Post Family Papers, 1882-1973

Start Over Collection Post Family Papers, 1882-1973

1 collection found

57 linear feet — 77 oversize volumes — 1 oversize folder — 28.9 GB (online) — 1 digital audiovisual file

Battle Creek, Michigan and Washington, D.C. family including C.W. (Charles William) Post, cereal manufacturer, and anti-union activist and founder of Post City, Texas; and his daughter Marjorie Merriweather Post, executive of General Foods Co., wife of U. S. ambassador to the Soviet Union, art collector, philanthropist, socialite, and Washington D.C. hostess. C.W. Post papers, largely concern labor-management relations, unionism, the Postum Company, currency reform, advertising, and matters of food and hygiene; Marjorie Merriweather Post papers document her social activities and travel, philanthropies art collections, and the maintenance and preservation of her homes and other possessions.

The Post family collection includes papers of businessman and food processor, C. W. Post, largely relating to labor-management relations, unionism, the Post Company, currency reform, advertising, and matters of food and hygiene; and papers, photographs, and sound recordings of his daughter, Marjorie Merriweather Post, General Foods executive and philanthropist, relating to social activities and engagements, philanthropies, and the maintenance and preservation of her homes and other possessions.

The C.W. Post papers consist of manuscript items and printed works created by C.W. Post and retained by his daughter, Marjorie Merriweather Post. The papers are arranged alphabetically by subject.

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C.W. Post

C. W. Post's many business interests are, unfortunately, poorly documented. A small group of financial papers are contained with the collection, but they give only sketchy information regarding Post's financial affairs before 1899, and tell nothing of how Post's cereal empire was financed. A listing of Post's estate made for the purposes of executing his will does give a record of Post's financial activities at the time of his death. The library, however, has a separate collection of Postum Company ledgers and journals which should help to fill in this void in Post's won papers. There is a separate inventory for this material.

In contrast to his business career, Post's public activities are well documented. A large number of Post's speeches and published writings are included in the papers. There is also correspondence with other leaders of public opinion in which Post expresses his attitudes. The majority of this material relates to Post's views regarding workers and labor unions, and, in the broadest sense, his conception of the free enterprise system. There is extensive material relating to his participation in the "open shop movement" through the National Association of Manufacturers and the Citizen's Industrial Association of America. His opinions regarding other subjects, such as monetary reform, advertising, health and many others, are also documented.

Finally, the collection includes a few personal items. Among them are a few family letters, information regarding Post's two marriages, some genealogical material, and scrapbooks.