Citizens Union of the City of New York records, 1892-2020

Summary Information

At a Glance

Arrangement

Arrangement

Arranged.

• Part A: Who's Who, 1900-1964
• Part B: General Office Files, 1908-1939
• Part C: Committee on Legislation, 1904-1941
• Part D: Legislative Report Papers, 1910-1930
• Part E: State Calendars, 1915, 1924-1947, 1960-1964
• Part F: Municipal Assembly Record / City Council Calendar, 1924-1935, 1937-1941, 1945-1948
• Part G: Brooklyn League of the Citizens Union, 1935-1938
• Part H: Campaigns, 1894-1925
• Part I: Citizens Non-Partisan Committee, 1936-1939
• Part J: Citizens Non-Partisan Committee, 1940-1943
• Part K: City Committee, 1898-1929
• Part L: College Men's Political Association, 1903-1905
• Part M: Committee of 100, 1901-1933
• Part N: Committee on Board of Alderman, 1912-1924
• Part O: Financial Records, 1897-1933
• Part P: Miscellaneous Committees, 1897-1938
• Part Q: News Releases, 1923-1929, 1960-1967
• Part R: Proportional Representation, 1936-1940
• Part S: Speeches, 1930-1935
• Part T: Women's Municipal League, 1905-1923
• Part U: Miscellaneous Subjects, 1894-1938
• Part V: Miscellaneous, 1904-1921
• Part W: Scrapbooks, 1892-1964
• Part X: General Correspondence, 1920-1945
• Part Y: City Council Record, 1944-1953
• Part Z: Radio Addresses, 1934, 1936, 1938, 1940, 1941
• Part AA: City Committee, 1930-1949
• Part AB: Committee Lists, 1912-1939
• Part AC: City Planning Committee, 1946-1951
• Part AD: Voter's Directory and Citizens Union Newspapers, 1911-1953
• Part AE: Miscellaneous Committee, 1902-1948
• Part AF: Criticism and Appraisal, 1927-1940
• Part AG: Financial Records and Correspondence / Special Fund Drive, 1930-1931, 1942
• Part AH: Miscellaneous Publications
• Part AI: Who's Who, 1916-1976
• Part AJ: Archived Websites
• Additions to the Collection
• Candidates' Files, Pre 1990
• Candiates' Files:
• Candidate Questionnaires:
• Directories:
• Reports:
• Publications, Pamphlets, Brochures, Clippings, and Memorabilia:
• Legal:
• Women's Municipal League of the City of New York:

Description

Summary

Letters, documents, clippings, and printed matter related to the work of the Citizens Union of New York, including correspondence, memoranda, and reports which survey, analyze, and criticize bills introduced in the state legislature and city council; 244 boxes of "Who's Who" biographies of candidates for city and state offices; files of campaign and election materials; records of affiliated "good government" organizations in New York City; and extensive financial records.

• Part A: Who's Who, 1900-1964

  A biographical file of persons who have campaigned in city and state elections. The file consists mainly of clippings and some correspondence of a routine nature with the exception of F. LaGuardia, J. Hylan, A. Smith and J. Walker, and William J. Schieffelin. This series overlaps with Part AI.

• Part B: General Office Files, 1908-1939

  Executive correspondence between the Citizens Union's New York City and Albany offices and the Voters Legislative League dealing with the gathering of information on the state legislaure's activities. For additional correspondence, see Part X.

  Index to Major Correspondence: Arndt, Walter Tallmadge; Colt, John; Crichton, A. T.; De Lima, Agnes; De Roode, Albert; Doughty, James W.; Eckert, Joseph; Griffin, John C.; Hammitt, Joseph O.; Howard, Clarence V.; Jenks, Helen B.; Kessler, George W.; Loeffler, Herman C.; Lyons, John J.; Mc Gahen, Rufus E.; Moses, Robert; Pedlow, Frank; Platte, A. J.; Porter, Melvin; Schieffelin, William J.; Trevoy, Wilmot V.; Wose, Fred W.; and Youker, Wilfred E.

• Part C: Committee on Legislation, 1904-1941

  The records of the committee whose task it is to analyze and report on the legislative activities of the state legislature and the city council. Committee on Legislation records for the period 1960-1964 are interfiled with the State Calendars in Part E.

• Part D: Legislative Report Papers, 1910-1930

  Files relating to Citizens Union's annual analyses and reports of state legislative sessions.

• Part E: State Calendars, 1915, 1924-1947, 1960-1964

  A file of bills introduced in the state legislature and amendments offerred at the state constitutional conventions of 1915 and 1938. Related Citizens Union correspondence and memoranda are filed with the bill or amendment in question.

• Part F: Municipal Assembly Record / City Council Calendar, 1924-1935, 1937-1941, 1945-1948

  Annual file of bills introduced in the city council including related Citizens Union correspondence and memoranda.

• Part G: Brooklyn League of the Citizens Union, 1935-1938

• Part H: Campaigns, 1894-1925

  Records of Citizens Union's activities in New York City campaigns.

• Part I: Citizens Non-Partisan Committee, 1936-1939

  Records relating to "…the elections of well qualified councilmen and the adoption of the county reorganization amendment…"

• Part J: Citizens Non-Partisan Committee, 1940-1943

• Part K: City Committee, 1898-1929

  Files of the central governing body of the Citizens Union.

• Part L: College Men's Political Association, 1903-1905

• Part M: Committee of 100, 1901-1933

  A non-partisan watchdog committee on "..all branches of government and the administration of justice in the city"!

• Part N: Committee on Board of Alderman, 1912-1924

• Part O: Financial Records, 1897-1933

• Part P: Miscellaneous Committees, 1897-1938

• Part Q: News Releases, 1923-1929, 1960-1967

• Part R: Proportional Representation, 1936-1940

• Part S: Speeches, 1930-1935

• Part T: Women's Municipal League, 1905-1923

• Part U: Miscellaneous Subjects, 1894-1938

• Part V: Miscellaneous, 1904-1921

• Part W: Scrapbooks, 1892-1964

  Includes campaign news clippings as well as campaign literature.

• Part X: General Correspondence, 1920-1945

  Office file copies of general correspondence. These files are incomplete as both the beginning and the end of the alphabet are lacking.

• Part Y: City Council Record, 1944-1953

  Semi-weekly supplement.

• Part Z: Radio Addresses, 1934, 1936, 1938, 1940, 1941

• Part AA: City Committee, 1930-1949

  Files on the central governing body of the Citizen's Union.

• Part AB: Committee Lists, 1912-1939

  Lists of names and addresses of Citizen's Union Committee members.

• Part AC: City Planning Committee, 1946-1951

  Calenders and minutes from the City Planning Committee.

• Part AD: Voter's Directory and Citizens Union Newspapers, 1911-1953

  The Voter's Directory is a pre-election publication which names, describes and appraises the various candidates for public office of New York City. Part AD also includes Citizen Union news publications.

• Part AE: Miscellaneous Committee, 1902-1948

• Part AF: Criticism and Appraisal, 1927-1940

  Correspondence between the Citizens Union and the public.

• Part AG: Financial Records and Correspondence / Special Fund Drive, 1930-1931, 1942

• Part AH: Miscellaneous Publications

• Part AI: Who's Who, 1916-1976

  A biographical file of persons who have campaigned in city and state elections. These dates overlap with the Who's Who files in Part A.

• Part AJ: Archived Websites

  In 2020 Columbia University Libraries began archiving the Citizens Union website as well as the Gotham Gazette. These can be found in CUL's Wayback archive:

  citizensunion.org

  gothamgazette.com

• Additions to the Collection

Using the Collection

Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Restrictions on Access

You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.

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This collection has no restrictions.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.

Preferred Citation

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Citizens Union of the City of New York records; Box and Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.

Accruals

Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. Contact rbml@columbia.edu for more information.

Ownership and Custodial History

Gift of the Citizens Union, 1948, 1963 & 1966.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Source of acquisition--Citizens Union. Method of acquisition--Gift; Date of acquisition--1948. Accession number--M-48.

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Processing Information

Surveyed Christina Hilton Fenn 05/04/89.

Revision Description

2020-05-11 EAD document created by CCR.

2020-11-16 Added link to archived websites. kws

Subject Headings

The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches at Columbia University through the Archival Collections Portal and through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, as well as ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.

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