Wisconsin--Pieces by Fred Blair(?), ca. 1950 May
Box   2 Folder   5	Speeches and Statements, 1938-1979
Box   2 Folder   6	Notes, 1943-1963
Box   4 Folder   9	Notes for a Party Program on Farm Issues, 1950-1956
Box   4 Folder   5	Notes and Rough draft for a Working Class History of Wisconsin, ca. 1939
Box   2 Folder   7	Legal Cases, 1946-1947
Mss 234	Series: Correspondence	⇧
Box   1 Folder   2-4	Correspondence, 1941-1979
Box   4 Folder   3A-3B	Correspondence, Miscellaneous, ca. 1943, 1947, 1957-1980, undated
	Series: Writings	⇧
Box   4 Folder   4	Miscellaneous--Press Releases, Articles, Notes, 1954-1980
Box   1 Folder   5-6	Poetry, 1934-1979, undated
Box   4 Folder   8	Poetry, 1943-1981
Box   2 Folder   1	Press Releases, 1944-1979
Box   2 Folder   2-4	Articles, 1934-1979, undated
Box   4 Folder   6	End the Loathsome Curse of McCarthyism (Typescript--carbon), ca. 1952
Box   4 Folder   7	Incident at Mosinee, Wisconsin--Pieces by Fred Blair(?), ca. 1950 May
Box   2 Folder   5	Speeches and Statements, 1938-1979
Box   4 Folder   10	Mary Blair-Statement on Winning FBI Lawsuit, 1979 May 17
Box   2 Folder   6	Notes, 1943-1963
Box   4 Folder   9	Notes for a Party program on farm issues, 1950-1956
Box   4 Folder   5	Notes and Rough draft for a Working Class History of Wisconsin, ca. 1939
Box   2 Folder   7	Legal Cases, 1946-1947
	Series: Subject Files	⇧
Box   6 Folder   17	Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, 1973-1980, undated
Box   5 Folder   18	Altman, Mort and Esther, 1961, 1972-1980
Box   7 Folder   1	American Motors, Organizing at-Leaflets, Clippings, 1974-1978
Box   2 Folder   8	Anti-Communism, 1956-1964, undated
Box   7 Folder   2	A.O. Smith-Clippings, Leaflets, 1971-1978
Box   5 Folder   19	Aptheker, Herbert, 1971
Box   5 Folder   20	Bart, Philip, 1976-1980
Box   5 Folder   21	Behm, Donald, 1980
Box   5 Folder   22	Berrien, Lucille, 1972-1979
Box   6 Folder   18	Black Liberation Commission, 1970
Box   5 Folder   23	Buxenbaum, David, 1971-1973, undated
Box   4 Folder   2	Campaign Materials-Petitions, Pamphlets, 1934-1978
Box   2 Folder   9	Civil Liberties (re: Smith Act), 1956-1970
Box   2 Folder   10	Civil Rights, 195?-1968
Box   7 Folder   3	Civil Rights Congress (Wisconsin and Chicago), 1947
Box   6 Folder   19	Coalition Against War, Racism, and Repression, 1970-1971
Box   5 Folder   17	Communism--Clippings, 1960-1980
	Communist Party of the United States
Box   5 Folder   14	Miscellaneous Materials-Including a Party Organizing Kit, 1951-1980
Box   5 Folder   15	Daily World-Leaflets, Correspondence, 1971-1980, undated
Box   5 Folder   16	Draft Resolution for Convention, ca. 1975
Box   7 Folder   4	Corbin Affair (Paul Corbin), 1956, 1961-1964
Box   5 Folder   24	Dennis, Peggy, 1971-1978
Box   5 Folder   25	Diskin, Bernice (Cultural Reporter), 1974
Box   5 Folder   26	Eisenscher, Michael and Sigmund, 1976-1979
Box   2 Folder   11	Fascism, undated
Box   2 Folder   12	Fifth Column Activities, undated
Box   7 Folder   5	Finnish-Americans, Organizing, 1970, 1977-19??
Box   5 Folder   27	Flory, Ishmael, 1978
Box   6 Folder	Freedomways, 1969-1976
Box   5 Folder   28	Gordon, Lotte, 1971-1978, undated
Box   5 Folder   29-30	Hall, Gus, 1974-1980
Box   5 Folder   31	Hilty, John, 1948, 1975-1980
Box   5 Folder   32	Horowitz, Samuel (Paul Brown), 1956
Box   6 Folder	Hurme, Karen, 1968-1978
Box   6 Folder   2	Johnson, Edwin, 1974-1980
Box   6 Folder   3	Jones, Sandra, 1975-1979
Box   6 Folder   4	Kleinert, Jess, 1977-1980
Box   6 Folder   5	Kling, Susan (Hammer Book Fund), 1970-1980
Box   6 Folder   6	Kurki, Alex, 1972-1980
Box   3 Folder   1	Labor Unions, 1956-1959, undated
Box   6 Folder   20	Laurentian Shield-Newsletter, Correspondence, Clippings, 1979-1980
Box   6 Folder   7	LeSueur, Meridal, 1971, 1980, undated
Box   6 Folder   8	Lightfoot, Claude, 1956, 1966, 1971-1980
	Mary's Bookshop
Box   4 Folder   11	Miscellaneous Papers-Clippings, Correspondence, Book Orders, Legal Materials, 1956-1970
Box   4 Folder   12	Papers Relating to Shooting Incident-Clippings, Correspondence, 1966-1967
Box   4 Folder   11	Mary and Fred Blair, Bookfinders-Clippings, Correspondence, Book Orders, 1969, 1980
Box   6 Folder   9	Migas, Nick and Olga, 1972-1980
Box   7 Folder   10	Miscellaneous Leaflets, 1956-1980, undated
Box   6 Folder   21	National Anti-Imperialist movement in Solidarity with African Liberation, 1978
Box   7 Folder   7	National Rank and File Conference, 1970-1971
Box   6 Folder   10	Parker, Cedric, 1974-1978
Box   7 Folder   8	Peace Movement-Leaflets, Literature, 1958-1980
Box   3 Folder   2	Peace Movements, 1951-1971
Box   6 Folder   22	People's Coalition for Peace and Justice, 1971-1972
Box   6 Folder   11	Rahkonen, George (Coalition of Wisconsin Aging Groups), 1974-1980
Box   6 Folder   12	Ryan, Alba, 1970-1976
Box   6 Folder   13	Savola, Matt and Helvi, 1971-1979
Box   6 Folder   14	Smith, Betty, 1971-1980
Box   3 Folder   3	Smith, Gerald L.K., undated
Box   6 Folder   23	Socialist Party of Wisconsin-Correspondence, Literature, Clippings, 1960-1975
Box   6 Folder   24	Strategy Action Conference-Reports, Memoranda, 1970
Box   6 Folder   25	Welfare Rights Organization (National and Wisconsin)-Leaflets, Literature, 1971
Box   6 Folder   15	Winston, Henry, 1971-1976
Box   6 Folder   26	Wisconsin Alliance, 1970-1976
	Wisconsin Communist Party
Box   3 Folder   4	Wisconsin Communist Party, 1940-1975
Box   5 Folder   6	Correspondence, 1968-1972
Box   5 Folder   7	Election Materials, 1968-1972
Box   5 Folder   8	Leaflets, 1946-1977, undated
Box   5 Folder   9	Materials for Meetings-Minutes, Agenda, Topics for Discussion, 1968-1979
Box   5 Folder   10	Miscellany-Including Outline for Course on Political Economy, and Songbook, ca. 1942, 1974-1975, undated
Box   5 Folder   11	Position Papers-Ideas for Discussion, Plans of Action, Reports, 1950-1980, undated
Box   5 Folder   12	Press Coverage, 1968-1978
Box   5 Folder   13	Press Releases, 1956-1979, undated
Box   3 Folder   5	Wisconsin Experimental College, 1956-1957
Box   7 Folder   9	Women's Movement--Leaflets, 1972-1976
Box   6 Folder   27	Young Workers Liberation League-Literature, Leaflets, Clippings, 1969-1977
Box   6 Folder   16	Zvaigznitis, Irene, 1971-1974, undated