Summary Information
Harold R. Wilde Papers
1925-1959
- Wilde, Harold R., 1911-1962
Milwaukee Mss CR
0.4 c.f. (1 archives box)
UW-Milwaukee Libraries, Archives / Milwaukee Area Research Ctr. (Map)
Brief papers of Wilde, a Milwaukee businessman and secretary to Wisconsin Senator Alexander Wiley. Most of the correspondence concerns personal matters, although there are two letters from Wiley and one to Wiley discussing the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. As a civic leader, Wilde was often asked to give speeches, and many copies exist in the collection. Also present are financial reports (1947-1950) of the Norcor Manufacturing Company, of which Wilde was vice-president.
English
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mil000cr ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
Harold R. Wilde, administrative secretary, businessman, and public relations director, was born in Milwaukee in 1911 and attended grade and high school there. His father, Walter Wilde, once was in charge of the port of Milwaukee, and was head of selective service in Wisconsin in World War II. Harold Wilde graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1934 where he wrote for the Daily Cardinal, broadcast for radio, and co-authored a Haresfoot follies.
During the four years that he taught in the industrial arts department of the Milwaukee school system, he established himself in art and civic circles of that city. In 1938 he went to Washington, D.C., as secretary to Senator Alexander Wiley, and the following year married the Senator's daughter, Winifred. For a number of years he did research and administrative work as a member of Senator Wiley's Senate staff; but returned to Milwaukee in 1943 to become director of the Great Lakes Harbors Association, for which he also edited the Great Lakes Outlook.
In 1947 Mr. Wilde again went to Washington, this time to become staff director of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The following year, though, he resigned his Senate appointment to return to Wisconsin and become vice president of the Norcor Manufacturing Company, a metal fabricating company in the Fox River Valley. He was responsible for handling products and sales, and also directed the engineering. Although the company greatly expanded while he was associated with it, for personal reasons he resigned from Norcor in 1950 to become director of public relations for Globe Union, Inc. in Milwaukee. There he resumed an active interest in civic affairs.
Mr. and Mrs. Wilde had three children, Alexander, Wallis, and Harold, Jr. Harold R. Wilde died in 1962, at the age of fifty-one.
Scope and Content Note
The Harold Wilde Papers consist of correspondence, 1925-1954; articles, speeches, and other writings by Wilde, 1936-1959, undated; drawings and information concerning patents in which he was interested; financial reports, 1947-1950, relating to the Norcor Manufacturing Corporation; and clippings and certificates concerning Wilde himself.
The correspondence consists of only one folder of letters, all of a personal and semi-business nature. Seven pre-date 1940, and the remainder are for the period between 1940 and 1954. These deal with speaking engagements, his personal plans for employment, and his various civic activities. There are very few references to politics, and there are no letters concerning his work for Senator Wiley or the Senate. However, the folder of correspondence does contain one letter from the Senator, October 26, 1944, discussing his chances for re-election; another letter from Wiley, January 6, 1947, suggesting to Wilde that the Judiciary Committee could use Wilde's services as administrator; and a long letter, January 2, 1947, from Wilde to Senator Wiley discussing the Judiciary Committee and its problems.
As a civic leader and public relations man, Mr. Wilde was often called upon to make speeches or to represent his father-in-law at public gatherings. The papers contain copies of many of his speeches, on topics such as patriotism, business and economics, leadership, and the Great Lakes Waterway. There are several articles showing his interest in and knowledge of art.
While Mr. Wilde was with the Norcor Manufacturing Company at Green Bay, he received regular reports on the company's financial condition. Summaries of these are filed with the papers. He seems also to have been interested in patents both before and during his association with Norcor. Information concerning patents is contained in Folder 5.
Administrative/Restriction Information
Presented by Mrs. Harold R. Wilde, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, January 7 and February 19, 1965. Accession Number: M65-001, M65-061
Processed by FGH's Class, Summer, 1968, and Margaret Hafstad, February 12, 1969.
Contents List
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Box
1
Folder
1
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Correspondence, 1925-1954
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Articles, Speeches, and Other Writings
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Box
1
Folder
2
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1936-1939
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Box
1
Folder
3
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1940-1959
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Box
1
Folder
4
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Undated
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Box
1
Folder
5
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Patent Drawings and Information, undated
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Box
1
Folder
6
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Norcor Manufacturing Corporation, Financial Reports, 1947-1950
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Box
1
Folder
7
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Clippings and Certificates Relating to Harold Wilde, undated
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