The Henry Ford Ford Motor Company Public Relations Records Collection

Ford Motor Company Public Relations records collection

WILLIAM JOHN CAMERON RECORDS SUBGROUP, 1896-1951 (bulk 1935-1945) Accession 44 8 cubic ft. and 1 oversize box

HISTORICAL NOTE/BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

William John Cameron was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, on December 29, 1878. When he was nine, his family moved to Detroit, Michigan. In 1904 he became a reporter and staff writer for the Detroit News. Cameron left the Detroit News in 1918 and joined the staff of the new Ford-sponsored weekly newspaper, the Dearborn Independent, and in 1920 he became editor. Meanwhile Cameron started assuming public relations tasks for Henry Ford. Cameron never had an official job title at Ford Motor Company (FMC). He performed public relations duties, but there was no public relations department. Between 1934 and 1942, Ford Motor Company sponsored the Ford Sunday Evening Hour radio program featuring the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and an intermission commentary by Cameron. After 1942, Cameron continued to be a spokesman for Ford Motor Company. He gave semiweekly talks at Greenfield Village Chapel services and was in demand as a public speaker. Cameron retired from Ford Motor Company in 1946, moved to Oakland, California, in 1952, and died in 1955.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

The William John Cameron records subgroup, Acc. 44, is organized into ten series. The Correspondence and Manuscripts Submitted to William John Cameron series, 1933-1945 (1.5 cubic ft.), consists primarily of unsolicited manuscripts sent to Cameron, as well as some ongoing personal correspondence. It is organized alphabetically by name of correspondent. The Speeches and Other Writings series, 1922-1945 and undated (1.3 cubic ft.), contains speeches to be given by Cameron, Henry Ford, Edsel Ford, and other Ford executives in handwritten, typed draft, and published forms, as well as shorter writings such as press releases, advertising copy, and personal greetings. Speeches are organized by date and then title, when available. Shorter writings are grouped together by subject. The Ford Sunday Evening Hour series, 1936-1942 and undated (1.2 cubic ft.), contains handwritten and typed drafts of the intermission talks for much of 1936-1937, printed copies of addresses from 1934 to 1942, correspondence from listeners, and a mailing list for advance copies of talks given during the 1941-1942 season. Researchers should note that while much information regarding Ford Sunday Evening Hour is available in this series, related information may be found elsewhere in this collection. The Greenfield Village Chapel Talks series, 1931-1945 (0.3 cubic ft.), contains drafts and transcripts of radio talks from the Martha Mary Chapel in Greenfield Village given from 1931 to 1945. The Legal series, 1919-1927 (1.4 cubic ft.), contains transcripts, correspondence, and declarations for the Aaron Sapiro versus Henry Ford and the Dearborn Publishing Company lawsuit of 1927 and the Henry Ford versus The Tribune Company (Chicago Tribune) lawsuit in 1919. The Chronological Picture File series, 1896-1947 (0.2 cubic ft.), is organized by year,

Updated: 8/19/2019 9:09:00 AM Ford Motor Company Public Relations records collection William John Cameron records subgroup Accession 44 containing mainly a photographic history of Ford Motor Company automobiles through photographs by the Ford News Bureau, some with the original captions still intact. The Alphabetical Picture File series, undated (0.2 cubic ft.), is divided by subject and includes photographs of Henry Ford, his funeral, and most of his residences. A photo of William Perry, the first African American Ford employee, is included in the Ford Employees, Elderly folder. The Subject File series, 1901-1951 and undated (1.9 cubic ft.), is arranged alphabetically and includes newspaper clippings, press releases, departmental communications, correspondence, and handwritten notes. The Scrapbooks series, 1935-1940 (0.2 cubic ft.), contains two scrapbooks of newspaper clippings: one documenting a trip Cameron made to Los Angeles in 1940, the other containing Ford Motor Company-related clippings from 1934 to 1935. The Oversize Publications and Advertising series, 1940-1946 (one oversize box), consists mainly of Ford Motor Company advertising test prints and proofs from 1941 to 1946.

Please note that this collection integrates three previously separate accessions: 44, 458, and 756.

BOX AND FOLDER LISTING Box no. Description

CORRESPONDENCE AND MANUSCRIPTS SUBMITTED TO WILLIAM JOHN CAMERON Box 1 Allee, Wayne Leighton, 1939 Altvater, H. Hugh, 1942 Anonymous Brotherton, Norton J., 1939 Burr, Ralph J., 1940 Campbell, Margaret Kirkendall, 1933 Crowther, Samuel, 1943-1945 (2 folders) Crozier, Alfred Owen, 1939 Demarest, Victoria Booth, 1945 Haubiel, Charles, 1940

Box 2 Huston, Howard R., 1936 Ide , Judge O. Z., 1940-1945 MacKendrick, Colonel W. G., 1940-1944 Mayfield Kaylor Radio Productions McDonald, Frederick F., 1938 Middleton, Eugene, 1938 Nabors, W. C., 1941-1945 Neindorff, John H., 1941 Officer, E. L., 1941

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CORRESPONDENCE AND MANUSCRIPTS SUBMITTED TO WILLIAM JOHN CAMERON (CONT.) Box 2 (cont.) Shang, Hugh Gill, 1942 Slavin, Herman, 1941-1942 Stidger, William L., 1940-1945 Trent, Victor P., 1941

Box 3 Vale, Ruby R., 1940 (6 folders) Van Vorhees, F. MacDonald, 1940

SPEECHES AND OTHER WRITINGS Edison Institute Schools Commencement Address, 1937, 1939, 1942-1945 (6 folders) Dedication Address, February 11, 1932 General Writings, 1940-1945 General Background Information, 1935-1945

Box 4 Ford Summer Hour Printed Pamphlets, 1939-1941 Miscellaneous Short Writings, 1937-1945 (mainly advertisements and press releases) Miscellaneous Writings for Henry and Edsel Ford, 1942-1943 Personal Messages, 1941-1945 (composed for Henry Ford and other Ford executives for birthdays, anniversaries, etc.) The Radio Speaking of William John Cameron, by John W. Spalding, 1959 (printed pamphlet) Schedules of Speaking Engagements, 1936-1945 1922-1925 Masonic News Articles, 1923 Speech to Associated Ohio Dailies, February 4, 1925 Speech to Christian Endeavor Union, November 6, 1922 1931-1935 Commencement Address, 1934 Commencement Address, June 20, 1935 Commencement Address, Alma College, 1935 The Economic Law of the Lord, Speech to Anglo-Saxon Federation of America, September 22, 1933 Ford Service Awards, September 5, 1934 Sermon to St. Paul's Methodist Episcopal Church, Rochester, Michigan, September 6, 1931 Speech to Adcraft Club of Detroit, January 19, 1934 Speech to Michigan Industrial Education Society, 1935

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SPEECHES AND OTHER WRITINGS (CONT.) 1936 Box 4 (cont.) Confronting a Social Question, Speech to Jackson, Michigan Board of Commerce, February 6, 1936 Business and Society, December 8, 1936 Founders' Day Address, Washington and Jefferson College, October 24, 1936 Speech to American Foundrymen's Association, 1936 Speech to Society of Automotive Engineers, 1936 1937 Commencement Address, University of Edinburgh, 1937 Constitution Sesquicentennial, 1937 Democracy and Education, July 20, 1937 God's Lubricant for Human Relations, Speech to National Association of Foremen, October 17, 1937 Industry and Society, May 3, 1937 The Mind of McGuffey, July 1937 Newspapers and Labor Troubles, Speech to National Editorial Association, July 21, 1937 Speech to Detroit College of Law, June16, 1937 Speech to American Society of Mechanical Engineers, May 19, 1937 Speech to American Society of Tool Engineers, January 14, 1937 1938-1940 Armistice Day Address, 1938 Business Duties and Opportunities, 1939 Business is International, August 1939 Commencement Address, University of Denver, June 5, 1940 Decentralization of Industry, 1938 Dedication of Wright Memorial Buildings, Greenfield Village, April 16, 1938 Freedom of Enterprise, November 15, 1938 George Williams and the Y.M.C.A., 1938 Henry Ford Birthday Address, July 30, 1938 James Clyde Gilbert Funeral Address, October 14, 1940

Box 5 Religion and Patriotism…Inseparable, Speech to Notre Dame Club of Detroit, April 15, 1940 Speech to the Executives Club of Chicago, October 18, 1940 Speech to Michigan Christian Endeavor Convention, 1938 Speech to National Warm Air Heating and Air Conditioning Association, December 10, 1940 Speech to Outdoor Advertising Association, November 15, 1940 Speech to Saint Andrew's Society, November 29, 1939 Speech to Shadyside Presbyterian Church, April 29, 1938 Speech to Wheaton College, 1938

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SPEECHES AND OTHER WRITINGS (CONT.) 1941 Box 5 (cont.) Ora Lynn Smith Funeral Address, November 1941 Speech to Automobile Club of Michigan, December 11, 1941 Speech to Daughters of the American Revolution, Illinois Society, March 14, 1941 Speech to National Association of Insurance Commissioners, June 8, 1941 Speech to National Confectioners' Association, June 2, 1941 1942 Americanism, February 1942 Civilian Morale, Speech to State Wide National Defense Conference, March 14, 1942 New Year's Greeting for Henry and Edsel Ford, January 1, 1942 Robert Burns, January 22, 1942 Untitled, 1942 Untitled, April 1942 Untitled, April 13, 1942 Untitled, September 1942 Untitled, Speech for Edsel Ford, October 14, 1942 Untitled, December 31, 1942 1943-1944 Henry Ford 80th Birthday, July 30, 1943 Commencement Address, Naval Training School, 1943 Detroit Diary, Reverend John Monteith, March 29, 1943 Untitled, 1943 Untitled, February 1943 Untitled, June 25, 1943 Untitled, September 27, 1944 Untitled speech for Henry Ford, December 20, 1944

1945 Box 6 Dearborn City Council Address, for "Doc" Fisher, December 11, 1945 Michigan Industrial Training Council Address for Henry Ford II, June 7, 1945 No Wages Are High That Are Earned, for Henry Ford II, January 15, 1945 Tact, June 1945 Twin Cities Luncheon Address for Henry Ford II, April 20, 1945 Untitled, July 3, 1945 Untitled, July 9, 1945 Untitled, November 9, 1945 Undated Address at Fort Meigs, undated Address on Senior Day, undated American Citizenship, undated

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SPEECHES AND OTHER WRITINGS (CONT.) Undated (cont.) Box 6 (cont.) Boston Speech, undated Cincinnati Speech, undated Commencement Addresses Adrian College, undated Detroit Institute of Musical Art, undated Henry Ford Hospital School, undated Unnamed Art School, undated Unnamed Nursing School, undated Don't Die on Third, undated Education for Business, undated Kansas City Speech, undated Laub, undated Lenten Speech, undated More Ford Philosophy, undated Reverend William Dawe Funeral Address, undated Speech to Dearborn High School Orchestra and Chorus, undated Speech to International Association of Chiefs of Police, undated Speech to Joint Michigan Regional National Honor Societies, undated Swedish Engineers Society Toast, undated Tablet of Honor Dedication Ceremony, undated The Rise of a Great Industry: The Ford Motor Company, undated Untitled (1-3 of 7 folders)

Box 7 Untitled (4-7 of 7 folders) William Ten Eyck Gregory Funeral Address, undated

FORD SUNDAY EVENING HOUR 1936-1937 Season Third Season, September 20, 1936 The Nation's Pulse, September 27, 1936 How Is Business?, October 4, 1936 Columbus Day, October 11, 1936 Liberal Youth, October 18, 1936 Americans All!, November 1, 1936 The Unknown Soldier, November 8, 1936 How Much a Pound?, November 15, 1936 Thanksgiving, November 22, 1936 Create More Wealth, November 29, 1936 Get the Idea, December 6, 1936 Opportunity, December 13, 1936

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FORD SUNDAY EVENING HOUR (CONT.) 1936-1937 Season (cont.) Box 7 (cont.) Festivals, December 20, 1936 Is Christmas Over?, December 27, 1936

Box 8 Swifter Cycles, January 3, 1937 Too Soon to Quit, January 10, 1937 Salute to the President, January 17, 1936 25 Million Cars, January 24, 1937 Change, January 31, 1937 The Social Problem, February 7, 1937 Public Relations, February 14, 1937 Washington and Lincoln, February 21, 1937 How to Raise Wages, February 28, 1937 Scrapping $175,000,000, March 7, 1937 Have Faith in America, March 14, 1937 For Character and Country, March 21, 1937 Easter, March 28, 1937 Would Profits Increase Wages?, April 4, 1937 More Wrong Than Right, April 11, 1937 Management, April 18, 1937 Competition, April 25, 1937 Don't Die on Third!, May 2, 1937 Coronation Greetings, May 9, 1937 Looking Backward, May 16, 1937

Box 9 The Money Flow, May 23, 1937 Memorial Day, May 30, 1937 Tax Blunders, June 6, 1937 Valedictory, June 13, 1937 Bound Books of Speeches by Season Seasons 1-6, 1934-1940 Seasons 7-8, 1940-1942 Correspondence Mailing List for Advanced Copies, 1941-1942 Suggestions and Criticisms (3 folders)

Printed Pamphlets Box 10 Season 4, 1937-1938 Season 7, 1940-1941 Season 8, 1941-1942

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FORD SUNDAY EVENING HOUR (CONT.) Undated Box 10 (cont.) Property Rights, undated Tools, undated Miscellaneous, 1934-1942

GREENFIELD VILLAGE CHAPEL TALKS Drafts, 1943-1945 (2 folders) Transcripts 1931-1932 1933 1933-1934 (Sixteen Talks on the Ten Commandments) 1934 (2 folders) 1943 (2 folders)

Box 11 1944-1945

LEGAL Chicago Tribune Suit, 1919 Correspondence supporting Henry Ford (6 folders) (mostly in response to an editorial by Arthur Brisbane in several national newspapers suggesting sending letters of support)

Box 12 Transcripts July 1-2, 1919 (2 folders) July 7-10, 1919 (4 folders) July 14-16, 1919 (3 folders)

Box 13 July 17-18, 1919 (2 folders) July 21-25, 1919 (5 folders) July 28

Box 14 July 29-31, 1919 (3 folders) August 11, 1919 Box 15 Sapiro versus Henry Ford and Dearborn Publishing Company Declaration, 1927 (Full account of charges, by Wm. Henry Gallagher, attorney for the plaintiff) Transcripts, 1927 (2 folders)

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CHRONOLOGICAL PICTURE FILE Box 15 (cont.) 1896 1898-1899 (2 folders) 1902-1909 (8 folders) 1911-1915 (5 folders) 1919-1920 (2 folders) 1923-1924 (2 folders) 1926-1927 (2 folders) 1930-1931 (2 folders) 1934 1935-1940 (6 folders) 1942-1943 (2 folders) 1945-1947 (3 folders)

ALPHABETICAL PICTURE FILE Automobiles, Early Models Dearborn Arsenal Ford, Charles, Coat of Arms Ford Employees Elderly Handicapped Ford, Henry Ford, Henry Funeral Ford Products Automobiles First Gasoline Engine Steam Engine

Box 16 Ford Residences 58 Bagley Avenue 66 Edison Avenue Ford Homestead 145 Harper Avenue 618 John R. Street 582 West Grand Boulevard Greenfield Village Henry Ford Hospital Huff, Ed "Spider" Lincoln Plant Malcolmson Coal Yard Ruddiman, Edsel Saint Paul's M.E. Church (Methodist Episcopal Church)

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SUBJECT FILE Advertising Box 16 (cont.) Does Ford Pay Good Wages?, 1940 Henry Ford Letter Ads, 1933 Manuscripts, 1937-1944 Miscellaneous, 1905-1909, 1937-1945 (2 folders) Saturday Evening Post, 1924 Age and Jobs, 1929-1937 Camp Legion, 1940-1944 Chicago Tribune Libel Lawsuit, 1916 (clippings re lawsuit spanning 1916 to 1919) Communism, 1930 Dearborn, 1918-1942 Decentralization, 1916-1924

Box 17 Edison Institute and Greenfield Village, 1933-1943 Federal Bond and Mortgage Company, 1931 Five Day Week, 1926 Ford Bailie Boys, 1941 Ford, Edsel, 1943 Ford Farms, 1939 Ford, Henry, Operation, 1932 Ford Motor Company Airplane Division, 1927 Anti-Semitism and Other Controversies Anti-Ford Propaganda, 1941 Friday and PM Magazines, 1940 (2 folders) (see also oversize for full Friday Magazine) Henry Ford's Opinion of Banking and Wall Street, 1920-1930 Automobile Unit Cost, 1937-1940 Branch Plant Histories, 1935-1944 British Ford, 1917-1926 By-Products, 1926-1927, 1941 Car and Part Sales, 1935-1937 China, 1930-1931 (Mainly correspondence and reports from W. C. Cowling) Defense and War Work, 1941-1943 Earnings, 1931-1941 Employee Hours Worked, 1937-1938 Employee Insurance, 1940 Finance Companies, 1937-1938 Ford Dealers, 1932 Ford "Firsts", 1901-1935 Ford Fleet, 1940-1941 Ford, Henry, Resignation Letter, 1918

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SUBJECT FILE (CONT.) Ford Motor Company (cont.) Box 17 (cont.) Ford Motor Company of Canada, 1943 Ford News, Confidential Department News Letter, 1942, 1948 Foreign Branches, 1904-1940 Highland Park Plant, 1910-1927

Box 18 Lincoln Motor Car Company Debt Repayment, 1923 Materials Used in Ford Cars, 1936-1942 Miscellaneous, 1932-1940 Nationality of Employees, 1935-1940 Number of Employees, 1910-1943 Plant Protection Department, undated Press Releases 1941 1948 1949-1950 Production, 1927-1940 Purchases, 1927-1937 Rouge Plant Trips, 1934-1940 Sociological Department Reports January-December 1930 January-September and December 1931 Union Relations: Correspondence, Writings and Clippings, 1931-1949 Union Relations: Liberty Legion Promotional Material, undated (includes two buttons) United Auto Workers Arbitration Award, 1949

Box 19 Clippings and Articles, 1941-1949 Press Releases and Other Public Relations Materials, 1949 Village Industries, 1951 Welfare City of Detroit Welfare Department Investigations, 1931 Paul Coletta Welfare Fraud Investigation, 1930-1931 Preliminary Report on Investigation, Department of Public Welfare, City of Detroit, 1932 Press Releases, Internal Memos and Correspondence, 1931 Township of Dearborn Correspondence, 1931 World's Fair Exhibits, 1937, 1939 Ford Schools, 1940-1943 Haven Hill Farms, undated

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SUBJECT FILE (CONT.) Box 19 (cont.) Henry Ford Hospital, 1937 Independent Ford Worker, 1941 Johansson Gauge Blocks, 1941 National Farm Youth Foundation, 1940 National Industrial Recovery Act, 1932-1933

Box 20 Navy League Lawsuit, 1916 Patents, 1938 Price of Cars, 1932-1937 Racing, 1904 Richmond Hill Plantation, 1941 Statistics, 1936-1940 Thrift Gardens, 1936 Tractor, Fordson, Ferguson-Sherman, undated Wages and Salaries, 1930-1941 (2 folders) Welfare Practices Boston, 1927-1931 Cincinnati, 1931 Indianapolis, 1931 New Orleans, 1931 Other Cities, 1931 (Atlanta, Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland, New York City, Pittsburg, San Francisco) Statistics, Inkster and Garden City, 1931-1933 World Brotherhood, 1927

SCRAPBOOKS Box 21 Ford Related Clippings, December 1934-January 1935 Clippings from Los Angeles Newspapers Reporting Visit of William John Cameron, July 29-30, 1940

OVERSIZE ADVERTISING AND PUBLICATIONS Box 22 (oversize C) Advertising 1941-1946 (6 folders) (Contains FMC advertising prints and proof sheets, some with hand notations and corrections.) Publications: Hotchkiss County Record, April 23, 1942 and Friday, September 27, 1940