Part 1 (Wis Mss SX): Original Collection, 1919-1959
Physical Description: 21.6 c.f. (55 archives boxes) 
Scope and Content Note

The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence pertaining to routine affairs of the Wisconsin Legion: creation of posts, activities sponsored by the posts, membership drives, minutes of committee meetings, etc. Consequently, in describing below the contents of each series, only major subject interests other than the routine have been listed. The paper portion of the collection has been designated the Original Collection and consists primarily of materials received in the Archives in 1955. In 1959, a few paper records were interfiled in the Original Collection, and additional records were loaned for microfilming; the microfilm portion of the collection has been designated the 1959 Additions. The two portions may contain duplicate materials in some cases though the microfilmed additions are believed to be primarily materials not represented in the Original Collection.

The Original Collection has been organized in 12 subseries, lettered A through L. Further details on the contents of each of the 12 are included in the Contents List.

Series: A. General Files, 1919, 1924-1956
Scope and Content Note

The files consist of general correspondence, telegrams, and mimeographed material pertaining to: service and child welfare (1930, 1933, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1939); naturalization and immigration (naturalization of ex-service men, 1936; Japanese Hood River incident, 1945; McCarran-Walter Act, 1953-1955); flag education in the schools (1937, 1939, 1940, 1942, 1945); national defense, 1937-1954 (8-point program of the American Legion, neutrality and anti-propaganda, home defense plan, 1942; report of the American Legion mission to Britain in 1941; the Civilian Pilot Training program, 1943; Bricker Amendment, 1954); constitution and by-laws, 1935; military training (C.C.C., 1938; compulsory training, 1940; pre-induction training course for secondary schools, victory corps for students, 1942-1943; universal military training, 1944-1952; questionnaire to congressional candidates on national defense and universal military training, September 14, 1948); minutes of welfare committee, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1948, 1949); Camp McCoy as a permanent military site (1939, 1952, 1953); juvenile delinquency (1939, 1940, 1943, 1945, 1946); assistance to veterans; G.I. Bill of Rights, loans, housing, surplus property, pensions, bonus; Hoover Commission report on the Veterans Administration, 1950-1951; and the St. Lawrence Seaway project, 1952-1955.

Also contains in Box 1 a bound volume of papers, 1919, consisting of a history of the American legion in Wisconsin, correspondence pertinent to the organization of the group in Wisconsin, 1919 and 1921, and news clippings.

1919, 1924-1937

1938 January-1940 August

1940 September-1942 May

1942 June-1943 December

1944 January-1945 March

1945 April-1946 January

1946 February-July

1946 August-1947 June

1947 July-1948 August

1948 September-December, undated

1949 January-December, undated

1950 January-October

1950 October-1951 June

1951 July-1953 May

1953 June-1954 December; miscellaneous, 1955-1956

Series: B. Post Department Files, 1919-1959
Scope and Content Note: Papers consist of correspondence, mimeographed reports, and telegrams relative to: establishment of posts, transfer of membership, delegates to state conventions, World War Orphans Education Committee, universal military training, Schoolmasters' Club and the Legion's Americanism program in the schools, child welfare conferences, county service officers reports, national defense, junior baseball program, and religious emphasis week material. In four volumes are proceedings of the 1957-1959 conventions and of 1959 committee meetings.

1919 March-1920 August

1920 September-1941 August

1941 September-1945 July

1945 August-1947 June

1947 July-1948 October

1948 November-1949 December

1950 January-December undated

1951 January-November

1951 December-1952 July

1952 August-1953 June

1953 July-December

1954 January-1956 May

Convention Proceedings

Wausau, 1957

La Crosse, 1958

Kenosha, 1959

Committee Meeting Minutes, 1959

Series: C. Pensions and Compensation, 1944 January-1946 January
Scope and Content Note: Ledger consisting of name of veteran, address, designation whether World War I or II veteran, class of pension or compensation, and amount of pension or compensation given to veteran.

Series: D. Public Relations Files, 1941-1955
Scope and Content Note: Correspondence pertaining mostly to the American Legion organization, the Badger Legionnaire, also on Camp American Legion and the Grand Army Home; mimeographed copies of speeches on national defense and radio scripts on assistance to veterans, Armistice Day, and universal military training; and mimeographed reports on the Junior baseball program, minutes of the Public Relations Commission, and the Children's Heritage Program. The files also contain material on subversive activities (Monthly Summary of Trends and Developments and mimeographed speeches) and should be used in conjunction with the Subversive Files, series K.

1941 November-1948 May

1948 June-1949 December and undated

1950 January-1951 May

1951 June-1953 August

1953 September-1955 July

Series: E. Camp American Legion Files, 1924-1955
Scope and Content Note: The records consist of correspondence and mimeographed reports concerning: the lease of the camp land from the state, purchase and inventory of equipment, privilege agreements with the posts, construction of cabins, establishment of the Recreation Camp, expense accounts pertaining to the care and treatment of veterans, minutes of meetings of the Camp Board, state of income and expenses, 1925-1937, and the endowment fund.

1924-1937

1938 January-1940 September

1940 October-1943 December

1944 January-1945 July

1945 August-1947 December

1948 January-1951 December

1952 January-1954 February

1954 March-1955 October

Series: F. Badger Boys State Files, 1939-1955, 1957
Scope and Content Note: The files contain correspondence and mimeographed material pertaining to the annual organization of Boys State: articles of incorporation, meetings of the Board of Directors, attendance rosters, reports of annual meetings, reports of audits, and rosters of officers and staffs.

1939 June-1941 November

1942 April-1952 April

1952 May-1953 November

1953 December-1954 November, undated

Badger Bugle Citizen newsletter, 1957

Series: G. Special Projects and Permanent Home File

Special Projects File, 1925-1956
Scope and Content Note: The bulk of the Special Projects papers relate to the Recreation Camp established adjacent to Camp American Legion. The records consist of letters and telegrams regarding the creation and operation of the Camp: ground leases, building of cabins, sinking of a well, insurance, purchase of cabins by the posts, electrification for the camp, tree planting, stocking of the lakes with fish, accounts of income and expenditures for 1928-1940, and minutes of the meetings of the Recreation Camp Commission. Also included in the files are materials relative to the Children's American Heritage program, 1954-1955.

Permanent Home File, 1948-1952
Scope and Content Note: The Permanent Home File records consist of correspondence and telegrams regarding lease of department office space, necessity for finding a permanent home for the Legion, investigation of sites in Appleton, Portage, Eau Claire, Fond du Lac, Beaver Dam, Oshkosh, and Madison; temporary lease in Milwaukee; and purchase of permanent site in Milwaukee.

Series: H. Senators and Representatives File, 1943-1954, miscellaneous, 1955-1956
Scope and Content Note: Correspondence and telegrams to and from Congress members regarding: universal military training, appropriations for Veterans Employment Service, deactivation of Camp McCoy, military unification bill, bill regarding creation of civilian Board of Final Review of Armed Forces Discharges and Dismissals, Bonus Bill, Mundt Bill to combat communism, National Defense Act, national cemeteries, Nixon banquet honoring his fight against communism, American Legion pension bill, Hoover Commission report on the Veterans Administration, McCarthyism, G.I. housing loans, Veterans Administration budget, Bricker Amendment, St. Lawrence Seaway project, McCarren-Walter bill, and site for Air Force academy.

Series: I. Veterans Organizations, 1925-1954
Scope and Content Note: Correspondence to and from other veteran organizations: Gold Star Mothers, Grand Army of the Republic, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Army and Navy League of Valor, Military Order of the Purple Heart, Disabled American Veterans, Catholic War Veterans, International War Veterans Alliance, Army Navy Union, United Spanish War Veterans, Military Order of the World Wars, American Veterans Committee, Amvets, Marine Corps League, Navy Club, Jewish War Veterans, Gold Star Wives of America, consisting mainly of announcements of activities, invitations to meetings and programs, American Legion representation in activities of other veteran organizations, and officers of the various organizations.

Series: J. Other Organizations, 1938, 1940-1943, 1945-1954
Scope and Content Note: Correspondence from and to other organizations seeking cooperation of American Legion in community service projects: Wisconsin Roadside Development Council, American Red Cross, Wisconsin Anti-Tuberculosis Association, United Service Organization, Wisconsin Heart Association, Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe, Better Business Bureau (Milwaukee), American Cancer Society, Wisconsin Council of Safety, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Crusade for Freedom, the Heritage Foundation, and American Medical Association.

Series: K. Subversive File, 1936-1955
Scope and Content Note: Papers consist of correspondence, telegrams, and mimeographed material relative to subversive activities; correspondence regarding reported communistic activities; mimeographed and printed speeches distributed by the National Department of the American Legion; mimeographed reports of the Anti-Subversive Committee, Americanism Committee; and mimeographed pamphlets - Monthly Summary of Trends and Developments - bulletin issued by the National Americanism Commission, Sub-Committee on Subversive Activities, The National Department of the American Legion. (See also material in Public Relations Files, Series D).

1936-1939, 1941, 1944-1949 July

1949 August-1955, undated

Series: L. Wisconsin Veterans Council, 1943-1953
Scope and Content Note: The Wisconsin Veterans Council is made up of a representative from each of the following veterans' organizations: United Spanish War Veterans, the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, the Army and Navy Union, and Military Order of the Purple Heart and was created for the purpose of coordinating veterans activities. The records consist of general correspondence and telegrams, mimeographed minutes of Council meetings, roster of members, and constitution and by-laws. The files pertain mainly to securing of benefits for veterans; however, they do contain some material on universal military training, child welfare, and juvenile delinquency.

1943-1948

1949-1953

Part 2 (Micro 8): 1959 Additions, 1920-1959
Physical Description: 27 reels of microfilm (35 mm) 
Scope and Content Note: Additional records loaned for microfilming in 1959, including proceedings of annual conventions and records of the Executive Committee and other committees.
Arrangement of the Materials: The 1959 Additions are organized under 27 headings, lettered A through Z plus AA. The headings in these Additions are roughly in alphabetical order.

A. Proceedings of Annual Conventions, 1920-1956

1920-1925

1926-1931

1932-1937

1938-1942

1943-1947

1948-1953

1954-1956

B. Executive Committee Meetings, 1920-1959

1920-1938

1939-1943

1944-1946

1947-1952

1952-1953

1954-1955

1956-1959

C. Americanism Committee, 1947-1959

D. Athletic Committee, 1947-1959

E. Audit Report, 1922-1954

F. Aviation Committee, 1947-1953

G. Badger Boys State, 1947-1959

H. Camp American Legion, 1953-1958

Camp Board of Trustees, 1947-1953

I. Child Welfare Department, 1948-1959

J. Civil Defense and National Defense Committees, 1940-1958

K. Contest Committee, 1950-1958

L. Finance Committee, 1947-1958

M. Housing Committee, 1948-1951

N. Hospital Committee, 1948-1958

O. Judge Advocate Opinions, 1935-1950

P. Legislative Committee, 1948-1959

Q. Membership Committee, 1947-1959

R. Memorial Building Commission, 1954-1959

S. Permanent Home Committee, 1949-1953

T. Policy Committee, 1947-1958

U. Public Relations Commission, 1946-1959

V. Recreation Camp Commission, 1948-1958

W. Rehabilitation Committee, 1948-1959

X. Resolutions Committee Meetings

1942-1951

1952-1958

Y. Transportation Committee, 1949-1956

Z. Uniform Committee, 1947-1954

AA. Program and minutes of the 39th Annual Convention, 1957 July 19-21

Part 3 (M89-054): Additions, 1959-1969
Physical Description: 0.8 c.f. (2 archives boxes) 
Scope and Content Note: Additions, 1959-1969, including adjutant's weekly notes, bulletins, memos, membership materials, executive committee meeting minutes, agendas, and meeting announcements.

Adjutant's Notes, Bulletins, Memos

1959 April-1962 February

1962 February-1966 May

1962 February-1966 May

1966 June -1968 October