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Archival Collections:Wilson Martindale Compton Papers
Collection consists of twenty-seven filesof materials housed in two manuscript boxes. Papers include such materials ascorrespondence; copies of speeches, addresses, and articles; minutes ofmeetings; and by-laws of organizations. The materials relate to Compton's careeras a leader in the lumber and manufacturing industries, and much of thecollection pertains to such forest industry organizations as NLMA (NationalLumber Manufacturers Association), AFPI (American Forest Products Industries),TECO (Timber Engineering Company), and AFA (American Forestry Association).Prominent individuals referred to in the papers include Frank George Wisner, G.W.Dulany, Jr., and John W. Watzek. The records are arranged in reversechronological order. Mrs. Catherine Compton Chase (Mrs. Sherret S. Chase; daughter of Wilson Compton) donated this collection of papers to theForest History Society in several installments. The first set of papers wasaccessioned by the Forest History Society on May 4, 1978 and was processed inApril 1991. Mrs. Chase sent to FHS additional papers in April 1992, and theywere merged with the rest of the collection in June 1992. Additional items weredonated to the society in April 1993, May 1994, and November 1994; those itemswere merged with the rest of the collection on February 15, 1995. FHS also has 4volumes of Compton's speeches and an oral history interview on file. See also NFPA Records, series 69, in the Forest History Society Archives.
PhotographsA number of photographs were removed from the papers and added to the FHS Photograph Collection duringprocessing. Twelve photographs of Compton (usually with friends) are filed under"Compton" in the "Photographs of Individuals" section of thecollection; these photographs vary in size. Also, two oversize photos of W. M.Ritter (11" x 16"; 13" x 15"), one oversize photo of JohnKirby (9«" x 12¬"), and one oversive (10" x 14") portraitof Frank George Wisner are filed under their respective names in the collection.Photocopies of the photographs are filed in the miscellaneous series of thiscollection of papers. Biographical DataWilson Martindale Compton (1890-1967) wasborn in Wooster, Ohio, on October 15, 1890. He attended the College of Woosterand Princeton University, where he earned a Ph.D. degree in the department ofhistory, politics, and economics. Compton was a professor of economics atDartmouth for one year prior to his accepting an appointment with the FederalTrade Commission. While Compton studied for a law degree in the 1910s, hepublished in various professional journals a number of articles on the economicdifficulties of the lumber industry, earning a reputation as an authority on thesubject. In 1918 the newly reorganized National Lumber Manufacturers Association(NLMA) asked Compton to serve as the association's first secretary-manager. Heserved in that capacity until 1944, when he left the organization to becomepresident of Washington State College in Pullman, Washington. In 1951 heresigned from that position to accept a position with the U.S. StateDepartment's policy planning staff. He left this job just two years later due toconflicting differences with Senator Joseph McCarthy. Compton served as directorof the Council for Financial Aid to Education until his retirement in 1959. Hisretirement years were spent in his home town, Wooster, Ohio. Compton died onMarch 7, 1967. While employed by the National Lumber Manufacturers Association (NLMA), Comptonturned the NLMA into a profitable, prominent organization that came to wieldgreat power within the lumber industry. Compton became a spokesmen for organizedlumbermen, helping to resolve demobilization problems after the first World War.Compton worked to lessen competitive rivalries in the lumber industry whilefocusing the attention of the lumber industry on national problems. Comptonworked openly with numerous government agencies, such as the U.S. ForestService, in order to produce cooperative programs (public and private) that wereof benefit to the lumber industry. Compton strengthened and broadened theassociation's public relations and trade promotion programs; expanded itstechnical, research, and engineering capabilities; and increased the efficiencyof the association's fire insurance and lumber standards. He formed bothAmerican Forest Products Industries (AFPI) and the Timber Engineering Company (TECO)as subsidiaries of the national association. Under his guidance, the NLMA earneda very important role in the nation's power structure, increasing its influenceamong lumbermen and policy makers alike. WilsonMartindale Compton was one of the most prominent of all trade associationleaders throughout the 1920s and 1930s. He continued to wield power in hisprofession in the following decades. For instance, he was instrumental indrafting the 1944 "Bailey Amendment" in an attempt to improve taxstandards within the industry. Compton enjoyed the utmost respect of his peersuntil his death in 1967. [For further information on Wilson Compton, NLMA, AFPI, or TECO, consult the Encyclopediaof American Forest and Conservation History (New York: Macmillan PublishingCompany for the Forest History Society, 1983; Richard C. Davis, ed.).] Processing NoteCollectionprocessed by Michele Justice, FHS Archival Assistant, April 1991. Additionalpapers merged with collection in June 1992, February 1995, and April 1997 byMichele Justice. |
Container List Personal Series Files: Box One
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National Lumber Manufacturers Association Series Files: Box One (continued)
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American Forest Products Industries Series Files: Box One (continued)
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Timber Engineering Company Series Files: Box One (continued)
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American Forestry Association Series Files: Box One (continued)
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Miscellaneous Series Files: Box One (continued)
Files: Box Two
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