Summary Information
Edwin W. Knappe Papers
1824-1998
- Knappe, Edwin W., 1884-1971
- Zeidler, Frank P., 1912-2006
Local History Manuscript Collection 168
- 3.6 cubic ft. (8 boxes)
- 1 oversized folder
Milwaukee Public Library (Map)
Professional and personal papers of Edwin W. Knappe.
Knappe was a local attorney, former City of Milwaukee Assistant City Attorney, an
active Socialist and campaigned for a variety of elected positions at the local and
state level.
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English
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.mwpl-lhmc0168 ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
Edwin William Knappe was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 14 January 1884, to Herman
Knappe and Anna Mueller Knappe. Educated in Milwaukee Public Schools, Knappe left
school before graduation to pursue work as a machinist. In his early twenties,
Knappe joined the Socialist Party and worked abroad as a machinist for several
years. After returning to Milwaukee and completing his high school degree, he ran
unsuccessfully for Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors in 1908 and served as
deputy clerk of the circuit court from 1911 to 1913. During his tenure with the
circuit court, he ran a losing campaign for State Assembly in 1912.
In 1913, Knappe completed his juris doctorate at Marquette University Law School and
was admitted to the bar. He practiced law at the firm Kleist, Harriman & Knappe.
From 1915 to 1918 he served as Milwaukee election commissioner. In 1918, he was
elected to the State Assembly, representing the 10th Milwaukee County Assembly
District. Knappe did not run for re-election in 1920.
In 1928, he ran an unsuccessful campaign for Milwaukee County District Attorney as a
Socialist candidate. In 1932, he was appointed Assistant City Attorney for the City
of Milwaukee, but lost the position when City Attorney Max Raskin was defeated in
1936. He ran unsuccessfully for the Wisconsin State Legislature in 1942, Milwaukee’s
City Attorney in 1944 and the United States Senate in 1946 and 1950. In 1941, Knappe
succeeded Frank P. Zeidler as secretary of the Wisconsin and Milwaukee County
Socialist party groups.
Beginning in the early 1930s Knappe became involved in a committee to evaluate,
survey and report on the distribution system of Wisconsin’s Dairy industry,
specifically focusing on milk. This task would overlap and outlast his tenure as
Assistant City Attorney and into 1940. The Wisconsin Milk Strikes of 1933 also
occurred during this project.
Knappe married his first wife, Ella Kleist sometime between 1911 and 1916 and had two
children with her, Henrietta and Herman. Ella Kleist Knappe passed away in 1937. In
1945 he married Catherine Ebener, also a widow. They remained together until his
death in 1971. Catherine Ebener Knappe died in 1973.
Scope and Content Note
The collection contains records mainly of Knappe’s professional life as an attorney,
including some of his work as Assistant City Attorney. The records contain writings,
notes, draft legislation, legal briefs/opinions, court proceedings, correspondence,
a few speeches and various clippings and publications. The two largest sections are
his work regarding the milk committee/survey and secondly, his work towards
affordable housing. There are a few folders on his Socialist Party activities, his
election campaigns and on personal life.
Arrangement of the Materials
Some original order has been kept. Knappe’s original subject/folder headings have
been used where available. The folders have been arranged alphabetically by subject
and then chronologically within each individual folder.
Preferred Citation
Knappe, Edwin W., Papers, 1824-1998, Collection 168. Local History Manuscript
Collections, Milwaukee Public Library, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Related Material in the Milwaukee Public Library
Administrative/Restriction Information
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.
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).
Donated by Frank Zeidler at an unknown date. Originally part of Zeidler's
unprocessed personal papers, they were removed in 2019 to create a separate
collection. Materials accessioned as Local History Manuscripts.
Partial inventory by Rachel Arndt, Archival Projects Librarian, 2013. Processed
by Casey Lapworth, Archival Projects Librarian, 2021.
Contents List
|
Box
1
Folder
1
|
Authority Bills, 1934-1935, undated
|
|
|
Box
1
Folder
2
|
Authority Bills - incomplete, 1933-1935,
undated
|
|
|
Box
1
Folder
3
|
Binner, Max E., 1920-1921, undated
|
|
|
Box
1
Folder
4
|
Biographical, 1920-1933, undated
|
|
|
Case work
|
|
|
Box
1
Folder
5
|
Charles Whitnall vs Milwaukee Social-Democratic Publishing,
1938-1942, undated
|
|
|
Box
1
Folder
6
|
Richard Kleist vs George Long, et al,
1920
|
|
|
Box
1
Folder
7
|
Supreme Court / Constitutional Law,
1936-1937
|
|
|
Box
1
Folder
8
|
Wisconsin Supreme Court Summons, 1920,
undated
|
|
|
Box
1
Folder
9
|
Clippings, 1824-1951, undated
|
|
|
Box
1
Folder
10
|
Clippings – Unemployment, 1932-1939,
undated
|
|
|
Box
1
Folder
11
|
Commodity Exchange of Milwaukee, 1933,
undated
|
|
|
Box
1
Folder
12
|
Commonwealth Mutual Savings Bank, 1959-1969,
undated
|
|
|
Box
1
Folder
13
|
Consumer Cooperatives, 1934-1937,
undated
|
|
|
Box
1
Folder
14
|
Cooperatives – Farm Organizations,
undated
|
|
|
Box
2
Folder
1
|
Correspondence, 1930-1968, undated
|
|
|
Box
2
Folder
2
|
Crabtree file (C.W.A.), 1934-1935,
undated
|
|
|
Box
2
Folder
3
|
Election Commission, Board of - Briefs, 1942,
undated
|
|
|
Box
2
Folder
4
|
Election Commission, Board of – Supreme Court Proceedings,
1940-1942, undated
|
|
|
Elections
|
|
|
Box
2
Folder
5
|
1944 City Attorney Campaign, 1943-1944,
undated
|
|
|
Box
2
Folder
6
|
1944 Fall Campaign, 1944,
undated
|
|
|
Box
2
Folder
7
|
1948 Campaign, 1944-1948,
undated
|
|
|
Box
2
Folder
8
|
Senate Campaign, 1944-1946,
undated
|
|
|
Box
2
Folder
9
|
Family, 1973-1998
|
|
|
Box
2
Folder
10
|
Family – Leiser, Clara Knappe, 1980-1991,
undated
|
|
|
Box
2
Folder
11
|
Freie Gemeinde of Milwaukee, 1931-1945,
undated
|
|
|
Box
2
Folder
12
|
Health Department – City, 1930-1934,
undated
|
|
|
Housing
|
|
|
Box
3
Folder
1
|
Clippings/Notes, undated
|
|
|
Box
3
Folder
2
|
Correspondence, 1933-1934
|
|
|
Box
3
Folder
3
|
Harder, Frank, 1933-1934
|
|
|
Box
3
Folder
4
|
Legal briefs/opinions, 1931-1935,
undated
|
|
|
Box
3
Folder
5
|
Legislation, 1933, undated
|
|
|
Box
3
Folder
6
|
Loan information, 1933, undated
|
|
|
Box
3
Folder
7
|
Maps, 1939
|
|
|
Box
3
Folder
8
|
Real estate sales, 1934
|
|
|
Box
3
Folder
9
|
Resolutions, 1933-1934
|
|
|
Box
3
Folder
10
|
Titles, 1934, undated
|
|
|
Box
3
Folder
11
|
Housing Authority, 1933-1934,
undated
|
|
|
Box
3
Folder
12
|
Howe, Frederick (Special Advisor Office of Secretary of Agriculture),
1936-1937
|
|
|
“The Ideal Scrapbook”
|
|
|
Box
3
Folder
13
|
1928-1930, undated
|
|
|
Box
3
Folder
14
|
loose pages, 1929-1934, undated
|
|
|
Box
4
Folder
1
|
Legislative Bills, 1935, undated
|
|
|
Box
4
Folder
2
|
Legislative Reports, 1934-1935,
undated
|
|
|
Box
4
Folder
3
|
Mayor’s File, 1933
|
|
|
Box
4
Folder
4
|
Melms, Ed, 1914-1915
|
|
|
Box
4
Folder
5
|
Metropolitan Sewerage Bond Refunding, 1933,
undated
|
|
|
Milk
|
|
|
Box
4
Folder
6
|
Analysis/Research, 1932-1935,
undated
|
|
|
Box
4
Folder
7
|
Clippings/Fliers, 1934-1936,
undated
|
|
|
Box
4
Folder
8-9
|
Correspondence, 1932-1939,
undated
|
|
|
Box
4
Folder
10
|
Court Proceedings, 1933-1937,
undated
|
|
|
Box
4
Folder
11
|
Legislation, 1933-1939, undated
|
|
|
Box
4
Folder
12
|
Notes, 1933-1937, undated
|
|
|
Box
4
Folder
13
|
Resolutions, 1933, undated
|
|
|
Box
4
Folder
14
|
Socialist Party, undated
|
|
|
Box
4
Folder
15
|
Milk Committee 1934, 1933-1934,
undated
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
1
|
Milk Hearings 1932-1934, 1932-1933,
undated
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
2-3
|
Milk Hearings 1937, 1935-1938,
undated
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
4
|
Milk Hearings 1937 - Report, 1932,
undated
|
|
|
Oversize Folder
1
|
Milk Hearings 1937 - Report, 1928-1932,
undated
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
5
|
Milk Report 1936, 1936-1939, undated
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
6
|
Milk Report Finished 1935, 1933-1936,
undated
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
7
|
Milk Statements, 1934-1935, undated
|
|
|
Box
6
Folder
1
|
Milk Strike Commission, 1926-1934,
undated
|
|
|
Box
6
Folder
2
|
Milk Survey Date 1934, 1932-1934,
undated
|
|
|
Box
6
Folder
3
|
Milk Survey & Exhibits, 1934-1936,
undated
|
|
|
Box
6
Folder
4
|
Milwaukee Common Council, 1929-1937,
undated
|
|
|
Box
6
Folder
5
|
Milwaukee Cooperative Housing Association, 1934-1940,
undated
|
|
|
Box
6
Folder
6
|
Milwaukee County Consumers Cooperative Association,
1939-1940, undated
|
|
|
Box
6
Folder
7
|
Milwaukee Social-Democratic Publishing,
1913-1935
|
|
|
Box
6
Folder
8
|
Miscellaneous, 1936-1948, undated
|
|
|
Notebooks
|
|
|
Box
6
Folder
9
|
1904-1943, undated
|
|
|
Box
7
Folder
1-2
|
1904-1943, undated
|
|
|
Oversize Folder
1
|
1935-1943, undated
|
|
|
Box
7
Folder
3
|
Notes, 1948, undated
|
|
|
Box
7
Folder
4
|
Old Age Pensions, undated
|
|
|
Box
7
Folder
5
|
People’s Realty, 1909-1928
|
|
|
Pine Resort/Wisconsin Tavern Keeps Association
|
|
|
Box
7
Folder
6
|
Correspondence, 1944
|
|
|
Box
7
Folder
7
|
Land Contract, 1944, undated
|
|
|
Box
7
Folder
8
|
Presidents Re-employment Agreement, 1933,
undated
|
|
|
Box
7
Folder
9
|
Public Ownership, 1935-1939, undated
|
|
|
Box
7
Folder
10
|
Publications, 1921-1986, undated
|
|
|
Box
7
Folder
11
|
Publishers Incorporated, 1930
|
|
|
Box
7
Folder
12
|
Rapid Transit, 1948-1949, undated
|
|
|
Box
7
Folder
13
|
Resolutions, undated
|
|
|
Box
7
Folder
14-15
|
Sanders, Frank, 1937-1939, undated
|
|
|
Box
8
Folder
1
|
Speeches, 1931-1962
|
|
|
Socialist Party
|
|
|
Box
8
Folder
2-3
|
1932-1953, undated
|
|
|
Box
8
Folder
4
|
25th Ward Branch, 1939-1942
|
|
|
Box
8
Folder
5
|
August Erber Legacy, 1942-1943
|
|
|
Box
8
Folder
6
|
War Resolution [Socialist Party], 1938-1940,
undated
|
|
|
Box
8
Folder
7-8
|
Wisconsin State Legislation, 1917-1939,
undated
|
|
|
Box
8
Folder
9-10
|
Works Program, 1934-1945, undated
|
|
|
Box
8
Folder
11
|
Works Program - leaflets, 1936-1940,
undated
|
|
|
Box
8
Folder
12
|
Writings, 1933-1970, undated
|
|
|
Box
8
Folder
13
|
Writings by others, 1938, undated
|
|
|
