The papers represent William H. Baldwin's varied personal and professional interests; unfortunately the documentation is incomplete in many aspects. For example, although Baldwin was a longtime supporter of both the National Urban League and Fisk University substantial material on both associations dates only from the mid-1950's. And while a number of public relations proposals are included, the ideas and concepts which led to their development are only fragmentarily represented. The collection is arranged as personal, professional, social welfare, and family papers and consists of correspondence, financial records, reports, public relations proposals, publications, minutes, writings, and notes.
The PERSONAL PAPERS primarily consist of a general correspondence file, 1906-1977, together with two diaries, 1913-1914 and 1942, drafts and printed copies of speeches, articles and writings that appeared under his name; many drafts of an unpublished book; materials used for public relations seminars conducted at Harvard and New York University; and notes on lectures and readings assigned in the classes of John R. Commons, E. A. Ross, Paul Reinsch and others while a student at the University of Wisconsin. The vast majority of the letters concern the management of the Springfield (Mass.) Republican, a Bowles-Baldwin family enterprise. Prominent correspondents include both of his cousins Roger N. Baldwin and Chester B. Bowles and William Benton, James Dombrowski, John Haynes Holmes, Earl Newsom, and H. T. Webster. Within the writings, the lecture materials and the unpublished public relations manuscript are of considerable interest, for both include many references to his career. The drafts of his unpublished book about his long career in public relations are of particular interest as they contain information regarding his public relations campigns which is not found elsewhere.
PROFESSIONAL PAPERS include financial records, which are most complete for the 1920's and 1930's; correspondence, alphabetically-arranged client files, publications, and miscellany. The client files variously contain proposals and printed matter prepared, distributed, or collected in behalf of clients. Other pamphlets which relate to international trade and the sugar tariff in particular are filed with the miscellany. These pamphlets could not be directly tied to specific clients or promotions. Publications include Resolved, which was issued briefly by Baldwin and Mermey for non-profit organizations, and Footnotes to Public Relations, a newsletter more directly oriented toward their work as public relations counselors. A catalog of attitudes and a list of opinion leaders, both of which were compiled as the result of publishing Resolved are also filed in this section. There is also a scrapbook of articles and promotions prepared by Baldwin, 1927-1930.
SOCIAL WELFARE PAPERS are arranged alphabetically by agency, with those files on the American Museum of Immigration, Fisk, the National Urban League, the Urban League of Southwestern Fairfield County and the Southern Education Foundation being the most extensive. These consist chiefly of correspondence, but for some groups there are also minutes, publications of various kinds, financial records, and for AMI, exhibit and building plans. Within the National Urban League files there are frequent exchanges with Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., and Whitney M. Young, Jr.
FAMILY PAPERS are primarily correspondence of Baldwin's father and mother; the William H. Baldwin, Jr., correspondence consists of letters to his father (WHB Sr.), a letter from John D, Rockefeller, Jr., a speech, and a review of a book by William B. DuBois; the Ruth Standish Baldwin correspondence chiefly consists of exchanges with staff members of the Highlander Folk School, Monteagle, Tennessee.
Most of the pamphlets and printed items separated from Baldwin's client files are located in the one box of materials which was not microfilmed.
