Part 1 (Mss 403): Original Collection, 1862-194311.6 c.f. (29 archives boxes)
The papers of the Charles H. Crownhart family document the personal and professional lives of four Wisconsinites prominent in legal, political, medical, and educational circles. They consist of five series: the papers of CHARLES H. CROWNHART, his wife JESSIE EVANS CROWNHART, their two sons, JESSE GEORGE and CHARLES H. CROWNHART Jr., and FAMILY FINANCIAL RECORDS. Primarily correspondence, the collection thoroughly documents the family's personal history as well as each member's professional interests.
CHARLES H. CROWNHART
Charles Crownhart's papers are divided into three headings: personal, political, and professional. The Personal Papers consist primarily of incoming correspondence from his wife, children, and occasionally Crownhart and Evans relatives. They illustrate family relations as well as give glimpses of personal reactions to the political situation in Wisconsin. The bulk of the letters are from his wife, Jessie, and son, George, while they resided in California during the winters of 1902 and 1903. Correspondence from Charles Jr., appears later in the collection. The bulk of the remaining materials concerns the development and care of his summer home at Solon Springs, requests for charitable donations, information dealing with individual appointments to various political offices, and observations on the political situation in Wisconsin.
The Political Papers span the years 1897 to 1930 with a particularly heavy concentration between 1915 and 1930. This series is divided into two categories, correspondence, and speeches and articles. The majority of the correspondence comprises incoming correspondence filed in chronological order. Letters deal with various state and national campaigns including Crownhart's consideration of running for the governorship in 1914, his attempt at a seat on the state Supreme Court in 1918, his campaign and election to the court in 1923, and Robert M. La Follette's 1922 campaign. Correspondence on Blaine's run for the United States Senate in 1926 and Robert M. La Follette Jr.'s bid for the Senate seat left vacant by his father's death in 1925 are also included. Irvine Lenroot, during his early years as a member of the United States House of Representatives wrote extensively to Crownhart, particularly between 1908 and 1914. Finally, memorials to Robert M. La Follette Sr., and to Crownhart himself are filed by year along with the correspondence. Filed separately are Crownhart's 1918 campaign correspondence; letters urging his appointment to the Supreme Court in 1922; and materials such as letters and requests to circulate nomination petitions in his 1923 bid to the court.
Speeches and articles include drafts as well as final copies of speeches and articles by Crownhart, particularly on law. Also included are speeches and articles by others that he might have drawn on for his own work.
The Professional Papers illustrate Crownhart's career as a lawyer, member of the Industrial Commission, and Supreme Court justice. He made contributions to the administration of the workmen's compensation program in Wisconsin; the development of labor and compensation legislation and regulation; implementation and administration of the state's soldiers' bonus act succeeding World War I; and the progressive interpretation of law and the respective powers of the states, the courts, and the federal government. The series is divided into two categories, correspondence and legal cases, with correspondence filed chronologically and cases filed alphabetically.
The correspondence from his years as chairman of the newly created Industrial Commission includes field reports, requests for legal assistance, information on legislation and cases before the commission, and correspondence among commission members.
Governor Emanuel L. Phillip did not reappoint Crownhart to the Commission in 1915. Later that year Crownhart opened a legal office with Fred M. Wylie, lawyer and political follower of Robert M. La Follette Sr. Crownhart served as defense counsel for veterans in Atwood vs. Johnson and Strope, a 1919 challenge to the constitutionality of the state's Soldiers' Bonus Act. He also was the legislative counsel for the city of Superior, Wisconsin; and an advisor to the Employers Mutual Liability Insurance Company of Wisconsin. The correspondence from this period, 1915-1920, reflects the variety of Crownhart's professional activities.
Letters dating from his appointment as Revisor of Statutes concern the revision of the index to the statutes, advice on legislation, and letters urging his appointment to the bench in 1922. Also included is correspondence relating to the series of articles on northern Wisconsin that Crownhart proposed to write for the Superior Telegram in 1920. These were published.
The correspondence dated during Crownhart's stay on the State Supreme Court documents the continuation of cases he was involved with prior to his ascension to the bench. The materials virtually neglect, with the exception of Carnation vs. Emery, any of the cases that arose while Crownhart served on the Court. Most of the correspondence centers on requests to attend meetings, serve as a lecturer, and to be a guest of honor. Information on Crownhart's honorary degree from Marquette University can be found among the 1929 correspondence.
Charles H. Crownhart's papers provide a broad insight into the machinery of Wisconsin politics, law, and the Progressive Republican political plan for the state.
JESSIE EVANS CROWNHART
Jessie Crownhart's papers are divided into two headings, personal and family papers and the professional papers. The Personal and Family Papers include correspondence, a 1907 diary, and Evans family records. The personal and family correspondence deals with Jessie Crownhart's coming of age, establishing herself in a career, and tending to a family. The letters detail her relationship with her siblings' children and other relatives as well as her courtship and marriage. Earlier correspondence tends to be primarily incoming while later correspondence consists of both incoming and outgoing letters. The majority of the incoming letters are written by her husband and children. Occasionally they articulate the trends and moods in Wisconsin politics.
The 1930 correspondence includes messages of condolences following the death of her husband. On June 6, 1941 her eldest son George died and letters of sympathy are included in the correspondence of that year. The diary of 1907 is fairly complete and details the daily family life of the Crownharts. Occasional periods without entries occur.
The Evans family records, 1862-1940, include Civil War letters, petitions for disability pay for Jesse G. Evans, and later statements of widow's benefits addressed to Jessie Crownhart's mother. Jesse G. Evans served in the Seventh Wisconsin Battery, Light Artillery. Election materials from Superior from 1888 to the turn of the century are included in this file, for in 1888 Evans ran for city clerk. A copy of his Homestead certificate is in the records as well as letters pertaining to Jessie Crownhart's sister's sale of her cottage at Solon Springs.
The documents in the Professional Papers headings provide insight into the state of education in Wisconsin in the 1880s through the 1900s and again in the 1930s. The Professional Papers are divided into the following categories: teacher; superintendent of schools, Douglas County; miscellaneous notes and writings; certification tests; and Board of Regents of Normal Schools. The teaching material consists primarily of letters dealing with Jessie Crownhart's various positions between 1882 and 1895. They concern her performance, offers of new positions, and comments of students.
As superintendent of schools of Douglas County, Jessie Crownhart received requests for information, supplies, textbooks, and teachers. She also dealt with county certification of teachers. Included in this section are materials from her campaign for the position in 1898.
Miscellaneous notes and writings are comprised of letters that contain passages of some meaning to Jessie Crownhart and reports and lists of scores, library texts, and population of the county.
Certification tests were given to teachers who desired state or county certification. Most of the tests cover the years 1888-1893, 1896-1900. Miscellaneous exams are materials that Mrs. Crownhart used to design her own county exams while superintendent of schools.
The Board of Regents of Normal Schools correspondence details the difficulties the regents faced in their search for a just way to trim an ever-shrinking Depression-era budget. The Board also had to decide how federal building projects such as the WPA would affect already budgeted allocations. The question of whether faculty had the right to be actively and vocally pacifist confronted the regents during Crownhart's tenure. Finally, the files contain lists of students who left the normal schools in the 1930s along with their reasons, as well as appeals from staff at the schools to avoid cutting their programs.
J. GEORGE CROWNHART
The J. George Crownhart correspondence is a small collection of incoming and occasionally outgoing correspondence from the year he was four until his death. Early letters are most frequently from his father and grandmother while he was in California with his mother during the winters of 1902 and 1903. Later correspondence includes letters from his brother while George was enrolled at the University of Wisconsin as well as letters from his parents while he served in the military in 1918. Correspondence becomes increasingly sparse after 1919.
The “record” of his childhood activities is a ledger used probably by Jessie Evans Crownhart for geography notes and later given to George to keep track of his developing interest in philately.
CHARLES CROWNHART Jr.
The Charles Crownhart Jr., papers are organized in two headings: Personal Correspondence and Political Papers. The Personal Correspondence primarily consists of letters from his parents, occasionally from his brother and sister-in-law, and from his wife, Marion. They comment on the summer home at Solon Springs, on family events, political news, and personal problems.
The Political Papers detail the campaigns of John J. Blaine and of Fred J. Wylie. The Blaine campaign papers include correspondence, schedules, speeches, news releases and financial information. The correspondence includes an agreement between the state's five political parties and radio stations WHA and WLBL for air time during the campaign, and also has information on the speech of Senator Burton K. Wheeler of Montana at Green Bay on September 12, 1932. The speeches file includes not only Blaine's speeches but addresses by Zona Gale and Philip La Follette. The itineraries for the Wheeler tour as well as those for prominent state Progressives are in the schedule file. Financial reports to the state of Wisconsin for the 1932 campaign as well as the abbreviated 1926 expense reports are included in financial information. Sample ballots, promotional literature for opposing candidates, and materials from the Wisconsin Taxpayers' Alliance are incorporated in the miscellaneous file.
The Wylie section of the series includes correspondence, campaign literature, financial information, lists of officials, news releases, and speeches. Radio schedules, letters of appeal for support as well as letters pledging support are in the correspondence file. Paste-ups, planned letters to William Evjue, editor of the Capital Times (Madison, Wisconsin), as well as literature for opposing candidates form the campaign literature file. Financial information includes statements required by Wisconsin on campaign spending. Lists of county and local officials forwarded to Crownhart at his request also are included in this series.
FAMILY FINANCIAL RECORDS
The Charles H. Crownhart Family Financial Records consists of three headings: investments, receipts, and tax records.
Charles Crownhart's investments were primarily in land in Wisconsin, Washington, and British Columbia, Canada. He also invested in mineral fields, stocks and bonds, and banks. The pattern of investment was broad and diversified. A judgment of claims against the estate is filed with the records for 1930. Records on other investments after 1933 can be found in the Jessie Evans Crownhart series.
The receipts generally record purchases and debts accumulated by Charles and Jessie Crownhart. From 1884 to 1895 the receipts document Jessie Evans' (Crownhart) purchases. After 1895 they chronicle the payments the Crownharts made for food; millinery; fuel; judiciary campaign expenses; dues and donations; insurance on life, home, tornado, and auto; and cemetery expenses to list but a few. The cost of maintaining and improving their residences at Solon Springs and at Madison can also be determined from these records.
Crownhart family tax records consist primarily of income tax and property tax returns of Charles H. Crownhart. Property assessment notices are present from King County, Washington, Douglas County, Wisconsin, and the City of Madison, Wisconsin. Income and property tax records constitute the remainder of the collection.
