Title: William Freehoff Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1925-1949

Creator:

• Freehoff, William, 1889-1950

Call Number: Wis Mss SM

Quantity: 0.8 c.f. (2 archives boxes)

Repository:

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

Archival Locations:

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

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

Abstract:

Papers of Wlliam Freehoff, a Wisconsin farmer, conservative Republican politician, and writer. The collection includes correspondence consisting primarily of letters to and from literary critics; articles on agriculture, politics, and other subjects; and autobiographical material. In the latter, Freehof records his impressions on such topics as education in Wisconsin, labor and social legislation, the La Follette dynasty, and Wisconsin politics in general.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-wis000sm

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William A. Freehoff was born on a farm near La Crosse, Wisconsin, on December 27, 1889. He received his early education in a rural school. After graduation from the La Crosse High School, he worked for a year on the Leader Press. He then enrolled in the Agricultural Course at the University of Wisconsin, but before completing his education, he accepted a position on the college staff for one year. Until 1926, Freehoff engaged in farming; then he turned to the insurance business. Following in the footsteps of his father, he entered politics, serving as a Conservative Republican in the Assembly from 1921 to 1924 and in the Senate from 1938 to 1946.

Although Freehoff was active in agriculture and politics all his life, comparatively little of the collection deals with these matters. The bulk of it is concerned with his literary aspirations. He wrote for a number of farm publications as well as for general magazines and newspapers. The one folder of correspondence consists mainly of letters to and from literary critics. The most valuable portion of the collection is his autobiographical material. In the “Autobiography” and “Badger Boyhood” manuscripts, Freehoff records his impressions on topics of general interest.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Mrs. William A. Freehoff, Waukesha, Wisconsin, April 13, 1956.

Box   1 Folder   1	Correspondence, 1925-1949
Box   1 Folder   2	Miscellaneous papers
	Manuscripts
Box   1 Folder   3	Autobiography
Box   1 Folder   4	“Badger Boyhood”
Box   1 Folder   5	Wisconsin book
Box   1 Folder   6	“The Sucker Trail”
Box   2 Folder   1	Complete short stories
	Articles
Box   2 Folder   2	Agricultural
Box   2 Folder   3	Political
Box   2 Folder   4	Miscellaneous
Box   2 Folder   5	Poems by Ruth W. Freehoff
Box   2 Folder   6	Rough draft of Autobiography
Box   2 Folder   7	Black Hawk notes