Title: William J. P. Aberg Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1925-1964

Creator:

• Aberg, William J. P., 1889-1968

Call Number: Mss 741; Tape 1197A

Quantity: 5.0 c.f. (13 archives boxes) and 1 tape recording

Repository:

Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

Abstract:

Papers of a pioneer Wisconsin conservationist who was a member of the state Conservation Commission (1939-1951; chairman, 1941-1944) and who served as an officer of the Izaak Walton League. The papers consist largely of material collected during service on the Conservation Commission. They include administrative files; budgets and financial statements; correspondence and memoranda to and from Frank N. Graass, Walter Scott, Ernest Swift, and other conservation leaders; and subject files. The latter document his involvement in the general management of the commission and in the passage of legislation affecting conservation issues such as Great Lakes commercial fishing, fish management, wildlife management, game farms, and public hunting and fishing grounds. Also included are speeches and addresses, miscellaneous personal material, and an oral history available in both recorded and transcribed form. Fragmentary correspondence, information bulletins, and conference material document his involvement with the Izaak Walton League, the Citizens Natural Resources Association of Wisconsin, and other conservation organizations.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mss00741

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Born in Sweden in 1889, William Aberg grew up in Washburn County, Wisconsin, and attended Shell Lake High School. For two years he worked for a mining company in Hibbing, Minnesota, in order to support his family. He subsequently entered the University of Wisconsin, receiving a B.A. in 1911 and a law degree in 1913. During World War I Aberg was a special assistant for the War Trade board in Sweden. In 1919 he joined the law firm Sanborn and Blake in Madison in which he had clerked as a student.

Aberg became active in the conservation movement in the early 1920's. In 1923 he was one of the first members of the Izaac Walton League in Wisconsin. He also served as president of the Madison chapter, 1925-1926; president of the state division, 1928-1929; and a member of the national league's executive board from 1930 to 1939.

As a pioneer conservationist in Wisconsin, Aberg's primary interest was in matters relating to conservation legislation. His major contribution to the field during this period was participation with Aldo Leopold and other members of the Izaac Walton League in the drafting of two important pieces of legislation which affected the course of Wisconsin's early efforts in conservation: the Conservation Act of 1927, which created the Wisconsin State Conservation Commission and its form of resource management, and the Forest Crop Law, also passed in 1927.

In 1939 Aberg was appointed to the Wisconsin Conservation Commission. He subsequently served twelve years on the commission, and for the period 1941-1942 and 1943-1946 he served as chairman. During his tenure on the commission Aberg played a major role in guiding conservation legislation. He was instrumental in the restoration of Horicon Marsh as a wildlife area and in the establishment of several national forest areas in the state. He also participated in the drafting and passage of numerous laws relating to forests, enforcement and penalties, commercial fishing regulations, and conservation education.

After his retirement from the Conservation Commission in 1951, Aberg remained active in the Izaak Walton League, serving in the position of national director. He was also a founder and director of the National Wildlife Federation. Aberg died on March 18, 1968.

The papers document Aberg's involvement in conservation activities in Wisconsin from the 1920s to the 1960s. However, the majority of the collection consists of papers accumulated while serving on the State Conservation Commission and very little material pertains to his involvement with the Izaac Walton League or to his work in passing the landmark conservation legislation of 1927. Notes in the Society's files on contacts with Aberg during the 1950's indicate that he then had in his possession a considerable quantity of files concerning IWL. However, no such records were turned over to the Society after his death. The absence of documentation on Aberg's activities during the 1920's is in part compensated for by the inclusion of an oral history recorded in 1961 as part of the Wisconsin Natural Resources History Project.

For the period that they document, the Aberg papers provide an important complement to the official files held by the Historical Society on the Conservation Commission. Although a detailed comparison to the public record series was not made in processing these papers, a general review of several types of documents in the series (for example budget and financial reports) suggests that a significant amount of material in the Aberg collection is not contained in the official files. Researchers working on virtually any conservation topic from the 1930s to the 1950s would be wise to consult the Aberg collection.

The management and operation of the commission are documented mainly in the administrative files, the financial records, and the subject files. The administrative files, along with Aberg's correspondence, document his professional involvements while on the commission. The subject files contain a great deal of information gathered by Aberg from other sources. Subjects that are particularly well documented are commercial fishing, rough fish control, wildlife management, and conservation legislation. The papers also contain some information on Aberg's personal involvement in conservation outside the commission. However, these are fragmentary, with the bulk covering the 1950's to early 1960's. Documented groups include the Wisconsin division of the Izaak Walton League of America, a national organization committed to the conservation of natural resources; the Citizens Natural Resources Association of Wisconsin; the American Forestry Association; and the Midwest Wildlife Conference.

The collection is arranged in three series: Biographical and Personal Material, Conservation Commission, and Conservation Organizations. The conservation commission material is subdivided into administrative files, financial records, correspondence, and subject files.

Biographical and Personal Material consists of newspaper clippings on Aberg's life and accomplishments; speeches and addresses on conservation concerns; and correspondence, drafts, and a final version of his oral history interview conducted by the Wisconsin's Natural Resources History Project in 1961.

The administrative files of the Conservation Commission contain correspondence, office memos, newspaper clippings, legal documents, and informational summaries concerning such matters as appointments to the commission, reorganization, policies, and personnel. The financial records, although not complete for the years Aberg was associated with the commission, include records not included in the official commission records. The correspondence is arranged alphabetically by name and chronologically thereunder. These files include exchanges with conservation commissioners, other state conservation departments, congressional leaders, local hunting and fishing clubs, and local resorts, and they generally concern administration of the commission, state government, legislation, and other conservation issues. Prominent correspondents include Frank N. Graass, Wallace Grange, Walter Scott, and Ernest Swift. There is also correspondence with related organizations such as the National Audubon Society, the Izaak Walton League, the Citizens Natural Resources Association, and the Wisconsin Conservation League.

The Conservation Commission subject files contain such material as correspondence, office memos, surveys, reports, proposals, newspaper clippings, legal documents, legislative bills, and financial summaries. There is considerable information on Great Lakes commercial fishing, fishing regulations, and fish management; including arrests, violation hearings, net sizes, spearing of fish, fishing seasons, contract fishing, and rough fish control. Wildlife management topics include game farm experiments and administration, predatory animal control, public hunting and fishing grounds, wildlife refuges and preserves, and deer control. Legislation material addresses budget and appropriations, administration of conservation programs, establishment of state parks, land acquisitions, hunting and fishing regulations, and wildlife management.

Conservation Organizations documented include the Izaak Walton League. Material contains legislation information; programs, addresses, and newspaper clippings on conferences and conventions; correspondence; information bulletins; and constitution and bylaws. The Citizens Natural Resources Association material includes correspondence, newsletters, and information bulletins. The American Forestry Association correspondence and programs concern the annual meeting in Madison in 1957. There are also addresses and programs from the Midwest Wildlife Conference, the Wisconsin Silver Anniversary Forestry Conference, and the Wisconsin Conservation League.

Acquisition Information

Presented by William Aberg, Robert K. Aberg, and Walter E. Scott, all of Madison, Wisconsin, 1951-1976. Accession Number: M64-330, M69-205, M76-527

Processing Information

Processed by Loralee J. Bloom (FGH student), 1988.

	Series: Biographical and Personal Material
Mss 741 Box   1 Folder   1	Miscellaneous personal material, 1942-1964, n.d.
Box   1 Folder   2	Speeches and addresses, 1927-1960
	Oral history, 1961
Box   1 Folder   3	Oral history and revisions
Tape 1197A	Recorded oral history
Mss 741	Series: Conservation Commission	⇧
	Administrative files
Box   1 Folder   4-5	Administrative affairs, 1927, 1940-1963, n.d.
Box   1 Folder   6	Appointments to the Commission, 1943-1947,
Box   1 Folder   7-8	Conservation director selection, 1942-1947
Box   1 Folder   9	Graass, Frank 1954
Box   1 Folder   10	Personnel, 1940-1953
Box   1 Folder   11	Policies and procedures, 1953
Box   2 Folder   1	Reorganization of the Commission, 1959
Box   2 Folder   2-3	Reorganization of the Forestry Division, 1931, 1948-1954
Box   2 Folder   4	Rowe, Hallie (transfer), 1944
Box   2 Folder   5	Wardens' pension fund, 1937-1950
	Financial records
Box   2 Folder   6-9	Budgets, 1946-1965
Box   3 Folder   1	Financial statements and reports, 1942-1951
	Correspondence, 1928-1964
Box   3 Folder   2-7	A-D
Box   4 Folder   1-8	E-L
Box   5 Folder   1-8	M-S
Box   6 Folder   1-4	T-Z
	Subject files
Box   6 Folder   5	Aircraft use in wilderness areas, 1941-1946
Box   6 Folder   6-7	Commercial fishing regulations, 1943-1951
Box   6 Folder   8	Dams and waterpower, 1946-1950
Box   7 Folder   1-3	Deer management and control, 1940-1950
Box   7 Folder   4	Devil's Lake State Park, 1942-1951
Box   7 Folder   5	Equipment and supply purchases, 1945-1951
Box   7 Folder   6	Fire protection, 1941-1948
Box   7 Folder   7-8	Fish management, 1931-1951
	Forest conservation and management
Box   7 Folder   9	1934-1948
Box   8 Folder   1	1949-1954
Box   8 Folder   2	Forest cutting regulations, 1940-1950
Box   8 Folder   3-4	Game farms, 1936-1960
Box   8 Folder   5-7	Great Lakes commercial fishing, 1940-1952
Box   8 Folder   8	Great lakes Treaty, 1945-1948
	Horicon Marsh
Box   8 Folder   9	1938-1945
Box   9 Folder   1	1946-1958
Box   9 Folder   2-3	Hunting and fishing regulations, 1943-1951
Box   9 Folder   4	Hunting and fishing rights of military personnel, 1942
Box   9 Folder   5	Kettle Moraine Forest, 1942-1952
Box   9 Folder   6-7	Lake and stream improvement, 1943-1959
Box   9 Folder   8-10	Land acquisition, 1940-1952
Box   9 Folder   11	Land sales, 1936-1946
Box   10 Folder   1-2	Law enforcement, 1940-1950
Box   10 Folder   3-4	Legal suits, 1945-1949
Box   10 Folder   5	Legislation, 1943-1955
Box   10 Folder   6	Legislative bill drafts, 1950
Box   10 Folder   7	Licenses, 1943-1951
Box   10 Folder   8	Political platforms, 1938-1948
Box   10 Folder   9	Pollution control, 1937-1949
Box   10 Folder   10	Predatory animal control, 1940-1946
Box   10 Folder   11	Public hunting and fishing grounds, 1943-1953
Box   11 Folder   1	Publicity and public relations, 1937-1951
Box   11 Folder   2	Radio equipment, 1947-1950
Box   11 Folder   3	Ranger stations, 1941
Box   11 Folder   4	Research, 1940-1943
Box   11 Folder   5-8	Rough fish control, 1930-1951
Box   11 Folder   9	Sandhill Game Farm, 1942-1947
Box   12 Folder   1	State park management, 1944-1954
Box   12 Folder   2	Water pollution, 1948-1949
Box   12 Folder   3	Water resources, 1950-1960
Box   12 Folder   4	Waterfowl, 1947-1951
Box   12 Folder   5	Wildlife management, 1939-1950
Box   12 Folder   6	Wildlife refuges and preserves, 1940-1950
	Series: Conservation Organizations	⇧
	Izaak Walton League
Box   12 Folder   7	Conservation legislation, 1944-1949, n.d.
Box   12 Folder   8	Conventions and conferences, 1925-1962, n.d.
Box   12 Folder   9	Correspondence, 1927-1961
Box   12 Folder   10	Information bulletins, 1943-1955
Box   12 Folder   11	Miscellaneous material, 1925, 1948, n.d.
	Citizens Natural Resources Association of Wisconsin
Box   13 Folder   1	Correspondence, 1951-1964
Box   13 Folder   2	Information bulletins and miscellaneous material, 1951-1963
Box   13 Folder   3	American Forestry Association, annual meeting, Madison, 1957
Box   13 Folder   4	Midwest Wildlife Conference, conference material, 1937, 1949
Box   13 Folder   5	Miscellaneous conservation organizations, 1953, 1960, n.d.