Summary Information
Willkie-for-President Committee. Wisconsin: Records
1943-1945
- Willkie-For-President Committee. Wisconsin
Wis Mss RW
0.4 c.f. (1 archives box)
Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)
Papers relating to the Wisconsin Wilkie-for-President Committee's effort to nominate Wendell Willkie as a presidential candidate on the Republican ticket. Included is correspondence and financial data (kept by Willard Smith, secretary of the committee), speeches, press releases, and clippings. Correspondence is mostly between the Milwaukee headquarters, Smith, and committee workers throughout the state.
English
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Biography/History
The records of the Wisconsin Willkie-for-President Committee were kept by Willard Smith, secretary of the committee. Smith, a Madison newspaper man, was relatively close to the political sentiment of the state, and was able to give advice to the national headquarters as to the “hot” issues in the state. He was responsible for writing most of the press releases issued by the State Committee, and probably ghost wrote the speeches of many of the local speakers endorsing Wendell Willkie.
Scope and Content Note
The correspondence consists mostly of letters and telegrams between the Milwaukee headquarters, Smith, and committee workers throughout the state. As may be expected, most of it concerns publicity--letters to and from newspapers and radio stations regarding routine publicity matters, such as space, time, and cost, make up the bulk of the correspondence.
As the campaign progressed and the proposed Willkie March 17-30 tour of the state drew closer, the correspondence becomes heavier with details of arrangements. On the whole the correspondence is largely routine, but occasionally, letters of special interest appear.
The news releases are almost entirely written by Smith as the committee secretary. The contents as a rule do not directly endorse Willkie, but rather support the men running as presidential delegates to the convention. In a few cases there are revisions of the same releases; which of these were published is not apparent.
The radio scripts were composed, probably by Smith, for Vernon Thomson, George B. Skogmo, and others. The typescript copies of Willkie's speeches probably were not written by Smith.
The financial records are interesting because they tend to reflect the rather haphazard business methods which the committee followed. The copy of the official Election Financial Statement filed with the Secretary of State, is of interest because of its detail of expenditures and contributions. As the bills speak for themselves, little need be said except to point out the variety of things essential to a campaign, from rubber stamps to liquor. The other financial data is of a routine nature such as invoices, contracts, and receipts. There is also a summons served on Smith, requiring him to appear before the bar of justice for failure of the committee to pay a $2,359.50 printing bill to a Madison printer.
The balance of the collection is made up of mailing lists of persons interested in the campaign and news clippings, reprints, and other printed material relating to the local campaign.
Partial List of Correspondence in the Records
|
Name
|
Dates of Correspondence
|
| Cake, Ralph |
1944 Jan. 4, 6 |
| Casey, Leo |
1943 Dec. 23, 27; 1944 Feb. 10, 14, Mar. 7, 10, 16 [2], 29, 31 |
| Davis, Mrs. Dudley H. |
1944 circa Jan. 8, Feb. 18, 20, Mar. 30, July 28 |
| Diem, J. Stewart |
1944, Feb. 7, Mar. 4, 7, 13 |
| Fellenz, Louis J., Jr. |
1944 Jan. 10, 11, 19, 20 [2], 21, 25, Feb. 12, 15, Apr. 28, May 16, undated |
| Kimberly, John R. |
1944 Jan. 3, Mar. 6, 15, 22, 25, 31, Apr. 11, 21, May 18, July 15 |
| LaFrance, Alfred E. |
1944 Feb. 10 [3], 16, 20, Apr. 7 |
| Thomson, Vernon |
1944 Mar. 31; Speeches |
| Von Spach, L. B. |
1944 Feb. 22, 23, Mar. 30, May[?] |
| Willkie, Wendell L. |
1944 Feb. 4, 11, 15, Mar. 1, 14, Apr. 21; Speeches: 1944 Feb. 3, 11, 27, Mar. 9, 18, 20, 27, 31, Apr. 5 |
| Winnie, Russ |
1944 Apr. 5, 18 |
Administrative/Restriction Information
Presented by Willard Smith, March, 1957.
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