Title: |
Whiting Williams Papers |
Repository: |
Western Reserve Historical Society
Phone: 216-721-5722 http://www.wrhs.org |
Creator: |
Williams, Whiting |
Dates: |
1899-1969 |
Quantity: |
5.40 linear feet (13 containers) |
Abstract: |
Whiting Williams (1878-1975) was a labor relations consultant and writer in Cleveland, Ohio, who also served as secretary of the Welfare Federation of Cleveland. The collection consists of correspondence, material concerning the Williams family, manuscripts or copies of articles, manuscripts of books and lectures, clippings of stories by and about Williams, and miscellaneous material. |
Identification: |
MS 3580 |
Location: |
closed stacks |
Language: |
The records are in English and French |
Charles) Whiting Williams was born on March 11, 1878, in Shelby, Ohio. His father, Benjamin J. Williams, was a co-founder of the First national Bank of Shelby, of Shelby Seamless, Inc. (the first American producer of seamless steel tubing), and of the Shelby Waterworks. His mother, Ida Whiting, was known for her skills as a painter of china and as a musician.
Charles Whiting Williams graduated from Oberlin College in the class of 1899. He continued his education at the University of Berlin for a year and then studied for the ministry at the University of Chicago. Deciding that there was too much business in religion and too little religion in business, Williams took a position as manager of the University Travel Bureau. He held this job until 1904 when, during a trip to Europe, he wrote a letter to the President of Oberlin College, Henry c. King, suggesting that a college president needed a full time assistant to look after the less academic problems facing a school, such as fundraising. He received his answer by return mail and, in November 1904, was appointed assistant to the President, a post he held until 1912. During this period, he met and married his first wife, Caroline Harter.
In 1912 Williams was asked to come to Cleveland, Ohio, to help found the Cleveland Federation for Charity and Philanthropy. This organization was based on the premise that the competition of charitable organizations with each other for contributions was detrimental to their best interests. Therefore, it was proposed that a single organization carry out one massive fund drive and distribute the contributions to the different charitable groups in the city. The Federation was the first such attempt in the nation and paved the way for what are known as Community Chest, United Fund, and United Way. In 1917, the organization became known as the Welfare Federation of Cleveland and Williams became its first executive secretary.
In 1916, Williams became a special representative for the Equitable Life Assurance Society; his job was the promotion and sale of group insurance, which was a concept just then being introduced. At this time he grew concerned that too many men shared the name, Charles W. Williams. Fearing that people might not be able to distinguish him among so many, he had his name legally changed to Whiting Williams in June 1917. In 1918 Williams first entered the industrial world with which he was to concern himself for the remainder of his long life and became Director of Personnel for the Cleveland Hydraulic Steel Company.
When his employers suggested, after some labor troubles, that he should investigate the problems concerning the workers, Williams embarked upon a nationwide undercover investigation. Disguising himself as Charlie Heitman, common laborer, he traveled around the United States working in coal mines, steel mills, and the railroads. Williams soon resigned his position with Hydraulic Steel to become a consultant and writer on labor issues. Basing his opinion s on actual experience, Williams compiled an impressive list of clients and published works. These clients included General Motors, Western Electric, B. F. Goodrich, the Baltimore and Ohio Railway, and many others. Williams also traveled extensively in Europe, once again disguising himself and working in the mines and mills, and also in Latin America, where he examined conditions as they concerned oil companies. He continually strove to gain an understanding of the needs and desires of the working class since it was his guiding principle that labor and management, far from being enemies, cooperated in the performance of their work. He did a great deal of investigation into the functioning of unions, including working as a strikebreaker in the railroad strike of 1922.
In 1931 Williams abandoned his approach of working for a single company or client and began sending reports on labor conditions to a number of industrialists as a news service. These reports often focused on the ways in which management could placate industrial unrest and avert crises. In the following years, Williams argued for an increased emphasis on individualism and consistently and vigorously opposed the New Deal and the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO). Simultaneously, he became a nationally known and respected lecturer, addressing groups ranging from the local Rotary to business conferences and graduate business schools. Williams also continued to write numerous articles. An impressively active man, he continued to work into the late 1960s when he was well into his ninth decade.
In his personal life, Williams faced two major tragedies. In 1932 his daughter, Carol, a talented musician, was killed in a mysterious explosion in Cleveland Heights. In 1938 his wife, Caroline, died. Williams found strength in his son, Harter, and married Dorothy Rogers in September 1941.
click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for Whiting Williams
The Whiting Williams Papers, 1899-1969 and undated, consist of correspondence, material concerning the Williams family, manuscripts or copies of articles, manuscripts of books and lectures, clippings of stories by and about Williams, and miscellaneous material.
This collection will be useful to researchers studying the history of business, industry, and labor in Cleveland, Ohio and the United States in the twentieth century. The correspondence in this collection includes letters from prominent industry and labor leaders concerning contemporary problems, personal letters from friends covering a wide variety of topics, and letters in response to requests for information. Correspondents represented in this collection include Herbert Hoover, Lowell Thomas, Katherine Wright (sister of the Wright Brothers), and Reinhold Niebuhr. The most extensive correspondence with any one individual is with the philosopher Earnest Hocking and covers the period 1935-1966; these letters provide insight into the philosophical and religious foundations of Williams' thought. Other interesting correspondence includes that carried on with Robert "Red" Jorgensen. Jorgensen was impressed with Williams' technique of working before writing about workers, a technique he tried himself, relaying his experiences to Williams. Another subject of interest to Williams was the problem of liquor and Prohibition. An amusing sidelight to his career was the sporadic appearance of an imposter, who was a glib talker and usually managed to "borrow" someone's watch or money using Williams' name (1933-1942).
The business correspondence in this collection relates directly to material which Williams sent out to clients in the form of reports or suggestions. This includes material analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of unions in general, and the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) in particular. It also provides analysis of the national economic condition.
The personal correspondence relates to different members of Williams' family. It includes a number of letters in French which Williams describes as "love letters," and segments of Williams' diary, which was frequently in the form of letters sent home to his wife. It includes material pertaining to Williams' father, including an account of his father's activities in the Civil War, some of which is in his father's handwriting. Perhaps the most interesting material in this section is the descriptive passages of the diary which concern the physical conditions of the unemployed and the material concerning Williams' genealogy.
Other topics that are documented in this collection are the Welfare Federation of Cleveland, parapsychology, and the Philosophical Club of Cleveland.
None.
Related Material: Related MaterialThe researcher should also consult MS 4261 Whiting Williams Papers, Series II.
All photographs have been removed to the WRHS Photograph and Print Collection.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 3580 Whiting Williams Papers, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio
Gift of Whiting Williams in 1969.
Processed by Mark R. Shanahan in 1974.