Ernest Munster papers
Creation: 1917-1946 Creation: Majority of material found within 1930-1939Abstract
Ernest Munster (1885-1965) was an attorney and organized Lawyers International Corporation in 1930, with its office in New York City. Munster, the company's president, continued his association with the company through at least the mid-1940s. The Ernest Munster papers reflect his work which necessitated his familiarity with international trade and incorporation laws and taxation policies. The collection primarily consists of records Munster maintained during his years as president of Lawyers International Corporation, with some papers dating back to his employment with International Corporation Company in the late 1930s.
Dates
- Creation: 1917-1946
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1930-1939
Creator
- Munster, Ernest, 1885-1965 (Person)
Extent
7 Linear Feet
Biographical Note
Ernest Munster (1885-1965) was an attorney and organized Lawyers International Corporation in 1930, with its office in New York City. Munster, the company's president, continued his association with the company through at least the mid-1940s.
Lawyers International Corporation served attorneys in the United States and other countries in the conduct of their foreign corporate work. Corporate attorneys requested Lawyers International to organize private limited liability companies, or register branches under the laws of various countries. Local attorneys generally prepared their own papers or approved documents submitted to Lawyers International. In turn, Lawyers International appointed representatives living and working in the particular country who filed papers required for organization of corporations or companies. The companies formed were generally private limited-liability companies.
Arrangement
Due to the nature of Munster's work which necessitated his familiarity with international trade and incorporation laws and taxation policies, his papers were originally filed alphabetically by country, state or province (for Canada) with material pertaining to each in a file folder(s). Within each file folder the material was not maintained in any particular order. The papers are still arranged alphabetically by country. For some countries, there are very few items, such as some clippings. For other countries in which Lawyers International Corporation had clients, such as Brazil, Argentina, Canada, and Panama, the records are arranged according to type of record -- company records, correspondence, publications, clippings, statutes, and miscellaneous records.
Scope and Content
The Ernest Munster Papers reflect Munster's work which necessitated his familiarity with international trade and incorporation laws and taxation policies. The collection primarily consists of records Munster maintained during his years as president of Lawyers International Corporation, with some papers dating back to his employment with International Corporation Company in the late 1930s.
The publications that Munster collected regarding foreign trade, tax, and international incorporation laws are a significant part of this collection. The majority of the publications were published by the United States Department of Commerce. These include "Special Circular" (1920s-1932), renamed "General Legal Bulletin" in 1933, published by the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, Division of Commercial Laws. Other Department of Commerce publications collected by Munster include "Supplement to Commerce Reports," "Foreign Financial News" (released by the Finance and Investment Division), and information regarding trade laws (released by the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce).
Company records are those drawn up by Lawyers International Corporation for companies or corporations established in foreign countries. These records may include certificates of incorporation; corporation bylaws; waivers of certificates of incorporation and of notice of meeting of directors; minutes of first meeting of directors and subscribers; certificates of legal existence; lists of company officers, shareholders and directors; certified foreign corporation laws; and articles of association. Usually these records are carbon copies of forms prepared for the corporations to sign. Companies in this collection include Jack Hylton Incorporated; Columbia Films/Pictures of India, Netherlands Indies, Argentina, Brazil, Chile; Radio Corporation of America Photophone of Asia, Australia, Mexico, South America; and Standard Brands Incorporated.
Correspondence is usually between Munster and Lawyers International Corporation's agent in that particular country (usually an attorney), or between Munster and an American legal firm or business seeking information about doing business in a foreign country. This correspondence provides a glimpse into the work of, and sometimes the difficulties between, Munster and the foreign attorneys. Some of the correspondence is also between Munster and the Department of Commerce; he requested information on foreign business questions regarding law and taxation. There is also some correspondence generated by Munster while he was with International Corporation Company.
Occasionally, a file contains printed statutes from a legal digest relating to taxation or formation of foreign corporations. The clippings primarily consist of articles from United States Department of Commerce publications such as "Commerce Reports," "Comparative Law Series," "Foreign Legislative News," "Legislative News," and "Legal Abstracts." There are also newspaper clippings covering a wide range of international business topics.
The Ernest Munster Papers are useful for researchers interested in United States multinational corporations, the legal procedures involved in establishing foreign corporations, and the attitude of the U.S. Department of Commerce towards foreign countries during the 1920s through the 1940s.
Copyright Notice
Copyright restrictions may apply.
Language of Materials
English
Additional Description
Provenance
Donation of the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware, 1989
The Ernest Munster Papers were arrived in boxes that were part of The Tonopah Mining Company of Nevada Records (Accession 1972). The Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware had possession of the records because The Tonopah Mining Company of Nevada, which was incorporated in Delaware, filed for bankruptcy and was dissolved. After research, it was determined no connection between the Ernest Munster Papers and The Tonopah Mining Company of Nevada Records exist so two separate accessions were created. It is probable that the two sets of records were housed together in a storage facility prior to being transported to Hagley.
Processing Notes
There were probably several additional boxes of papers that were part of the collection, because the papers at Hagley end with Panama, and the collection is missing countries beginning with the letter Q through the letter Z. In addition, there are no financial, legal or other records concerning the day-to-day operation of Lawyers International Corporation. Although papers are obviously missing, that does not detract from the material that has survived. The extant files are probably as complete as when they were in Munster's possession.
Subjects
Finding Aid & Administrative Information
- Title:
- Ernest Munster papers
- Author:
- Lynn Ann Catanese
- Date:
- 1992
- Description rules:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description:
- English
- Script of description:
- Latin
Repository Details
Repository Details
Part of the Manuscripts and Archives Repository
