Inventory of the Thelma C. Furry Papers, 1911-1990

Biography of

Thelma C. Furry was born on January 22, 1910 in Louisville, Kentucky, the first child of Fred and Irene Seibert. In 1917, Mr. Seibert moved to Akron to seek employment in the rubber industry. He began work at the B.F. Goodrich Company, but disliked the working conditions there. Fred Seibert was a strong believer in Christian Science and the denomination's emphasis on human equality. Mr. Seibert was also a confirmed Socialist and supporter of Eugene V. Debs, an American union leader, one of the founding members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW or the Wobblies), and several times the candidate of the Socialist Party of America for President of the United States. These convictions led him to become active in organizing a union among Akron's rubber workers. After going into business for himself, he remained politically active, being a charter member of the local Communist Party chapter in 1920 and continuously involved in the labor movement throughout the 1920s and 1930s. Thelma Furry was strongly influenced by her father's beliefs and the struggles of Akron's labor movement in the 1930s. It was during these years that she began accompanying her father to meetings and to the courthouse. Thelma testified as a defense witness in a particular case defended by Yetta Land, a woman lawyer from Cleveland. The two women eventually became good friends and Land encouraged Thelma in her decision to become a lawyer. Thelma's road to a law career was not an easy one. In 1927, at age 16, she dropped out of high school to marry Tom Osborn. At the end of that year her daughter, Jacqueline, was born. Tom and Thelma were divorced in 1929. Thelma began working in a local match factory to support herself and her child. In 1932, Thelma married James Furry, a machinist at the match factory, and soon afterwards she went back to school. In 1934, Thelma graduated from Kenmore High School and went on to The University of Akron, eventually entering the Akron School of Law in 1936. While in college, Thelma was politically active, joining the Communist Party in 1935 and working in support of the rubber workers strike the following year. This period was considered the "golden era" of the party in Akron and throughout the nation. The depression and its consequences-unemployment and disillusionment-drove many working people to seek the Communist Party as an alternative to the traditional political organization. An influential party organizer during the 1930s was Jim Keller. Keller came to Akron around 1934 and stayed on through the height of the rubber workers strike. During that time he and his wife, Evelyn, became close friends with Thelma. Throughout the years Thelma sought Jim Keller's advice on political and personal issues. In 1938 she began to supplement her income by working as an instructor in a Works Progress Administration program. Thelma divorced in 1939 and finished her law degree in 1940. In 1941, Thelma had a great deal of difficulty getting permission from the dean of the Law School to take the bar exam. In 1942 she was dismissed from her W.P.A. job because of her membership in the Communist Party. Likewise, she lost a position on the night shift at The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company Aircraft Division for her efforts to organize her fellow employees. Despite these difficulties, Thelma gained a reputation in her law practice as a defender of unpopular people and causes. She helped African-Americans with civil rights law suits, defended communists against state prosecution, and in the early 1950s stood against McCarthyism. In October of 1953, she and a number of other area activists were called before the Ohio Un-American Activities Committee. Thelma and the others refused to answer questions from the committee citing their constitutional rights against self-incrimination. A contempt case (Ohio v. Arnold, et al.) soon followed in which Thelma played a leading part, as both defendant and defense attorney. This case eventually went before the United States Supreme Court which ruled that the Ohio Un-American Activities Committee had no legal basis to conduct its hearings. This decision had important consequences for similar cases in Ohio and elsewhere. These years also saw important changes in Thelma's political activities. Disenchanted with the leadership of the Communist Party, she resigned from the organization in 1950. Her basic ideals, however, remained unchanged and throughout the 1960s and '70s she continued to represent the underdog. Among her more noteworthy cases are Townend v. Townend and Lewis v. Lewis, both child custody cases focusing on the suitability of lesbian mothers; Ohio v. Weissenberger, the defense of a student involved in the Kent State University disturbances in 1970; and Waitzkin, et al. v. Nixon, et al., the taxpayers' suit to stop the war in Vietnam.

Scope and Content

The Thelma C. Furry Papers consist primarily of material relating to her notable legal cases in support of civil liberties. The papers include legal briefs, documents, statements, notes, correspondence and newspaper clippings from selected court cases, plus other materials which document important events in Furry's life.

The papers would be of interest to those researching the patterns of change that have taken place in the Akron area and the nation in respect to civil liberties. It contains materials pertaining to discrimination against African-Americans, lower income Caucasians, members of the Communist Party and others who had beliefs or philosophies that differed from those of the accepted majority of the population. The correspondence and legal case files give insight into the practices and methods of discrimination that took place over a forty year period. In particular, these records document what occurred during the McCarthy era and are especially significant since they represent the perspective of those who were "victimized."

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Use

Copyright restrictions may apply. Permission to reproduce or publish materials in this collection must be secured in writing from Archival Services, University Libraries, The University of Akron.

Restrictions on Access

No restrictions on access; except not available through interlibrary loan. Copyright restrictions may apply. Permission to reproduce or publish materials in this collection must be secured in writing from Archival Services, University Libraries, The University of Akron.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

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Preferred Citation

[Identification of Item], Thelma C. Furry Papers, Archival Services, University Libraries, The University of Akron, Akron Ohio.

Acquisition Information

Donated by Thelma C.Furry, 1980

Processing Information

Terry S. Latour and Hampton Smith, June 26, 1981; re-housed by Adrienne Browning 2013, finding aid updated 2013

Detailed Description of The Collection