Harry L. and Harvey P. Sommerer papers, 1930-1956
Part of collection: RCA Camden records (2464-76)
Dates
- Creation: 1930-1956
Biographical Note
Harry Leadom Sommerer was born in Philadelphia in 1885. He began working as a purchasing agent for the Victor Talking Machine Company in Camden, New Jersey in 1909. From 1930 to 1937, Sommerer served as managing director of the Victor Talking Machine Company of Japan’s plant in Yokohama, Japan. He returned to RCA in Camden, receiving an appointment as Manager of Manufacturing for RCA plants. During World War II, Sommerer also oversaw subcontracting operations on war work. Harry L. Sommerer retired from RCA in 1947 and died in Pennsylvania in 1956.
The son of Harry L., Harvey Price Sommerer was born in Philadelphia in 1911. He worked as a buyer for the Victor Talking Machine Company of Japan in Yokohama, Japan from 1930 to 1937. Along with his father, Harvey left Japan when RCA sold its majority stake in the Victor Talking Machine Company of Japan (later to become JVC) when the Japanese invaded China in 1937. Returning to the United States, Sommerer worked for RCA Victor in Camden, New Jersey as chief buyer in the home instrument department. He resigned from the position in 1947. Harvey P. Sommerer died in Florida in 2007.
Scope and Content
The Harry L. and Harvey P. Sommerer papers are primarily composed of Harvey P.'s papers, including a letterbook, Japanese business and identity cards, recreational photographs, and ephemera. The papers also include fifteen films from the 1930s, primarily in Japan.
Arrangement
This series is arranged in two subseries:
A. Papers
B. Films
Files are arranged alphabetically.
Extent
From the Collection: 6.5 Linear Feet
Additional Description
Access Restrictions
This collection contains material from the Manuscripts and Archives Department (M&A) and the Audiovisual Collections and Digital Initiatives Department (AVD). Box prefixes indicate which department holds an individual file or item.
Films and negatives are housed in cold storage and must reacclimate prior to viewing (Film Cans 1-15 and Box AVD-NG1). Please contact the Audiovisual Collections and Digital Initiatives Department at least 48 hours in advance of research visit.
Records subject to 25-year time seal.
Arrangement
This series is arranged in two subseries:
A. Papers
B. Films
Files are arranged alphabetically.
Provenance
Donated to the David Sarnoff Library by John Sommerer in 2007. In 2009, along with the rest of the archival collections of the David Sarnoff Library, the Harry L. and Harvey P. Sommerer papers were donated to the Hagley Museum and Library. Additional documents were later given by John Sommerer to Alexander Magoun, who donated them to Hagley in December 2015.
Processing Notes
Processed by Rachael A. Beyer, August 2014.
Subjects
Related Names
Subject
- Sommerer, Harry L., 1885-1956 (Person)
- Sommerer, Harvey P., 1911-2007 (Person)
Creator
- From the Collection: RCA Corporation (Organization)
Repository Details
Repository Details
Part of the Manuscripts and Archives Repository
