The City Club of Milwaukee Records were received by the Archives over a period of several years and as a result were arranged by Archives staff in two parts: Part 1 is designated the Original Collection and includes all records in Archives custody in 1966. Part 2 is designated the 1989 Additions and contains records transferred to Archives custody between 1967 and 1977.
Part 1: Original Collection, 1909-1960
The records of the City Club of Milwaukee's activities were primarily maintained by the civic secretary, who served as secretary and researcher for the civic committees, and also managed club functions and maintained public relations for the club.
The files are arranged in the following subseries:
- Box 1-55: Civic Committee Files
- Box 56-70: Civic Committee Minutes and General Correspondence
- Box 71 91: Administrative and Business Committee Files
Some of the civic committees that investigated and proposed measures on public matters existed for only a few years, while others such as City Planning, County Affairs, Public Education, and Public Finance were active from the earliest years. The files of these committees, beginning with Box 1, contain correspondence, reports, clippings, pamphlets, printed articles, notes, and charts, all concerned with the studies and decisions which the committee made. The files are grouped by time period (some periods overlap in date) and are alphabetical thereunder.
The Minutes of each committee were compiled annually and are filed in Boxes 56-69. A run of alphabetical correspondence is found in Box 70.
The Administrative and Business Committee Files (beginning with Box 71) contain material related to the maintenance of the club facilities and its social activities. Files on each annual meeting of the club, election of its officers, Board of Directors minutes, financial and membership statistics, speakers, social functions, and special social groups, were compiled and filed alphabetically by topic.
For more general information about the club the researcher should see the following file folders:
- Historical material - Box 85
- By laws and amendments - Box 82
- Committee minutes - Boxes 56-69
- Manual for officers, directors, and chairmen - Box 87
Part 2: 1989 Additions, 1915-1975
The 1989 Additions consist of three subseries: Administration Records, Club Activities, and Civic Secretary Records. The bulk of this portion of the collection documents the period from 1960 to 1975, although there is documentation from the entire 1915 to 1945 period in the Board of Directors' minutes, Business Committee minutes, and Lecture Programs, there is also some pre-1960 documentation scattered throughout the three subseries. The materials in the 1989 Additions complement the materials in the original collection, and there is very little duplication.
The Administration Records, 1915-1975, consist of a small amount of historical materials; incomplete Board of Directors' minutes from 1915 to 1974; Business Committee's minutes from 1919 to 1947 and 1960 to 1969; and Committees and Groups minutes from 1960 to 1973. Minutes for years not documented by this series are often located in the Original Collection. The Committees and Groups minutes complement those of the Business Committee and of the Board of Directors, although there is some duplication. The series also contains reports, election records, scrapbooks (available only on microfilm), membership files, and photographs, including several albums documenting social activities.
The Club Activities subseries documents special interest groups within the club such as the camera group, drama group, and Women's Club, and club activities such as plays, Noon Club meetings, and various parties. The materials are fragmentary but provide good documentation of the social aspects of the club.
The Civic Secretary Records consist of two sub-categories: the Leo Tiefenthaler papers (Civic Secretary from 1917 to 1974) and Civic Committee subject files, maintained by the Civic Secretary. The Leo Tiefenthaler papers consist of his personal correspondence from 1961 to 1974; speeches from 1935 to 1972; awards; and extended studies. The extended studies consist of study groups of which Leo Tiefenthaler was a member. These records document the Advisory Council to the Mayor, 1960 to 1973; Centralized Data Processing, 1965 to 1973; Governmental Studies Foundation, 1966 to 1968; and the Joint Interim Committee on County Government 1945 to 1946. The Civic Committee subject files consist of records maintained by the Civic Secretary, arranged alphabetically and chronologically thereunder. Subjects included are Civic Council, Civic Federation, County Affairs, Public Finance, Planning, and Studies. The files document club activities in these areas as well as providing information on issues affecting the Milwaukee area with minutes, financial information, and background information.
