Title: Carl F. Zeidler Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1908-1953

Creator:

• Zeidler, Carl F., 1908-1942

Call Number: Local History Manuscript Collection 311

Quantity:

• 3.7 cubic ft. (9 boxes)
• 1 oversize folder

Repository:

Milwaukee Public Library, Frank P. Zeidler Room

Archival Location:

Milwaukee Public Library (Map)

Abstract:

Personal papers of Carl Zeidler, Mayor of Milwaukee from 1940-1942. The collection is comprised of materials primarily from before his time as mayor. This includes his law career as well as his work with various local organizations, including the Sunday Morning Breakfast Club and YMCA. Contains correspondence, photographs, writings, scrapbooks, and awards and honors.

Note:

To request materials from this collection, create/login to your Special Collections Account.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.mwpl-lhmc0311

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Carl Frederick Zeidler was the oldest child of Michael W. and Clara A. E. (Nitschke). Zeidler was born in Milwaukee on 4 January 1908. His two brothers were Clemens and Frank, and his sister was Dorothy. A 1925 graduate of West Division High School in Milwaukee, he earned a Ph.B. at Marquette University in 1929 and a J.D. from there as well in 1931. He also graduated from the Wisconsin College of Music in 1928. Zeidler was also active in many organizations. He belonged to the Elks, Eagles, Moose, Knights of Pythias, Army and Navy Union, Junior Chamber of Commerce, American Legion, Steuben Society, Symphonic Male Chorus, Arion Musical Club, Masons, Turners, Y's Men's Club, and others. Zeidler helped found and later led the Sunday Morning Breakfast Club, a non-denomination organization of young men, in 1936.

Zeidler was named as assistant city attorney by City Attorney Walter J. Mattison in 1936. He worked on cases involving park consolidation, pinball, handbills and riots at German-American Bund meetings, and was counsel for the Fire and Police Commission and the police and fire pension boards. He resigned from the City Attorney's office on 2 January 1940 in order to campaign for mayor. In the April election, Zeidler defeated Mayor Hoan by 12,000 votes. During Zeidler's brief term as mayor, his administration lowered the property tax rate, reduced expenditures for personnel, consolidated some city departments, and hosted the national conventions of the American Legion and the Eagles. Much attention was given to mobilization attendant upon American involvement in World War II.

Zeidler's service as mayor was shortened by the American entrance into the Second World War. Zeidler enlisted in the Naval Reserve in April 1942. Commissioned a lieutenant, he commanded the gun crew on the armed merchant ship LaSalle, beginning in July 1942. His first cruise on the LaSalle was highlighted by a gunnery attack on a surfaced U-boat, which Zeidler claimed he had sunk. (The Navy discounted the claim.) On Carl's second voyage in November 1942, the LaSalle disappeared with all hands while carrying cargo to Cape Town, South Africa. Zeidler was listed as "missing in action" until November 1944, when the Navy Department officially declared him "dead." After the war, an unofficial German source claimed that the LaSalle had been torpedoed and sunk by U-159 on 7 November 1942.

The collection contains the personal papers of Carl Zeidler, Mayor of Milwaukee from 1940-1942. It is comprised of materials from his time as a lawyer, which include correspondence with clients and various case documents. Zeidler was typically involved in divorce, bankruptcy, and small claims cases. His school materials contain items from all levels of schooling, including law school, such as course work, report cards, diplomas, and awards. The post-war materials contain correspondence and honors presented to Zeidler's parents after his death. There is also correspondence and writings from the various clubs and organizations Zeidler was involved in, such as the Sunday Morning Breakfast Club and the YMCA. The scrapbooks are mostly comprised of clippings, but include other ephemera as well, particularly from his time with the Lyric Male Chorus.

The material is in alphabetical order by name or subject, then chronological within each folder.

Zeidler, Carl F., Papers, 1908-1953, Collection 311. Local History Manuscript Collections, Milwaukee Public Library, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

• Carl F. Zeidler Mayoral Records. City of Milwaukee Archival Collection 44.

• City Attorney Records. City of Milwaukee Archival Collection 1.

• Frank P. Zeidler Papers. Local History Manuscript Collection 352.

Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on the materials. The collection is open to all in accordance with state law. The public may view Local History Manuscript Collections by appointment at the Central Library. To request an in-person appointment, create/login to your Special Collections Account. If you have any questions, please contact the Archives and Special Collections Department at mplarchives@milwaukee.gov.

Use Restrictions

The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of this collection (Wisconsin Statutes 19.21-19.39).

Acquisition Information

The materials were donated by Frank Zeidler at an unknown date. They were initially accessioned as Local History Manuscripts with Frank Zeidler's papers (LHMC 352).

Processing Information

This collection was originally processed by Thomas Reilly in 1983 in combination with Frank Zeidler's personal papers under Local History Manuscript Collection (LHMC) 352. It was updated by Gayle Ecklund in 2008 and 2013. In 2018, Bob Jaeger separated the Carl Zeidler materials and added further materials into Carl's mayoral collection within City of Milwaukee Archival Collection (CMAC) 44. In 2020, after identifying additional unprocessed materials, Carl's personal papers from CMAC 44 were removed and LHMC 311 was created, also by Bob Jaeger.

	Attorney
Box   7	Appointment Books, 1934-1935 Physical Description: 2 volumes
Box   1 Folder   1	Bergen, George B., Jr., 1933-1936
Box   1 Folder   2	Bergen, George B., Sr., 1933-1935
Box   1 Folder   3	Bergen, Lloyd M., 1934-1937
Box   1 Folder   4	Bergen, Paul D., 1934-1936
Box   1 Folder   5	Bergen, Vernon M., 1933-1936
Box   1 Folder   6	Bradshaw, Catherine M., 1932-1936
Box   1 Folder   7	Brogan, Hugh C., 1933-1936
Box   1 Folder   8	Bubacy, Joseph, 1934-1936
Box   1 Folder   9	Cootware, Elmer, 1933-1937
Box   1 Folder   10	Cunningham, John D., 1934-1938
Box   2 Folder   1	Ferrick, M.J., 1934-1936
Box   2 Folder   2	General Correspondence, 1932-1938
Box   2 Folder   3	Gross, Emma and Elizabeth, 1935-1936
Box   2 Folder   4	Harris, George, 1934-1936
Box   2 Folder   5	Hirsh, Jack, Neo-San, 1933-1936
Box   2 Folder   6	Horswell, Bert W., 1933-1936
Box   2 Folder   7	Huntington, Elroy, 1932-1937
Box   2 Folder   8	Kobler, John, 1934-1937
Box   2 Folder   9	Koehler, Gustave, 1934-1936
Box   2 Folder   10	Kohlhuff, August E., 1927-1936
Box   3 Folder   1	Kuss, Fred, 1934-1936
Box   3 Folder   2	La Venture, Raymond, 1934-1936
Oversize Folder   1	Law Certificates, 1931-1934
Box   3 Folder   3	Lambert, Don, 1934-1936
Box   3 Folder   4	Letourneau, Edward J., 1932-1936
Box   3 Folder   5	Martini, Harriet M., 1933-1936
Box   3 Folder   6	Miscellaneous Cases, 1933-1937
Box   3 Folder   7	Mueller, E.H., 1934-1936
Box   3 Folder   8	Nuemann, Herbert P., 1932-1936
Box   3 Folder   9	Reference Materials, undated
Box   3 Folder   10	Scaduto, Sam, 1936
Box   3 Folder   11	Schiffman, Fred, 1934-1936
Box   3 Folder   12	Torrent, S.S., 1933
Box   3 Folder   13	Zeidler, Michael W., 1934-1936
Box   3 Folder   14	Birth Certificate and Confirmation, 1908-1921
Box   3 Folder   15	Correspondence, 1927-1940
Oversize Folder   1	Degrees, 1921-1939
Oversize Folder   1	Elks, membership certificate, 1937
Oversize Folder   1	Glee Club, concert posters, undated
	Law School
Box   4 Folder   1	Bar Review, undated
Box   4 Folder   2	Code Practice, 1931
Box   4 Folder   3	Corporations, 1930
Box   4 Folder   4	Evidence, 1930
Box   4 Folder   5	Future Interests, 1931
Box   4 Folder   6	General Coursework, 1924-1928
Box   4 Folder   7	Mortgages, 1931
	Lyric Male Chorus
Box   4 Folder   8	Correspondence, 1932-1936
Oversize Folder   1	Group Photograph at the White House, 1929
Box   5 Folder   1	Marquette University, 1926-1931
Box   5 Folder   2	"Milwaukee Government Service", 1936-1937
Box   5 Folder   3	Milwaukeeans Male Quartet, 1936
Box   5 Folder   4	Miscellaneous, 1927-1935, undated
Box   5 Folder   5	Modern Track Athletes, scrapbook of sports and school writings, 1925
	Notary Public
Oversize Folder   1	Certificates, 1931-1939
Box   8	Stamp, undated
Box   5 Folder   6	Notes and Drafts, undated
Box   5 Folder   7	Northgate Property, Fox Point, 1931-1937
Box   5 Folder   8	Photographs, 1908-1936, undated
Oversize Folder   1	Pilots (Air Force?), group photograph, undated
	Post-War Honors and Memorials
Box   5 Folder   9	Correspondence, 1943-1953
Oversize Folder   1	Honors, 1945-1947, undated
Box   7	Navy League of the United States, memorial volume (2 copies), 1946
Oversize Folder   1	Purple Heart, certificate, 1945
Box   8	Purple Heart, medal, undated
Oversize Folder   1	Wisconsin Consistory, Carl F. Zeidler Class, photograph, 1944
Box   7	Wisconsin Consistory, Carl F. Zeidler Class, volume, 1944
Box   5 Folder   10	Programs and Church Bulletins, 1927-1940
Box   8	Ribbons, Pins, and Patches, 1922-1939, undated
	School Materials
Box   7	Autograph Book, signed by Zeidler, 1925
Oversize Folder   1	Diplomas, 1924-1928
Box   5 Folder   11	Miscellaneous, 1924-1939
Oversize Folder   1	Phantom Lake, group photograph, 1924
Box   5 Folder   12	Report Cards, 1914-1925
Box   6 Folder   1	Writings and Drawings, 1915-1928, undated
Box   9	Scrapbooks, 1933-1939 Physical Description: 3 volumes
Box   6 Folder   2	Songs Dedicated to Carl, 1943-1944
Box   6 Folder   3	Speeches and Talks, by Carl, 1936-1939
Box   6 Folder   4	Speeches and Talks, by others, 1933-1938
	Sunday Morning Breakfast Club
Box   6 Folder   5	Addresses and Announcements, 1937-1939, undated
Box   6 Folder   6	Correspondence, 1937-1939
Box   6 Folder   7	Miscellaneous, 1937-1939, undated
Oversize Folder   1	Tribute, 1940
	U.S. Navy
Oversize Folder   1	Group Photograph of Crew (copy), circa 1942
Box   8	Sailor Caps, autographed, undated
	YMCA
Oversize Folder   1	16th Annual Convention, photograph, 1938
Box   6 Folder   8	Correspondence, 1935-1940