Charles P. Taft Papers A Finding Aid to the Collection in the Library of Congress Prepared by Michael J. McElderry with the assistance of Paul D. Ledvina and Susie H. Moody Revised and expanded by Joseph Sullivan with the assistance of Sheila R. Day and Thelma Queen Manuscript Division, Library of Congress Washington, D.C. 2010 Contact information: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/mss.contact Finding aid encoded by Library of Congress Manuscript Division, 2010 Finding aid URL: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/eadmss.ms010303 Collection Summary Title: Charles P. Taft Papers Span Dates: 1816-1983 Bulk Dates: (bulk 1937-1979) ID No.: MSS42218 Creator: Taft, Charles P. (Charles Phelps), 1897-1983 Extent: 185,000 items; 465 containers plus 3 oversize; 187 linear feet Language: Collection material in English Repository: Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Abstract: Lawyer, Protestant lay leader, and mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio. Son of President William H. Taft. Family and general correspondence, diaries, memoranda, reports, subject files, drafts of speeches and writings, financial papers, newspaper clippings, printed material, scrapbooks, and other papers relating chiefly to Taft's role in Cincinnati politics, municipal reform, law practice, and business interests, church activities, and state and national Republican Party politics. Selected Search Terms The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Library's online catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically therein. People Acheson, Dean, 1893-1971. Billikopf, Jacob, 1883-1950. Bliss, Ray C. Bricker, John W. (John William), 1893-1986. Chase family. Davies, Joseph Edward. Eddy, Sherwood, 1871-1963. Farrar, John Chipman, 1896- Hall, Eleanor Kellogg Taft, 1918- Eleanor Kellogg Taft Hall papers. Heron family. Hollister, John B. (John Baker), 1890-1978. Jones, Catherine H. Kubie, Lawrence S. (Lawrence Schlesinger), 1896-1973. Landon, Alfred M. (Alfred Mossman), 1887-1987. Lausche, Frank John, b. 1895. Luce, Henry Robinson, 1898-1967. Moses, Robert, 1888-1981. Niebuhr, Reinhold, 1892-1971. Sayre, Francis Bowes, 1885-1972. Taft family. Taft, Charles P. (Charles Phelps), 1897- Taft, Frances Bradley Prindle, 1921- Frances Bradley Prindle Taft papers. Taft, Helen Herron, 1861-1943. Helen Herron Taft papers. Taft, Robert A. (Robert Alphonso), 1889-1953. Robert A. Taft papers. Taft, Seth Chase, 1922- Seth Chase Taft papers. Taft, William H. (William Howard), 1857-1930. William H. Taft papers. White, William Allen, 1868-1944. Organizations Cincinnati (Ohio). City Council. Committee for a National Trade Policy (U.S.) Committee for Economic Development. Charles P. Taft Papers 2 Episcopal Church. Fair Campaign Practices Committee. Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America. National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Republican Party (U.S. : 1854- ) United States. Dept. of State. United States. Federal Security Agency. United States. President's War Relief Control Board. World Council of Churches. Subjects City councils--Ohio--Cincinnati. Commercial treaties. Elections--United States--1936. Elections--United States--1940. Elections--United States--1952. International trade. Laity--Protestant churches. Municipal government--United States. Practice of law--Ohio--Cincinnati. Protestantism. Reciprocity (Commerce) Tariff--United States. World War, 1939-1945--Civilian relief--United States. Places Cincinnati (Ohio)--Church history. Cincinnati (Ohio)--Politics and government. Ohio--Politics and government. Occupations Lawyers. Mayors--Ohio--Cincinnati. Administrative Information Provenance Part I of the papers of Charles Phelps Taft, lawyer, public official, Protestant lay leader, and mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio, son of President William H. Taft, was given to the Library of Congress by Taft in 1974. Part II was given by his estate in 1983. Processing History The Charles P. Taft Papers were processed in 1978 and expanded and revised in 1994. The finding aid was revised again in 2010. Transfers Items have been transferred from the Manuscript Division to other custodial divisions of the Library. Audiotapes and sound recordings have been transferred to the Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division. Maps have been transferred to the Geography and Maps Division. Some photographs have been transferred to the Prints and Photographs Division. All transfers are identified in these divisions as part of the Charles P. Taft Papers. Charles P. Taft Papers 3 Related Material Related collections in the Manuscript Division include numerous papers of the Taft family, including the papers of Robert A. Taft, Robert Taft (1917-1993), William H. Taft, William Howard Taft (1915- ), and William Howard Taft (1945- ). Copyright Status The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of Charles P. Taft is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.). Access and Restrictions The papers of Charles P. Taft are open to research. Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use. Preferred Citation Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Container number, Charles P. Taft Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Biographical Note Date Event 1897, Sept. 20 Born, Cincinnati, Ohio 1917 Married Eleanor K. Chase 1918 B.A., Yale University, New Haven, Conn. 1921 LL.B., Yale University, New Haven, Conn. 1922 Admitted to Ohio bar 1927-1928 Prosecuting attorney, Hamilton County, Ohio 1933 Published City Management: The Cincinnati Experiment. New York: Farrar & Rinehart 1936 Published You and I--and Roosevelt. New York: Farrar & Rinehart 1937-1942 Member, Cincinnati, Ohio, City Council 1941-1943 Director, United States Community War Services, Federal Security Agency 1944 Director, Wartime Economic Affairs, State Department 1945 Director, Transportation and Communications Policy, State Department Advisor, American delegation to the San Francisco Conference 1947-1948 President, Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America 1948-1951 Member, Cincinnati, Ohio, City Council Charles P. Taft Papers 4 1952 Republican candidate for governor of Ohio 1955-1957 Mayor, Cincinnati, Ohio 1955-1977 Member, City Council, Cincinnati, Ohio 1983, June 24 Died, Cincinnati, Ohio Scope and Content Note Part I Part I of the papers of Charles Phelps Taft (1897-1983) spans the period 1824-1972, although most of the material is concentrated from 1937 to 1972. The collection consists of diaries, family and general correspondence, personal interest series relating to church activities, foreign affairs, government, politics, and public affairs, a general subject file, speeches and writings, and miscellany. Part I is organized in twelve series: Diaries, Family Correspondence, General Correspondence, Church Activities, Foreign Affairs, Government File, Political File, Public Affairs, General Subject File, Speeches and Writings File, Miscellany, and Oversize. Taft's image as a progressive Republican was forged in the early 1920s when he joined the Charterites (City Charter Committee), a municipal reform movement composed of independent Republicans primarily concerned with challenging the Republican machine of Cincinnati. This political identity remained throughout his career, and while the Government File and General Correspondence series contain some record of his later involvement with the Charterites, the Cincinnati Historical Society retains the bulk of these papers. Documentation concerning other aspects of Taft's political career can be found both in the Family and General Correspondence series. The former contains correspondence with Taft's brother, Robert A. Taft, and with David Ingalls, the Tafts' cousin and Robert's campaign adviser. Folders for Alfred M. Landon, I. Jack Martin, and Paul W. Walter in the General Correspondence supplement related subject headings in the Political File concerning Landon's presidential campaign, for which Taft was a prominent adviser, and Robert A. Taft's various campaigns for the Senate and for the Republican presidential nomination. Charles P. Taft's 1952 Ohio gubernatorial campaign is also documented in this series. In his book, You and I--and Roosevelt, Taft argued for some New Deal programs while not going so far as to endorse Franklin D. Roosevelt himself. His rejection of political partisanship coupled with his experience in municipal government and civic affairs provided attractive credentials for service in the federal government during World War II. Taft was first assigned to the President's War Relief Control Board in March 1941. Records relating to this position are contained in the Government File. This series also contains material pertaining to Taft's subsequent service in the State Department, 1943-1945. Of further interest are the daily activity books Taft kept while serving with the Federal Security Agency and the State Department. These books constitute the Diary series and are composed of appointment notes and transcriptions of telephone calls as well as copies of correspondence and reports. Unfortunately, some of these volumes have suffered severe insect and water damage that drastically reduces their usefulness. Taft had a continuing interest in encouraging an internationalist foreign