The Philipp Papers consist almost entirely of correspondence documenting his activities within the Republican Party organization in Wisconsin during the period 1928-1952. A few files document his various philanthropic activities and a very small quantity of material relates to business activities in association with Emanuel Philipp. There are no strictly personal papers in the collection. Beyond documenting Philipp's own career the value of the papers lies in the large number of party activists with whom he corresponded. Among the prominent correspondents are A. M. Brayton, William J. Campbell, John B. Chapell, Thomas Coleman, George L. Gilkey, F. L. Gullickson, Julius Heil, C. L. Kolb, Alvin O'Konski, Henry Ringling, Edward A. Samp, F. J. Sensenbrenner, George Vits, and J. Pierpoint Wood.
Because of their deteriorated physical condition, the collection was microfilmed in 1987, and the originals are no longer available. A large portion of the papers were received from the donor in an unfoldered condition. As a result, prior to filming the collection was arranged to complete in so far as was possible the original order of the files. In many cases pencilled notations on the letters indicated the category in which a particular item belonged. However, these pencil notations also suggest that some of the material which was received in folders may have been misfiled in Philipp's office. Because of these inconsistencies and errors and because many of the subject titles used in Philipp's office were so similar, the researcher is advised to read widely within the collection.
The collection is arranged as personal and political files and then subdivided into alphabetical subject files. Most extensive among the personal papers are files on the Citizens Bureau of Milwaukee and the Family Welfare Association of Milwaukee.
