Title: John Blair & Company Records
Inclusive Dates: 1933-1985

Creator:

• John Blair & Company

Call Number: M2018-010

Quantity: 5.0 cubic feet (4 archives boxes and 5 flat boxes)

Repository:

Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Abstract:

Records of John Blair & Company, a national advertising, communications and printing conglomerate, and its founder, John P. Blair. The collection includes annual reports, advertisements, corporate strategic plans, new and secondary offering materials, press releases, articles, quarterly reports, publicity and press books, photocopies of plaques and awards, photographs, and scrapbooks.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-m2018010

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John Portwood Blair was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1899. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Blair started in the advertising department of the newspaper Chicago American and eventually moved to J. Walter Thompson, one of Chicago's leading advertising companies. In 1933 Blair co-founded the partnership of Greig, Blair & Spight to provide radio stations with exclusive sales representation. Blair acquired the majority interest in the firm in 1935 and renamed it John Blair & Company. In 1947, the company set up one of the first profit-sharing programs in the country and in 1965, the company went public. In 1966, Blair resigned as chairman of the board and retired his seat on the board in 1977. John Blair died in 1983.

Acquisition Information

Accession Number: M2018-010

Processing Information

Processed by Jacob Esselstrom, 2020.

Blair, John P. ((John Portwood)), 1899 or 1900-1983 ; University of Wisconsin--Madison -- Alumni and alumnaeAdvertising agencies -- United StatesManuscript collection

Box   1   Folder   1-2	Annual Reports, 1965-1984
Box   1   Folder   3	Common Stoke Share advertisements, 1965, 1969
Box   1   Folder   4	Corporate strategic plan presentation, Television/Radio Age the John Blair & Company story 1979, 1982
Box   1   Folder   5	Domestic share certificate and prospectus, 1965, 1976
Box   1   Folder   6	New offering by Goldman, 1982
Box   1   Folder   7	Memo, press releases, articles 1979-1983
Box   2   Folder   1	News releases, correspondence, articles 1979-1983
Box   2   Folder   2	Obituary for John Portwood Blair, 1983
Box   2   Folder   3	Plaque photocopies, 1956-1963
Box   2   Folder   4	Publicity, 1956
Box   2   Folder   5	Quarter reports, 1981-1985
Box   2   Folder   6	Radio 'Network' articles, 1968
Box   2   Folder   7	Secondary offering, 1969
Box   3   Folder   1	Advertising, Blair-TV 1949, 1961
Box   3   Folder   2	Brochure on the Blair Companies, 1961
Box   3   Folder   3	Documents marking growth of organization, 1933-1961
Box   3   Folder   4	Form S-1 registration statement John Blair and Company, SEC 1965
Box   3   Folder   5	From the press book of Blair Television Associates, 1957-1961
Box   3   Folder   6	The power of the presses, press equipment, Volume 1
Box   3   Folder   7	Press book and other photos, 25th Anniversary 1958
Box   3   Folder   9	Super-Plant program, undated
Box   4	Volume of common stock, 1965
Box   5	Blair Television Station Reception, 1979
Box   6	Scrapbooks, 1933-1952
Box   7	Scrapbooks, 1958-1967
Box   8	Scrapbooks, 1946-1948
Box   9	Scrapbooks, 1935-1965
Box   3   Folder   8	Scrapbook pages and photographs, 1934-1979
Box   5	Scrapbooks: 30th Anniversary, 1963