The B. H. Meyer Papers include correspondence, diaries, business papers and account books, student papers, speeches and other public statements, newspaper clippings, and other materials.
Extensive chronological correspondence, 1877-1944, consists of Meyer's personal files and does not directly concern the operations of government agencies with which he served. Very little of the correspondence, however, relates to family matters, and in fact there are few letters from or to members of his family. There are some letters in the correspondence dating from 1880 to 1920 from relatives and friends in Germany written in German which may or may not be concerned with family matters. The correspondence also contains little on politics. Meyer won his positions with the state and federal government because of his status as an expert and not because of any political affiliations. It seems that he neither sought nor received political help to secure or keep any of his positions.
Almost all of the correspondence consists of copies of letters to and letters from those interested in government regulation of large scale business, particularly the railroad business, including university professors, government elective office holders and administrators, and social reformers and writers. The interchange of ideas on government regulation among intellectuals of the day is probably the strength of the collection. Also some of the correspondence concerns the advancement of education in general and the curricula and administration of the University of Wisconsin in particular. Just a few of Meyer's more prominent correspondents were: Richard T. Ely, Charles R. Van Hise, Glenn Frank, E. R. A. Seligman, John O. Davidson, Francis E. McGovern, Robert La Follette, Sr. and Jr., Zona Gale, Hamlin Garland, Theodore Dreiser, and Yoshio Kinochita, director of Imperial Government Railroads of Japan. Meyer also received short notes from Presidents Taft, Wilson, Harding, Coolidge, Hoover, and Franklin Roosevelt, mostly invitations to receptions and notices of appointments to the I.C.C. Meyer seems to have been particularly friendly with Hoover. The two Roosevelt letters concern the President's refusal to reappoint Meyer to the I.C.C. which forced his retirement. In the 1939 correspondence are letters, mostly from officers of railroad companies, congratulating Meyer on his “long and efficient” service with the I.C.C. Also present is a volume made up of letters relating to the work of the Railroad Securities Commission, 1910-1911.
One folder contains diaries and memoranda books which cover his experiences teaching district school (October 1885 - July 1886), his trip to Berlin (July-October 1894), and his visits to universities in the East while on a leave from the University of Wisconsin (February-July 1901).
Business Papers, circa 1879-circa 1924, include account books, receipts, bills, land contracts, business agreements, and check stubs.
Student Papers, circa 1878-1897, consist of notebooks, lecture notes, and examination papers, and themes and reports from Meyer's student career at Oshkosh State Normal, the University of Berlin, and the University of Wisconsin.
Speeches, Essays, Remarks, etc., 1884-1941, comprise three boxes. Meyer's prominence as a professor and government administrator created a demand for him among editors and organizations as a writer and speaker. Outlines and summaries, complete texts of some of these speeches and articles, together with memoranda on policy and operation to the I.C.C., biographical sketches of I.C.C. members, reports, and proceedings of committee meetings are included. Most of these manuscripts were prepared by Meyer, but included in this group are some speeches, etc. presented by friends. Doubtless much of this material has been printed in magazines, newspapers, reports of the Interstate Commerce Commission, and elsewhere. These papers are arranged chronologically.
One box of Newspaper Clippings, 1890-1940, contains excerpts and comments on many of Meyer's speeches, and comments about Meyer's work with the Wisconsin Railroad Commission and the I.C.C.
The collection also contains Meyer's autobiography and genealogical notes about the Meyer family as well as a partial bibliography of Meyer's writings; oversize diplomas and certificates; meteorological observations and a file titled “Henry Keene - Antecedents of the Commerce Clause.”
