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Summary
- Abstract:
- The William Stiles Bennet Papers document some of his public service and political campaigns as well as his time as a lobbyist and advocate for the lumber industry.
- Extent:
- 12.42 cubic ft.
- Language:
- English .
- Preferred citation:
Preferred citation for this material is as follows:
Identification of specific item, series, box, folder, The William Stiles Bennet Papers, 1884-1959. M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University at Albany, State University of New York (hereafter referred to as the William Stiles Bennet Papers).
Background
- Scope and Content:
The William Stiles Bennet Papers document the personal and professional activities of William Stiles Bennet. They date primarily from the years 1930-1960.
Series 1, Subject File, is organized alphabetically by subject. It contains Bennet's extensive files on various personal and professional subjects and dates primarily from the 1930s through the 1950s. This series include extensive files on the Forest-Algoma and Weyerhaeuser lumber companies, files on numerous individuals whom Bennet represented as an immigration lawyer, and material on the 1938 New York State Constitutional Convention. It also includes material related to philanthropic organizations such as the National Committee on Prisons and Prison Labor and the National Bible Society.
Series 2 , Incoming Correspondence, contains correspondence received by William Stiles Bennet. Outside of a few brief items from the 1890s, material in this series dates from the years 1930 through 1959. These items are arranged chronologically.
Series 3, Outgoing Correspondence, contains outgoing correspondence sent by William Stiles Bennet. These materials date from the 1930s through the 1950s and are arranged alphabetically by correspondent.
Series 4, Political Materials and Oversized Items, contains materials related to Bennet's various political campaigns as well as several oversized and fragile items. It includes a folder of speeches delivered by Bennet to the New York State Assembly in 1901-1902, several folders of material on Bennet's unsuccessful 1936 campaign for the Republican Vice Presidential nomination, and collections of political memorabilia from various campaigns. In addition, it includes several large scrapbooks, the transcription of an oral history interview with Bennet, tax reports from the town of Newburgh, a ledger dating from the late nineteenth century, and a collection of certificates documenting Bennet's election to various offices.
- Biographical / Historical:
William Stiles Bennet was a U.S. Representative from New York. He was the father of Augustus Witschief Bennet, who also served as a U.S. Representative.
Bennet was born in Port Jervis, NY on November 9, 1870. He attended the common schools, graduated from Port Jervis Academy in 1889, and received his law degree from Albany Law School in 1892.
Bennet was a lawyer in private practice, an official reporter of the Orange County Board of Supervisors (1892-1893), a member of the New York State Assembly (1901-1902), a Justice of the Municipal Court of New York City (1903), a member of the United States Immigration Commission (1907-1910), and a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1908 and 1916. He served as a Republican in the 59th through 61st Congresses (March 4, 1905-March 3, 1911) and was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1910. He was elected to the 64th Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of U.S. Representative Joseph A. Goulden (November 2, 1915-March 3, 1917), but was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the 65th Congress in 1916. Bennet served as the official parliamentarian of the Republican National Convention at Chicago in 1916 and was a United States delegate to the Seventeenth International Congress Against Alcoholism held in Copenhagen in 1923.
From 1920 to 1933 Bennet served as General Counsel to the Edward Hines Lumber Company. During the later 1930s and 1940s he served as a lobbyist and advocate for the lumber industry. He was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the 75th Congress in 1936. That same year Bennet also unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for Vice President. He received the nomination in the Oregon primary due to his connection with the lumber industry in that state, but by the time of the national Republican Convention he was no longer considered a viable candidate and lost the nomination to Frank Knox of Illinois. He served as a delegate to the New York State Constitutional Convention in 1938. He ran unsuccessfully in a special election in 1944 to fill a vacancy in the 78th Congress.
Bennet died on December 1, 1962, in Central Valley, NY. His ashes are interred in Laurel Grove Cemetery in Port Jervis, NY.
- Acquisition information:
- The W. S. Bennet Estate initially donated Bennet's papers to Syracuse University in 1965. In 2006, the papers were transferred to the M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives.
- Processing information:
Processed in 2009 by Nicholas Webb.
- Arrangement:
The collection is organized into the following series:
- Series 1 - Subject File, 1922-1959, Undated
- Series 2 - Incoming Correspondence, 1884-1959, Undated
- Series 3 - Outgoing Correspondence, 1932-1959, Undated
- Series 4 - Political Materials and Oversized Items, 1888-1951, Undated
Series 1 and 3 are arranged alphabetically while Series 2 and 4 are arranged chronologically.
- Physical location:
- The materials are located onsite in the department.
Subjects
- Subjects:
- Politics and Politicians
Scrapbooks
Correspondence
Immigration Records
Legal Files
Speeches (documents)
Campaigns - Names:
- Bennet, William S. (William Stiles), 1870-1962
New York (State). Constitutional Convention (1938)
National Committee on Prisons and Prison Labor (U.S.)
Edward Hines Lumber Co.
Forest-Algoma Lumber Company
Weyerhaeuser Company
Weyerhaeuser Timber Company
New York (State). Legislature. Assembly
Contents
Access
Using These Materials
- ACCESS:
- The archives are open to the public and anyone is welcome to visit and view the collections.
- RESTRICTIONS:
-
Access to this record group is unrestricted.
- TERMS OF ACCESS:
-
The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of copyright. Whenever possible, the M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives will provide information about copyright owners and other restrictions, but the legal determination ultimately rests with the researcher. Requests for permission to publish material from this collection should be discussed with the Head of Special Collections and Archives.
- PREFERRED CITATION:
-
Preferred citation for this material is as follows:
Identification of specific item, series, box, folder, The William Stiles Bennet Papers, 1884-1959. M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University at Albany, State University of New York (hereafter referred to as the William Stiles Bennet Papers).