The Ekern papers are divided into two main sections: the Original Collection presented to the Archives in 1953, and the Additions presented in 1964. The Original Collection consists of correspondence, speeches, articles, releases, insurance material, miscellaneous notes and memoranda, and clippings. These materials date 1888-1938, 1944. The Additions contain similar material and date 1890-1954. Each of the two sections is described in more detail below.
Original Collection, 1888-1938, 1944
This section of the papers is organized in the categories Correspondence; Speeches, Articles, and Releases; Campaign Materials; Insurance Materials; Miscellaneous Notes and Memoranda; and Clippings. Mention should be made of Ekern's method of dating papers. It was his habit to put the year first, then the month and day, with no mark or spacing in between. Thus 221130 would mean 1922, November 30.
At the time these papers were received in the Archives, a large segment was turned over to the state archives division. This included official papers and correspondence of Ekern as attorney general. Thus, although scattered reference to legal opinions and to the Great Lakes water diversion controversy will be found in the papers described here, the researcher will find more in the attorney general's papers in the state archives. Many legislative bills and amendments also were included originally; since these are readily available elsewhere, only those with annotations and those relevant to insurance were retained.
The Ekern CORRESPONDENCE in this section, filed chronologically, contains many letters exchanged with persons of state and national importance. (See partial list in Appendix I of this finding aid.) It is of value particularly to the students of Progressive Republican politics or of insurance legislation. By far the largest amount of correspondence is of a political and business nature.
From 1888 to 1902 most of the letters are concerned with Herman Ekern's family, written during the years when he was still living and practicing at Whitehall. Between 1902 and 1913, while living in Madison, he was in frequent correspondence with his law partners in Whitehall, usually concerning legal matters but also including observations on politics.
In a letter of June 4, 1902 Ekern first mentions La Follette and politics, and in that year also he was first elected to the state Assembly. From that time on, the correspondence contains many letters dealing with Progressive Party politics on the local and state levels, and with proposals for legislation. While chairman of the Assembly's Judiciary Committee his letters reveal an interest in taxation, redistricting, county courts, the regulation of certain companies, etc. Later, when he was connected with the Insurance Commission (1910-1915), there are many references to insurance problems, regulation of companies, and relations with agents.
In almost every year in which the Progressives were particularly active, Ekern's correspondence reveals something of this activity. For instance, in 1911 the work of the Progressives in influencing state legislation is obvious, and in 1912 greater interest in the national Progressive campaign is evidenced. There is comparatively little correspondence from 1916 to 1921, with the exception of an exchange of letters and telegrams in 1917 relating to Ekern's part in helping to write the act for the soldiers' and sailors' war risk insurance for the federal government.
From the time that he was first elected attorney general in 1922 until he was defeated for governor in 1926, Ekern's correspondence is filled with references to political matters, most of them routine and yet some concerning Progressive plans. After returning to private practice again there is indication that he helped with Progressive campaigns in the state, particularly the one of 1928; however, there is relatively little correspondence in the decade between 1928 and 1938.
In 1938, when Ekern was defeated for the United States senate by Alexander Wiley, the correspondence is extensive but comparatively routine. Much of it is concerned with sending and receiving nomination papers and with scheduling personal appearances.
The SPEECHES, ARTICLES, AND RELEASES Files are from the years Ekern took active part in political campaigns. He spoke extensively and released many opinions and arguments to the press. Many of these releases are filed in these boxes, and cover chiefly the years 1910-1916, 1921-1929, and 1938.
The CAMPAIGN MATERIALS are mainly lists of party workers throughout the state, Progressive platforms, and ideas on legislation needed.
The INSURANCE MATERIALS include seven boxes in which papers are filed on various phases of insurance. These include speeches on insurance, tax and corporation problems, legislative bills, matters relating to particular insurance companies, legislative investigations of 1906-1907, war risk insurance, fire insurance, and the State Life Fund. In 1921 Ekern's Chicago firm issued a leaflet called Mutual Legislative Bulletin to serve as a guide to the several states for mutual insurance legislation. Many numbers of this bulletin are included here.
The MISCELLANEOUS NOTES AND MEMORANDA include papers on the Ekern-McGovern controversy of 1913; the Ekern-Smith controversy of 1925; the Great Lakes water diversion controversy; and miscellaneous notes, memoranda, and programs. Filed in Box 53 is a Minutes Book for the Assembly's Judiciary Committee, January to May 1905.
The CLIPPINGS include files Ekern kept of clippings relating to his work, controversies, and Progressive party politics. These are filed in 4 boxes and 4 volumes; they are dated and filed by subject. These also include a collection of editorials, news items, and opinions on Robert M. La Follette, Sr. published in 1922.
Additions, 1890-1954
The Additions consist primarily of CORRESPONDENCE; see partial list in Appendix II of this finding aid. Arranged chronologically by months, it overlaps with the original collection, but apparently without actual duplication. Some rough distinctions may be made. Although the Additions do contain some business and political correspondence and letters from many of the same people as the original collection, they also include correspondence touching on areas little covered in the original collection. For instance, the Additions include Ekern's personal, financial, and family correspondence. An interesting facet of Ekern's life revealed in this correspondence is his extensive philanthropic interests in the form of donations to churches, charities, and colleges, and loans to individuals and institutions. The Additions also contain MISCELLANEOUS MATERIALS which were grouped into the following general categories: personal, speeches, clippings, insurance, legal, political, materials relating to the Wisconsin Unemployment Commission, and a 1922 diary.
The Additions include correspondence relating to other matters not extensively covered in the original collection. During the period 1939-1943, when Ekern served on the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin, Ekern exchanged correspondence with other regents and with University administrators. Much correspondence of the later 1940s and the 1950s also relates to the University, as Ekern was active in the Alumni Organization, the Half-Century Club, and the University of Wisconsin Foundation. Correspondence relating to the Lutheran Brotherhood, a company which Ekern helped found and for many years served as president and one of the directors, covers the period of development and growth of what has become one of the largest fraternal life insurance companies in the United States. Smaller in quantity, but still important, is correspondence relating to the Wisconsin Unemployment Commission (1931-1932), social security (1930s and 1950s), and the St. Lawrence Seaway (1950s).
It may also be observed that nearly half of the correspondence falls in the later period of Ekern's life, 1939-1954, scarcely touched upon in the original collection. Another period little covered in the original collection is that of the La Follette-Wheeler presidential campaign of 1924.
The correspondence for 1924 deserves special mention. In addition to Ekern's personal and financial correspondence for the period, it includes his files as finance chairman of the La Follette-Wheeler campaign, and the files of Will R. McCord, the professional fund-raiser who assisted in the campaign. Both sets of files contained much material of a purely routine nature, but also much of value to the student of campaign techniques and/or Progressive politics in general, and of the 1924 campaign in particular.
For the most part, Ekern's campaign files included correspondence with state and national Progressive leaders and prospective campaign contributors. McCord's files included correspondence with his field workers assigned to major states to solicit large contributions from persons of wealth, with many frank remarks exchanged on the problems of obtaining funds from businessmen who were sympathetic, but unwilling to be publicly associated with a “radical” movement.
The campaign correspondence, originally arranged alphabetically by state, has been integrated into the general chronological arrangement of the rest of the Additions. However, an attempt has been made to preserve some of the original order by initialing folders from Ekern's files “HLE”, and those from McCord's files “WRM”; and by indicating generally the states covered in each folder. For a given month, Ekern's personal correspondence and miscellaneous unfiled campaign correspondence appear in the first folders, followed by Ekern's “state” files and then McCord's “state” files. These distinctions are very rough, and overlapping occurs.
