Summary Information
Alfred A. Laun, Jr. Papers
1950-1964
- Laun, Alfred A., 1905-1964
Mss 125
0.2 c.f. (1 archives box)
Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)
Papers of a Wisconsin state senator, Republican politician, and Kiel, Wisconsin businessman and community leader, consisting of correspondence, a legislative committee file, photographs, and clippings relating to Laun's political career and private interests. The correspondence and clippings document Laun's involvement in the A.A. Laun Furniture Company and in the State Bank of Kiel, Wisconsin as well as his participation in civic affairs such as the Kiel Kiwanis Club and the Chamber of Commerce. The legislative files document Laun's participation in the Wisconsin Claims Commission and in national Republican politics between 1952 and 1956.
English
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Biography/History
Wisconsin State Senator Alfred A. Laun, Jr., was born in New Holstein, Wisconsin on February 14, 1905, and died in Kiel, Wisconsin, on November 4, 1964. He was educated in New Holstein and Milwaukee public schools. After attending Oberlin College for two years, he transferred to Harvard University from which he received a B.A. cum laude in 1927 and an M.B.A. in 1929.
In 1935 Laun began working at the A. A. Laun Furniture Company in Kiel, of which he became president in 1946. During this time he was also vice-president of the State Bank of Kiel.
Laun began his political career as a Kiel alderman in 1945-1947. In 1952 he served as an alternate delegate to the Republican National Convention and as a Presidential elector. He was the Republican chairman of the 8th District in Wisconsin from 1952 to 1954 and a member of the Wisconsin State Senate from 1954 to 1962. He also was a Wisconsin delegate to the 1956 Republican National Convention.
During his Senate tenure, he was chairman of the Senate Labor, Taxation, Insurance and Banking Committees, the Legislative Council Taxation Committee, the Senate Legislative Procedure Committee and the Joint Finance Committee. He also served on the State Emergency Board, the State Building Committee, the Claims Commission and the State Government Operations Committee.
In addition to his political activity, Laun remained active in the furniture business and in local affairs. In 1955 he was honored as Man-of-the-Year by the American Furniture Mart's Board of Governors for his contributions to the furniture industry, principally as vice-president and president of the Furniture Club of America in 1956 and 1957. He was also named Man-of-the-Year by the Kiel Kiwanis Club in 1964 as a result of his active participation in local affairs, including Boy Scouts and the Chamber of Commerce.
Scope and Content Note
The Alfred A. Laun, Jr., Papers consist of correspondence, a legislative committee file and newspaper clippings. The correspondence is arranged chronologically and deals mainly with committees Laun served on and constituent interests and opinions. The legislative folder, arranged alphabetically, contains committee reports, legal papers, and reports of the Wisconsin Claims Commission of St. Croix in May, 1958. The clippings relate to: Laun himself, that is, biographical information, 1958-1964, including speeches he made and awards he was given; his political campaigns from 1950 to 1958; legislative bills he sponsored, authored or opposed; and his performance as a State Senator. There is also a scrapbook which contains examples of all these types of clippings for the years 1955-1957.
Administrative/Restriction Information
Presented by Mrs. A.A. Laun, Jr., Kiel, Wisconsin, April 21, 1965. Accession Number: M65-145.
Processed by Eleanor Niermann, October 20, 1970.
Contents List
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Correspondence
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Box
1
Folder
1
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1954, Sept. - 1958, Dec.
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Box
1
Folder
2
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1959, Jan. - 1963, Sept.
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Box
1
Folder
3
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Legislative Committees, 1958, May - 1961
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Clippings
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Box
1
Folder
4
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Biographical, 1958, May - 1964, Nov.
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Box
1
Folder
5
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Campaigns, 1950, Aug. - 1958, Nov.
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Box
1
Folder
6
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Legislative career, 1953, Dec. - 1961, Aug.
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Box
1
Folder
7
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Scrapbook, 1955-1957
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Box
1
Folder
8
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Photographs, n.d.
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