Papers of a Milwaukee area attorney. The majority of the collection focuses on Best's
interest in breeding and showing Irish and Fox Terriers.
The collection consists of articles, correspondence, canine periodicals, dog club
publications, dog pedigrees, memorabilia from dog shows, and newspaper clippings. John S.
Best wrote several unidentified articles while a member of the Irish Terrier Club of
America. The articles are included in the collection along with articles written for
journals. The majority of the correspondence is letters between Best and other dog breeders
regarding the buying and selling of championship show dogs. Of note among these letters is
Best's correspondence with Charles P. Lynch, a breeder who lived in Northern Ireland.
Included in these letters are references to the Protestant uprisings in Northern Ireland in
1969. Additional correspondence deals with Best's involvement with a number of dog clubs,
including his membership on the Board of Governors of the Irish Terrier Club of America. The
dog pedigrees that have been retained in the collection are for several of Best's dogs as
well as other champion dogs. Among the memorabilia from championship dog shows are ribbons,
certificates, and show catalogs. The newspaper clippings are predominantly of John Best's
champion dogs.
After Mr. Best's death in 1989 his wife continued to collect issues of popular dog
periodicals as well as attend local dog shows. These materials, dated through 1997, are
included in the collection.
