This collection traces Willis Harrington's career as a vice president and member of the Executive Committee of E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. (the DuPont Company) from 1929 to 1942. The papers have been organized on a subject basis within each year and are listed for the most part under headings used by Harrington. These papers document his varied responsibilities within the DuPont Company, with the following key foci: employee relations, research and development, industrial operations, and purchasing.

Employee relations

When Harrington began his duties with the Executive Committee in 1929, employee relations were handled by the Service Department. Under his leadership the department administered the company's benefits plans (bonus, pension, stock subscription and group insurance) and was responsible for safety and fire protection programs. The papers describe the way in which the DuPont Company responded to the depression by initiating share-the-work and welfare plans. Of particular interest are the files which trace the ways the company reacted to the National Industrial Recovery, Wagner, and Fair Labor Standards Acts. There are quantities of material documenting the DuPont Company employee representation plan, implemented by local works councils and administered by the Service Department, in response to the union organizing campaigns of the 193Os.

Willis Harrington's papers also describe the role that the DuPont Company played within the Special Conference Committee. This was a group composed of ten leading companies (General Motors, Goodyear, Bethlehem Steel, AT&T, U.S. Steel, International Harvester, U.S. Rubber, Westinghouse, Standard Oil of New Jersey, and DuPont) that met bi-monthly, to discuss business/labor conditons and industrial relations policies.

Reports of DuPont economist E.E. Lincoln, candidly written for both the Special Conference Committee and the DuPont Company, discuss proposed responses to labor unrest and Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal.

Research and development

Harrington's position as Executive Committee advisor on chemical research and development is evidenced by a succession of official reports from the Chemical Department from 1929 to 1935. New directions in research are reviewed by Drs. W.H. Carothers, E.K. Bolton, A.P. Tanberg, and C.M.A. Stine. These scientists were addressing the company's decision to shift its emphasis to fundamental research. Until this time research had been confined to cost cutting and quality improvement of established products. The new fundamental research program resulted in the development of such products as nylon, synthetic methanol (wood alcohol), "Duco" pryoxylin finishes, Freon, tetra-ethyl lead (an anti-knock gasoline additive), synthetic camphor, and synthetic urea (for use in certain plastics and high-grade fertilizer).

Industrial operations

Two groups of files document the DuPont Company's increasing diversification: (1) records of the general managers and (2) records of the various subsidiaries. Harrington regularly attended the general managers' meetings. His papers contain a nearly complete set of the minutes and related reports from 1929 through 1942; departmental sales data and business outlooks are reviewed. During the late 193Os, the files reflect an increasing concern with industrial relations and labor unrest.

Records of the various subsidiary companies contain evaluations by the Development Department and reports by other interested departments (e.g. Dyestuffs, Fabrics and Finishes, and Engineering), analyzing potential performance. Correspondence between officials of subsidiary companies and DuPont describe joint efforts to integrate operations. Minutes trace the progress of several of the subsidiaries, including the Grasselli Chemical Company; Kinetic Chemicals, Inc.; Krebs Pigment & Color Corporation the Roessler and Hasslacher Chemical Company; and DuPont Viscoloid Company.

Purchasing

By 1931, Harrington had become the Executive Committee advisor on purchasing and traffic, a member of the Subcommittee on Purchases and Sales, and chairperson of the Special Subcommittee on Economies. Over the next five years, his files include numerous studies of purchasing practices, standardization procedures, and centralization of operations.

Miscellaneous papers document the relationship of the DuPont Company with the federal government. Of particular interest are the files on: (1) the 1934 Munitions Investigation, conducted by the U.S. Senate's Nye Committee; (2) the Robinson-Patman Price Discrimination Act of 1936, and (3) the Neutrality Act of 1939.