Summary Information
Ralph Gordon Plumb Papers
1896-1930
- Plumb, Ralph Gordon, 1881-1976
Green Bay Mss 80
0.2 c.f. (1 archives box)
UW-Green Bay Cofrin Library / Green Bay Area Research Ctr. (Map)
Papers of Plumb, a Manitowoc, Wisconsin resident active in local and state Republican politics; consisting of letters he received, primarily from state and national political figures discussing Republican politics and the Progressive movement, plus two letters by Plumb giving his youthful impressions of the 1896 Democratic National Convention.
English
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-gb0080 ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
Ralph Gordon Plumb, the only child of John E. and Ella Slye Plumb, was born January 17, 1881 in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. His father was a partner in Plumb and Nelson Company, a wholesale grocery business, which he owned with Julius Nelson, his half-brother. Educated in Manitowoc schools, Ralph received B.A. and LL.B. degrees from the University of Wisconsin in 1901 and 1902, respectively, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He then entered his father's business, and in 1923 became head of the company. In 1906, Plumb married Ida M. Holmes; their children were Helen, Ruth, and John H.
From an early age, Plumb was interested in politics, history, and writing. Although a staunch Republican later in life, Plumb attended the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 1896, when he was fifteen. He was active in local and state politics as well, and served as a Manitowoc city alderman from 1908 to 1913. Plumb supported the Progressive Movement in the Republican Party and served as a delegate to the national party convention in 1916. In 1903, he helped found the Manitowoc County Historical Society, and for a number of years was a member of the Board of Curators of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. Plumb's literary career began while he attended the University of Wisconsin, where he was a member of the Daily Cardinal staff. Later, he wrote for the Manitowoc Daily Herald. Plumb also authored a number of books, among them, A History of Manitowoc County (1902), History of Navigation of the Great Lakes (1911), Badger Politics, 1836 to 1930, (1930), Succession in Public Office (1946), Recollections of an Amateur Politician (1959), Wisconsin Diplomats (1964), Lake Michigan, and Born in the Eighties. Ralph Plumb died in March 1976.
Scope and Content Note
The collection consists solely of correspondence that is primarily political in nature. The correspondence is scattered and reflects only a portion of Plumb's papers. Most of the letters are replies to Plumb from local, state, and national political figures; these often reveal Plumb's political opinions from endorsements of candidates. Also included with the documents from 1896 are two letters written by Plumb to his parents, which describe his impressions of the Democratic National Convention.
Administrative/Restriction Information
Presented by Ralph G. Plumb, Manitowoc, Wisconsin, 1958. Accession Number: M35
Processed by Menzi Behrnd-Klodt, June 20, 1979.
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