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Biography

 Subject
Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Scope Note: Biographies; Life histories; Memoirs.

Found in 30 Collections and/or Records:

"A Chicago District Perspective of the History of the Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company, 1900-1969" memoir

 Collection
Accession: 2100
Abstract:

The Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company grew to be one of the six largest basic steel companies in the United States. This volume presents an insider history and personal memoir by a retired operating official of Youngstown's Indiana Harbor Works.

Dates: 1991

Allen family papers

 Collection
Accession: 1978
Abstract:

Horatio Allen (1802-1889) was a noted civil engineer and inventor, who worked with the Delaware & Hudson Canal Company, the South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company, the Croton Aqueduct, and the New York & Erie Railroad. The bulk of his the papers is personal correspondence (1818-1864), and biographical materials collected by his family. Also included is a small collection of Allen's business papers, particularly concerning his work on the New York & Erie Railroad.

Dates: 1818-1925

Biographical sketches

 Series
Accession: 1410Identifier: 1410-V.
Scope and Contents:

Biographical sketches series contains files on deceased officers, employees, and du Pont family members.

Dates: 1912-1983

Bronfman family

 Series
Accession: 2173Identifier: 2173-I.
Scope and Contents:

Series I. Bronfman Family contains two subseries.

Subseries A. Research Materials for Samuel Bronfman: The Life and Times of Seagram's Mr. Sam by Michael Marrus; The core of these records was created by John Scott, who was hired by the family to write a biography of their patriarch Samuel Bronfman. The remaining records in this subseries were created by Marrus when researching Samuel Bronfman: The Life and Times of Seagram's Mr. Sam.

Subseries B. Bronfman Family Papers; contains documents such as births, deaths, and marriages of some of the Bronfman family and relatives; correspondence, and newspaper clippings.

Dates: 1682-1996; Majority of material found within 1930-1990

Budd Company historical files

 Collection
Accession: 2411
Abstract:

The collection consists of a synthetic historical file assembled for public relations purposes at Budd Company's Michigan headquarters.

Dates: 1914-1993; Majority of material found within 1929-1982

Charles M. Schwab Memorial Library

 Series
Accession: 1699Identifier: 1699-II-VI.
Scope and Content: Hagley's holdings of Schwab Library material are divided among the Vertical File, Manuscripts, Publications and Microfilm.The Vertical File (15.5 cubic feet) is that part of a much larger file that deals directly with the history of Bethlehem Steel and the iron and steel industries. The file consists of equal parts of news clippings, photostats, and tear sheets of trade journal articles: historical articles from scholarly journals and historical society publications; and public and internal Bethlehem reports.Of particular interest are a series of internal plant histories, data on Bethlehem's corporate family tree, and plant and product brochures. There is a series of reports, articles, and brochures on some of the large bridges built by Bethlehem and McClintic-Marshall, and also on the Holland Tunnel and Grand Coulee Dam. Other files contain brochures and mailings on the bonus controversy of 1931, the government armor plant project of 1916, the Employee Representation Plan, and the management training "Loop Course." There are also clippings on strikes, and copies of work rules and notices from Schwab's tenure with the Carnegie Steel Company. There are historical articles on early iron and steel works in the United States and Great Britain, including the Saugus Iron Works restoration, and obituaries and biographical sketches of persons associated with Bethlehem and its predecessors.As might be expected, a large portion of the Vertical File is devoted to the life of Charles M. Schwab, including copies of his writings and speeches, cartoons, and obituaries. There is a collection of menus for testimonial dinners that Schwab attended, some autographed with the names of other famous guests. There is a similar, but smaller, collection pertaining to Eugene Grace.The Schwab Library Manuscripts consist of typescript histories of Bethlehem, a small body of non-Bethlehem original manuscripts collected by or donated to the Schwab Library.The most important item is the "Notes on Mr. Charles M. Schwab's Life," prepared by Sidney B. Whipple around 1936. Whipple, a writer for the New York World-Telegram, interviewed Schwab in 1935 for the purpose of collecting notes for a biography to be written at an unspecified time in the future. Whipple violated the terms of his arrangement by starting to write the biography himself and revealing some of the information he had collected through articles in his newspaper....
Dates: 1714-1977

Charles M.A. Stine papers

 Collection
Accession: 2521
Abstract:

Charles M.A. Stine (1882-1954) was one of the leading research chemists employed by E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. The collection a small sample of Stine's papers preserved by his family, primarily some of his awards with copies of acceptance speeches, biographical information, and a bibliography of his books and articles.

Dates: 1924-1949

Cyril C. Thompson papers

 Collection
Accession: 2554
Abstract:

Cyril C. Thompson (1892-1976) had a long career in the accounting, management and public relations sides of the aviation industry, joining near the beginning of commercial aviation in 1928 and retiring just as the era of commercial jets began. Thompson was as an executive of United Air Lines for eighteen years, and later an airport planner, consultant, and prolific author and speaker. The papers of Cyril C. Thompson consist of a selection of items that he retained as mementos of the different stages of his career, plus materials and drafts for an unpublished biography of Idaho Senator William E. Borah and a never-completed personal history of United Air Lines on which he was working at the time of his death.

Dates: 1921-1976; Majority of material found within 1928-1955

Du Pont family miscellany

 Collection
Accession: LMSS-IX
Abstract:

The Du Pont family is a prominent Delawarean family descended from Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours (1739-1817), a French political economist, writer, publisher, and public administrator who immigrated to America with his sons, Victor Marie du Pont (1767-1827) and Eleuthère Irénée du Pont (1771-1834), in 1800. In 1802, he founded E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company with his younger son, Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company is a chemical research and manufacturing company more commonly referred to as the DuPont Company. This small set of materials contains business and personal papers. The collection is organized into three series: Correspondence, business, and personal documents; Copies and extracts of correspondence and other documents; and Illustrative materials.

Dates: circa 1500-1599; 1769-1886

E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company DuPont Building files

 Collection
Accession: 2629
Abstract:

E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company is a chemical company more commonly referred to as the DuPont Company. The DuPont Building was one of the first high-rises in Wilmington, Delaware; it occupied an entire block bound by 10th, 11th, Orange, and Market streets. Until early 2015 the building housed DuPont's headquarters. The collection documents the history of the DuPont Company, as well as its finances, corporate values, special events, and company communications.

Dates: 1802-2015

Eileen Gray prints

 Collection
Accession: 1996-217
Abstract:

Eileen Gray (1878-1976) is considered one of the most important and influential furniture designers and architects of the early twentieth century, inspiring both modernism and Art Deco movements. She was among the vanguard of the International Style in her use and interpretation of geometric forms and industrially produced materials. This collection is a boxed set of postcard-size reproductions of black and white photographs of houses, rooms, and objects designed by her.

Dates: circa 1992

Elmer Sperry photographs

 Collection
Accession: 1985-257
Abstract:

Elmer A. Sperry (1860-1930) was an electrical engineer who established the Electric Light, Motor, and Car Brake Company in 1883 and then founded the Sperry Electric Mining Machine Company in 1886. After selling his patents to General Electric, he went to work for the company as a consultant. This collection includes original materials, as well as copy work from other sources and images which show Sperry's inventions; there is some ephemera, family photos, employees, and views of the Sperry Company's Brooklyn drafting rooms.

Dates: 1847-1945

Francoise du Pont de Nemours letters to Madame Aublay and cousin Albert

 Collection
Accession: 0032
Abstract:

Francoise Robin du Pont (1748-1841) was the second wife of Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours (1739-1817) a promienent French political economist, writer, publisher, and public administrator. The letters are from du Pont to Madame Clarice Aublay (nee Hortode) and cousin Albert.

Dates: 1834-1835

Geoffrey D. Austrian research notes on Herman Hollerith

 Collection
Accession: 2353
Abstract:

Geoffrey David Austrian (1930-) is an author and journalist. He first became interested in the life of Herman Hollerith (1860-1929), inventor of the puched-card system of data processing, while working for the International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), the firm that grew out of Hollerith's invention. This collections includes the research materials Austrian used to write the book Herman Hollerith: Forgotten Giant of Information Processing. Austrian's research includes notes from interviews with Hollerith family members and copies of materials from the IBM archives and other repositories, including the New York Public Library.

Dates: 1860-1990; Majority of material found within 1890-1929

Harry Lobe Straus papers

 Collection
Accession: 2186
Abstract:

Harry Lobe Straus (1896-1949) was an early computer engineer and developer of totalisator or "tote board," an electronic system that printed and issued betting tickets at racetracks, automatically computed the bets and odds, and displayed them on a large board. This collection is a small group of papers preserved by his personal secretary, Christine Behm Nunus (1906-1998). It includes financial statements, business letters, estate papers, and items relating to Straus's biography, "Win. Place. Show."

Dates: 1932-1990

Harvey family papers

 Collection
Accession: 1211
Abstract:

Thomas William Harvey (1795-1854) was an important inventor in the arts of metalworking and metallurgy. The Harvey family papers primarily relate to Thomas William Harvey and his magnetic experiments. It also includes a biography written by his great-grandson Thomas W. Harvey (1884-1965), articles of association of the Harvey Galvanic Company, and two account books of the Harvey Electro Magnetic Company.

Dates: 1839-1940

Helen Baker Cushman business papers

 Collection
Accession: 2175
Abstract:

Helen Baker Cushman (1922-) was the founder and manager of H.M. Baker Associates, consultants in business archives and records from 1958 to 1993, headquartered in Westfield, New Jersey. Her papers consist primarily of correspondence with clients and potential clients; notes, drafts, and printer's mechanicals and negatives for her publications; data files created in the course of her work; and some business publications and ephemera.

Dates: 1853-1992

Henry A. du Pont memorial testimonial scrapbook

 Collection
Accession: 1749
Abstract:

Henry Algernon du Pont (1838-1926) was a military officer, a politician from Delaware, and vice president of E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. The leather-bound scrapbook serves as a testimonial to the memory of du Pont. It includes records of the West Point class of 1861, the military record of du Pont, his award for gallantry in action, his obituary from the DuPont Company annual report, and photographs of H. A. du Pont and scenes of West Point in 1861 and 1961.

Dates: 1961

Henry du Pont letters (photocopies) and Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours autobiography (typescript)

 Collection
Accession: 1903
Abstract:

Henry du Pont (1812-1889) was an American military officer and son of Eleuthère Irénée du Pont (1771-1834), founder of E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., and Sophie Madeleine Dalmas du Pont (1775-1828). The collection consists of photocopied letters from Henry du Pont (1812-1889) and typescript of Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours (1739-1817) autobiography he wrote in 1792. The letters are from sisters Eleuthera du Pont Smith (1806-1876) and Sophie Madeleine du Pont (1810-1888), as well as William Tecumseh Sherman (1820-1891) and M. Saito of the Japanese Navy.

Dates: 1811-1887; 1792

"History of Explosions and Accidents at Brandywine Mills" by Francis Gurney du Pont

 Collection
Accession: 1402
Abstract:

Francis Gurney du Pont (1850-1904) was the youngest son of Alexis I. du Pont (1816-1857) and Joanna Smith du Pont (1815-1876), and grandson of Éleuthère Irénée "E.I." du Pont (1771-1834), founder of E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, a chemical company more commonly referred to as the DuPont Company. The collection contains a carbon typescript of "History of Explosions at Brandywine Mills" compiled from records by du Pont and also reported from his own experiences.

Dates: 1908

Kaehni Brothers papers

 Collection
Accession: 2848
Abstract:

The Kaehni brothers, William "Bill" L. Kaehni (1895-1950) and Francis "Frank" J. Kaehni (1897-1986) were electronics engineers, inventors, and entrepreneurs. The brothers invented radio transmitters, navigational devices for airplanes and ships, transistorized car ignitions, and heat control systems. They also built and installed public address systems. This small collection primarily consists of the Kaehni brothers' class notes from courses taken at the Case School of Applied Science (now folded into Case Western Reserve University). The notes are most likely Bill Kaehni's, but could also be Frank Kaehni's, as they are mostly undated. Of significance is a bound biography written in 1998 by David C. Barnett using documents from the Kaehni family and firsthand accounts from their sister, Marie Kaehni, who provides her own memories in the afterword.

Dates: 1915-1917; 1933; 1948; 1998

Kerns H. Powers papers, 1954-1979

 Series
Accession: 2464-09Identifier: 2464-09-5.-I.
Scope and Content: The Kerns H. Powers papers consist of Powers’ correspondence during his time as Director of the Communications Research Laboratory from 1966 to 1976. Additionally, they include nominations and meeting notes from his tenure as Chairman of the Awards Committee for the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). IEEE records also include nominations and meeting notes from Powers’ predecessors.The IEEE and IRE nomination forms provide substantial biographical detail on RCA scientists that supplements files in the Public Affairs Department vertical files.The Kerns H. Powers papers consist mostly of Powers’ correspondence during his time as Director of the Communications Research Laboratory from 1966 to 1976. Also included are RCA Laboratories' business plans from 1971 to 1977 that provide a snapshot of RCA's attempts to handle the daunting challenges of the 1970s.Additionally, the papers include nominations and meeting notes from his tenure as Chairman of the Awards Committee for the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). IEEE records also include nominations and meeting notes from Powers’ predecessors.The IEEE and IRE nomination forms provide substantial biographical detail on RCA scientists that supplements files in the Public Affairs Department vertical files.Seven of his lab notebooks (1951-1981) can be found in Record group 26. Amarel, Saul 1968, 1969, 1971 Barton, Loy E. 1955 Belohoubek, Erwin F. 1974 Briggs, George R. 1972 Brown, George H. 1964 Burns, Leslie L. 1964, 1965, 1966 Cohen, Robert M. 1962 Cooke, Harry L. 1970, 1971 Crooks, H. Nelson 1970, 1971 DeVore, Henry B. 1955 Engstrom, Elmer W. 1958, 1962, 1963 Epstein, Jess 1956 Flory, Leslie E. 1956, 1964 Forgue, Stanley V. 1964 Gibson, J. James 1978 Goldberg, Edwin A. 1971, 1972 Good, Lowell H. 1961 Gubin, Samuel 1968, 1969 Hammer, Jacob M. 1976 Handelsman, Morris 1960, 1961, 1963 ...
Dates: 1954-1979

Lavinia Dimmick Rée memoir

 Collection
Accession: 0523
Abstract:

Lavinia Dimmick Rée (1874-1946) was a descendant of the founders of E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, a chemical research and manufacturing company. She was the daughter of Irene du Pont (1845-1877) and Edward Dimmick (1843-1895), and a great-niece of Sophie M. du Pont (1810-1888). The records consist of two copies of a typewritten transcription of "Memories of Aunt Sophie" written by Rée about du Pont's home, Lower Louviers, during the late 1870s and 1880s.

Dates: circa 1943

Lois K. Herr papers

 Collection
Accession: 2462
Abstract:

Lois K. Herr (1941-) was a prominent advocate of equal rights for women in the workplace and a party to an important legal victory securing greater equity for women in AT&T's Bell System in the early 1970s. The collection documents her role as an important campaigner for women's rights in the business world and her interest in her predecessors in the suffragist and feminist movements of the early twentieth century.

Dates: 1907-2004; Majority of material found within 1963-2003

"Love for life: a self-portrait of the first three generations of du Ponts in America, 1791-1834" by Gertrude Ruhnka

 Collection
Accession: 2001
Abstract:

Gertrude Ruhnka (1891-1981) was a research librarian at the Huntington Library in California. The collection contains her unpublished manuscript, "Love for life: a self-portrait of the first three generations of du Ponts in America, 1791-1834," and two letters from Ruhnka to J.B. Lippincott Company and Dr. Walter J. Heacock of the Eleutherian Mills-Hagley Foundation.

Dates: 1976

Nicholas F. Pensiero papers

 Collection
Accession: 2138
Abstract:

Nicholas F. Pensiero (1918-2003) worked in the Marketing Division of the Radio Corporation of America (RCA), a leading American electronics company. The papers comprise a portion of Pensiero’s files retained by him after retirement in 1984. They include a variety of pieces relating to the history of RCA and its predecessor, the Victor Talking Machine Company. There are memoirs (copies) of two RCA engineers, an advertising scrapbook dating from 1938 to 1942, and a set of dust jackets for 78rpm records dating from 1912 to 1938.

Dates: 1904-1984; Majority of material found within 1974-1984

Parry Norling collection of DuPont Company records

 Collection
Accession: 2510
Abstract:

Parry Norling (1939-) was a career research chemist and manager with E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company. Records consists of company documents and outside publications collected by Norling during his time at DuPont.

Dates: 1902-2004; Majority of material found within 1980-1995

Sarah S. Dennen biographical notes

 Collection
Accession: 0385
Abstract:

Sarah Dennen (1882-1970) was a descendant of G.W. Peirce, the original owner of Peirce's Park (now Longwood Gardens). The collection includes biographical notes and brief reminiscence of Peirce's Park in the late nineteenth century.

Dates: undated

Thomas Parke Hughes papers

 Collection
Accession: 2259
Abstract:

Thomas Parke Hughes (1923-2014), was one of the leading historians of technology of his era. This collection consists of files relating to the research and production of Professor Hughes' two prize-winning books, Networks of Power, and Elmer Sperry: Inventor and Engineer. Also included are Elmer Sperry's original desk diaries.

Dates: 1912-1984

Victorine E. Foster memoir

 Collection
Accession: 0428
Abstract:

Victorine du Pont Foster (1849-1934) was the granddaughter of Eleuthère Irénée "E.I." du Pont (1771-1834) who founded the E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, a chemical company which began with the production of gunpowder. Her husband was Antoine Foster (1847-1928). The collection contains a typescript of Foster's memoir, "A Lost Garden" which describes the former garden at Eleutherian Mills.

Dates: 1921