Bureau of Governmental Research COLLECTION

 

 

(Mss 184)

 

 

Inventory

 

 

Earl K. Long Library

University of New Orleans

 

April 2000

 

 

Contents

 

 

Summary

 

Historical Note

 

Series, Subseries, and Descriptions

 

Container List

 

Index Terms

 

Procedures for Requesting Special Collections Materials

 

 

 

Summary

 

 

Size:                          180 linear feet

 

Geographic

locations:                 New Orleans, La.

 

Inclusive dates:      1929-1986

 

Summary:                Clippings, correspondence, financial records, founding and early organizational records, membership records, memoranda and special reports, minutes, miscellaneous files, publications, and studies created and received by the Bureau of Governmental Research.

 

Source:                     Gift, 1994

 

Access:                     Minutes from the beginning of the New Orleans Civic League and its successor, the Bureau of Governmental Research, through December 31, 1974 are closed to public examination until such time as the Bureau of Governmental Research determines that they may be opened to public inspection.

 

Copyright:                Physical rights are retained by the Earl K. Long Library, University of New Orleans.

 

Citation:                    Bureau of Governmental Research Collection, Earl K. Long Library, University of New Orleans

 

 

 

Historical Note

 

 

            Founded in the early 1930s by New Orleans businessmen intent on promoting honest and more efficient local government, the Bureau of Governmental Research is a privately funded, nonpartisan agency whose principal activity has been the production of studies that examine city, parish, and state governmental activities in Louisiana.

 

            With only one exception, the several series forming this collection were created by the Bureau of Governmental Research.  Strayed and unfiled material that obviously belonged in one or another of the Bureau's series were appropriately incorporated.  The referred to exception is the chronologically organized series, "Miscellany of memoranda, reports, studies, and pamphlets," which was created by the archives from unorganized, disparate materials in the collection.

 

 

 

Series, Subseries, and Descriptions

 

 

Series I.         Clippings, ca. 1962-1985

 

Series II.        Correspondence, n.d. and 1929-1977

 

            Subseries II.1:  General Correspondence

 

            Subseries II.2:  Form letters, 1939-1954

 

            Subseries II.3:  Notices to Board of Directors and Executive Committee

 

            Subseries II.4:  New Member Solicitation Letters

 

            Subseries II.5:  Vieux Carre Study Correspondence

 

Series III.       Financial Records, 1938-1985

 

            Subseries III.1: Annual audit reports, 1938-1969

 

            Subseries III.2: Banking records, 1961-1985

                        Includes statements, cancelled and voided checks, check carbons, deposit slips.

 

            Subseries III.3: Miscellaneous financial records, 1942-1970

 

Series IV.      Founding and early organizational records, n.d. and 1931-1933

 

Series V.       Membership Records, n.d. and 1930-1986

 

            Subseries V.1: Files on individual and corporate memberships, 1933-1986

                        Mainly concerns dues payments; includes related correspondence.

 

            Subseries V.2: Inactive members in armed forces

 

            Subseries V.3: File on membership development

 

            Subseries V.4: Membership lists and proposals for membership

 

            Subseries V.5: Membership Solicitations

 

Series VI.      Memoranda and Special Reports, 1946

            Studies prepared by or for the Bureau of Governmental Research but not included in the series entitled "Studies, 1933-1977"; series contains a total of 30 memoranda and four Special Reports.

 

Series VII.     Minutes

            Minutes with attachments, Board of Directors and Executive Committee, 1932-1974.

 

Series VIII.    Miscellany

            Miscellany of memoranda, reports, studies, and pamphlets, n.d. and 1932; 1934; 1936-1940; 1942; 1944; 1946-1963; 1968-1979.

 

Series IX.      Publications, 1933-1950

 

            Subseries IX.1:       City Problems

                        Began September 15, 1933, as an untitled monthly bulletin; with issue of June 10, 1935, it retitled What Every Citizen Should Know; with issue of January 20, 1938, it was renamed City Problems.

 

            Subseries IX.2:       State Problems

 

            Subseries IX.3:       Miscellaneous

 

            Subseries IX.4:       Studies, 1933-1977

                        The primary activity of the Bureau of Governmental Research was the preparation of studies (called jobs by the Bureau) on city, parish, and state governmental activities in Louisiana.  The data compiled in the production of these studies, together with its analysis and any resulting reports, was filed in consecutively numbered folders bearing titles descriptive of the studies therein.

 

Series X.       Television file, 1953-1959

            Clippings, correspondence, dictaphone belts, memoranda, and scripts, 1953-1959.  During this period the Bureau of Governmental Research, in cooperation first with WDSU-TV and later WYES-TV, produced a series of television programs entitled "Dateline: New Orleans" and "A City in Action" which examined economic, political, and social issues mainly relevant to the city, the metropolitan area, and the state, but occasionally including topics of national and international import.

 

Series XI.      Topical File, 1918-1982

 

 

 

Container List

 

 

Series I.    Clippings, ca. 1962-1985

 

            Original order by alphabetical-numerical code and chronological arrangement main­tained.  Note: Each box contains a subject guide to the clippings contained in same.

 

184-154         Box 1, C-1, Total Community Action (See also C-XVI) to C-V-A-3 [Schools, 1985].

 

184-155         Box 2, C-V-A-3, Finance [1974-1976] to C-VII-B, Assessments, 1967-.

 

184-156         Box 3, C-VII-B, Assessment Envelope #3 [1977-1981] to C-XI-M, Delgado Art Museum [1970]; Museum [1965-1976].

 

184-157         Box 4, C-VII-B, General [1976] to C-XIV-A.

 

184-158         Box 5, C-XIV-A, City Planning [1973/74/75] to C-XVI-M, Antipoverty Program, 1970-1975.

 

184-159         Box 6, C-XVII-A [Sanitation, 1965-1984] to C-XX-M-Z, Transit, November 1979.

 

184-160         Box 7, C-XX-M-I, Miss. River Bridge, 1965-1971 to C-XXI/C-XXI/4b; Jeff. Parish, I,II,III to Jeff. Parish, XXI-4b [1982-1985].

 

184-161         Box 8, S-IV-M, Newspaper Whole Section, 1969-1981 to S-VI-M, 1975 Election.

 

184-162         Box 9, N-I, Naval Research Office N.O. [1967] to N-XXI, Food Stamp Program [1968-1975].

 

184-163         Box 10, St. Tammany-All [four envelopes with material dating 1979-1985]; St. Bernard, I-II-III [1982-1984] to St. Bernard, XX, A [1982-1985].

 

184-164         Box 11, S-I, Big Issues of 1967-P.A.R. to S-XII-M, State for Saints Deal [1985].

 

184-165         Box 12, S-XIII, Civil Service [1975] to S-XXII, Plaquemines Parish [1962].

 

 

Series II.        Correspondence, n.d. and 1929-1977

 

            Note:  Correspondence will also be found in most series in this collection.

 

            Subseries II.1:  General Correspondence

 

184-144         n.d. and November 29, 1929 - July 15, 1932.

 

184-145         July 19, 1932 - March 23, 1933.

 

184-146         March 27, 1933 - May 10, 1935.

 

            Subseries II.2:  Form letters, 1939-1954

 

184-147         March 31, 1939 - February 16, 1954.

 

            Subseries II.3:  Notices to Board of Directors and Executive Committee

 

184-148         January 8, 1952 - December 18, 1956.

 

            Subseries II.4:  New Member Solicitation Letters, n.d. and December 1976, March 15, July 28, 1977

 

184-149         Abbott, Hirschel T., Jr. through Cable, Maurice M.

 

184-150         Cahen, Irvin through Hero, Alvin.

 

184-151         Hero, Numa C., III through Zollinger, Robert W.

 

            Subseries II.5:  Vieux Carre Study Correspondence

 

184-152         n.d. and January 1968 - December 1969.

 

184-153         January 1970 - February 1974.

 

 

Series III.       Financial Records, 1938-1985

 

            Subseries III.1: Annual audit reports, 1938-1969

 

184-142         1938-1963.

 

184-143         1964-1969.

 

            Subseries III.2: Banking records, 1961-1985

 

            Includes statements, cancelled and voided checks, check carbons, deposit slips.

 

184-132         1961-1963.

 

184-133         1964-1966.

 

184-134         1967-1969.

 

184-135         1970-1971.

 

184-136         1972-1973.

 

184-137         1974-1976.

 

184-138         1977-1979.

 

184-139         1980-1982.

 

184-140         1983-1985.

 

            Subseries III.3: Miscellaneous financial records, 1942-1970

 

184-141         Includes analyses of expenditures, financial accounts and statements, records of finance committee, receipts and expenditures, accounts receivable, budgets and proposed budgets, cash position statements, records of investments, membership dues and gifts, employee salaries, state and federal tax withholding statements.

 

 

Series IV.      Founding and early organizational records, n.d. and 1931-1933

 

184-14            Funding pledges, n.d. and January 1933.

 

                        Minutes, January 26, 1932 - April 25, 1933; reports by Secretary and Treasurer, May 5, 1933.

 

                        Statement of purpose, draft of notarization for charter, drafts and finished copies of constitution and by-laws, n.d. and 1931.

 

 

Series V.       Membership Records, n.d. and 1930-1986

 

            Subseries V.1: Files on individual and corporate memberships, 1933-1986

 

                        Mainly concerns dues payments; includes related correspondence.  Original alphabetical order retained.

 

184-115         A through Brown, William Perry.

 

184-116         Brown, Wood through Curtis, Nathaniel C., Jr.

 

184-117         Dabezies, H. through Faust, Dr. Richard A.

 

184-118         Favret, Clarence F., Jr. through Gunter, Lucien J.

 

184-119         Guste, William J. through Jahncke Services.

 

184-120         James Phillip E., Sr. through Legier, John R.

 

184-121         Lehde, Pendleton E. through Milchem Inc.

 

184-122         Mibey, J. W. through Pendleton, Forrest C.

 

184-123         Peneguy, Richard through Scanlan, Ed. F.

 

184-124         Schafer, Edgar V., Sr. through Stewart, Andrew.

 

184-125         Stewart, Gerald A. through Wetzel, Albert J.

 

184-126         Whilden, Oscar R. through Ziegler, Charles W., Jr.

 

            Subseries V.2: Inactive members in armed forces

 

184-127         1935-1946.

 

            Subseries V.3: File on membership development

 

184-128         n.d. and 1969, 1970.

 

            Subseries V.4: Membership lists and proposals for membership

                       

184-129         n.d. and 1930-1933, 1957.

 

            Subseries V.5: Membership Solicitations

 

184-130         Reports of Mr. F. W. Ellsworth, 1953-1954 [i.e., 1950-1954].

 

184-131         1954 Nominating Committee [2 copies].

 

 

Series VI.      Memoranda and Special Reports, 1946

 

            Studies prepared by or for the Bureau of Governmental Research but not included in the series entitled "Studies, 1933-1977"; series contains a total of 30 memoranda and four Special Reports.

 

184-5              Memoranda numbered 1 through 24 (1946).

 

184-6              Memoranda numbered 25 through 30 (1946).

 

184-7              Special Reports (1946).

 

184-8              Clasped volume containing one copy each of memoranda numbered 1 through 29, and four Special Reports; with table of contents listing titles of the various memoranda and Special Reports; Memorandum number 30, "The City Health Department," is not contained in this clasped volume but is included in a folder bearing that number and title in the above series, "Memoranda numbered 25 through 30 (1946)."

 

            Note: for additional studies and reports see series entitled "Studies, 1933-1977."

 

 

Series VII.     Minutes

 

            Minutes with attachments, Board of Directors and Executive Committee, 1932-1974.

 

184-1              January 26, 1932 - July 19, 1955.

 

184-2              July 26, 1955 - December 15, 1964.

 

184-3              March 4, 1965 - November 11, 1971.

 

184-4              November 16, 1971 - December 12, 1974.

 

 

Series VIII.    Miscellany

 

            Miscellany of memoranda, reports, studies, and pamphlets, n.d. and 1932; 1934; 1936-1940; 1942; 1944; 1946-1963; 1968-1979.  (A chronologically organized series created by the archives from an unorganized body of disparate materials found in the collection of the Bureau of Governmental Research.

 

184-17            n.d. and 1934; 1936-1940; 1942; 1944; 1946-Sept. 9, 1952.

 

184-18            September 22, 1952 - July 18, 1955.