The University of Massachusetts Amherst
Robert S. Cox Special Collections & University Archives Research Center
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Smith, W. R.

W.R. Smith Papers

1914-1947
1 box 0.25 linear feet
Call no.: MS 243

W.R. Smith was a Vice President and organizer for the International Brotherhood of Papers Makers (I.B.P.M.) who principally attempted to gain union conditions for papers workers near Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Includes letters to and from I.B.P.M. president James T. Carey as well as a 116-page transcript of Smith’s organizing reports for the years 1914-1920, documenting his activities in Holyoke, Massachusetts, among other cities and towns in Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, Oregon, and Washington.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

W.R. Smith was a vice president and organizer for the International Brotherhood of Paper Makers. These papers document his activities from the period 1914 to 1921, focusing principally on his attempts to gain union conditions for the paper workers in the Kalamazoo region of Michigan.

Included are letters to and from James T. Carey, president of the I.B.P.M. and a 116-page transcript of his organizing reports for the years 1914 to 1920. In addition to Kalamazoo, this transcript documents Smith’s activities in Holyoke, Massachusetts; Middletown, Hamilton, Chillicothe, and Urbana, Ohio; Ladysmith, Wisconsin; Detroit, Michigan; and in Oregon and Washington during the tumultuous strikes of 1919.


Information on Use
Terms of Access and Use
Restrictions on access:

The collection is open for research.

Preferred Citation

Cite as: W.R. Smith Papers (MS 243). Special Collections and University Archives, W.E.B. Du Bois Library, University of Massachusetts Amherst.

History of the Collection

Processing Information

Processed by Ken Fones-Wolf.


Additional Information

Sponsor
Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Language
English.


Contents List
Correspondence from J.T. Carey
1914
Box 1
Correspondence to J.T. Carey
1921
Box 2
Memorandum of Organizing
1914-1921
Box 3
Memorandum for the Kalamazoo Regional Office
1947
Box 4

Subjects

Holyoke (Mass.)--Economic conditions--20th centuryInternational Brotherhood of Paper MakersKalamazoo (Mich.)--Economic conditions--20th centuryKalamazoo (Mich.)--Social conditions--20th centuryLabor unions--MassachusettsLabor unions--Organizing--United States--History--20th centuryLabor unions--United States--Officials and employees--History--20th centuryPaper industry workers--Labor unions--MassachusettsPaper industry workers--Labor unions--Organizing--Massachusetts--Holyoke--HistoryPaper industry workers--Labor unions--Organizing--Michigan --Kalamazoo--History

Contributors

Carey, Jeremiah T., 1870-1957Smith, W. R