MS 47 - Harry Kessler Collection
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Title | MS 47 - Harry Kessler Collection |
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Introduction | The Harry Kessler Papers were donated to the Center for Archival Collections by Mr. Kessler in November of 1977. Included are office files and correspondence created during his terms as Toledo Councilman (1965-1969), Vice Mayor (1969-1970), and Mayor (1971-1977). These records reflect the various activities associated with the administration of Toledo government including the establishment of the Citizen Committee for Effective Government and the numerous projects associated with downtown revitalization. The collection consists of twelve linear feet. Presently, the Harry Kessler Papers are open to the public on an unrestricted basis; all literary and property rights have been granted to the public for the purpose of scholarly, historical, and personal research. Marcia Sommerfeld, Graduate Assistant, Department of History, processed the collection and drafted the register. Additional biographical information was obtained by the graduate assistant in a brief oral interview with Mr. Kessler on February 22, 1978. |
Biographical Sketch | Harry Kessler was born in Toledo, Ohio, on August 15, 1927, the son of Harry Hermas and Mabel Dorothy Kessler. He attended the Greenbrier Military School in Louisburg, West Virginia from 1941-1945 and Ohio State University from 1945-1947. After leaving the educational environment for some time, Kessler enrolled at the University of Toledo in 1962. His major fields of study at both universities were history and political science. In 1965 Kessler became a certified real estate agent and began working for the Robert F. Lindsey Realty Company. Kessler is affiliated with the company on a part-time basis. Throughout his years of education and real estate training, Kessler helped with his father's business, the Toledo Harbor Supply. Eventually, he took over the business and renamed it the Kessler Supply Boat. He remained owner/manager for approximately twenty years. On April 5, 1947, Kessler married Mary Lou Via; they have four children and (at this writing) two grandchildren. In 1961 Kessler became interested in pursuing a political career. He was a candidate for Toledo Councilman in 1961, the State Legislature in 1962, and Councilman in 1963. He finally was elected councilman in 1965. Since 1965 he has had an active political career. In 1969 the Council elected him Vice Mayor, and upon Mayor Ensign's resignation in 1970, the Council appointed Kessler mayor. He was re-elected mayor for three consecutive two-year terms. After his terms as mayor, Kessler became the Clerk of the Municipal Court in 1978, a position he will hold for six years. As the mayor of Toledo, Kessler was the principal founder of the Citizen Committee for Effective Government. This committee was an outgrowth of Governor Rhodes' "Council for Reorganization of Ohio State Government," better known as "Rhodes' Little Hoover Commission," established in May 1963. The committee's objective is to study the operations and management of local government, propose recommendations for improvement and insure that the recommendations are implemented. Another important aspect of Kessler's mayoral objectives was the initiation of plans to revitalize the downtown area of Toledo. He was instrumental in proposing a new Community Convention Center and responsible for procuring extra federal funds for the city's urban development during his terms in office. He remained an active spokesman for the people and expanded the mayor's role from a figurehead to one of a policy-maker. |
Scope and Content | The Harry Kessler Papers, 1967-1977, mainly document his years as Mayor of Toledo (1971-1977), while limited information also is available on his terms as Councilman (1965-1969) and Vice Mayor (1969-1970). The material is arranged alphabetically by subject and chronologically within each file. Among his papers are correspondence, minutes of meetings, pamphlets, newspaper clippings, photographs, and maps. The material for Kessler's terms as Councilman and Vice Mayor include invitations, committee lists, correspondence about the Health, Safety, and Service Departments, as well as various printed materials on Urban Renewal Projects, community development, zoning, and welfare. Early councilman papers and correspondence is not available. Although these files represent a wide variety of Toledo's governmental concerns and span a period of three years, the limited quantity of material extremely restricts their research value. Kessler's terms as Mayor of Toledo are well documented in the collection and the records are of exceptional quality for research in urban development and government functions. The correspondence includes letters about and from the numerous committees, councils, and departments within the Toledo governmental structure. Those areas principally represented in the records are: the advisory committees on community development and parking; the departments of finance, health, housing, labor, law, public service and safety; the divisions of engineering and forestry; the Community Relations Board; the Manpower Area Planning Committee; and the Pollution Control Board. Several less prominent councils and committees also are documented. In addition, extensive data can be found on the city's diverse citizens committees: Advocates for Basic Legal Equality; Citizens Committee for Effective Government; Toledo Area Metropolitan Council of Governments; Citizens Development Forum; Old West End District Council; Toledo Arts Commission; the League of Women Voters; and many others. Although minutes of meetings for all the councils can be located within the various subject files, they are incomplete. Photographs and oversize maps have been removed from the collection and placed in the Center for Archival Collections' permanent photographic holdings and the Toledo Map Collection. The printed materials (magazines, pamphlets, and newspaper clippings) were arranged within the record series, identified, and filed according to the original provenance of the collection. |
Series Description | SUBJECT FILES OFFICE SUBJECT FILES |
Inventory | Box 1: Council Papers Folder
Box 2: Council Papers Folders
Box 3: Mayoral Papers Folders
Box 4: Mayoral Papers Folders
Box 5: Mayoral Papers Folders
Box 6: Mayoral Papers Folders
Box 7: Mayoral Papers Folders
Box 8: Mayoral Papers Folders
Box 9: Mayoral Papers Folders
Box 10: Mayoral Papers Folders
Box 11: Mayoral Papers Folders
Box 12: Mayoral Papers Folders
Box 13: Mayoral Papers Folders
Box 14: Mayoral Papers Folders
Box 15 Folders
Box 16: Mayoral Papers Folders
Box 17: Mayoral Papers Folders
Box 18: Mayoral Papers Folders
Box 19: Mayoral Papers
Box 20: Mayoral Papers Folders
Box 21: Mayoral Papers Folders
Box 22: Mayoral Papers Folders
Box 23: Mayoral Papers Folders
Box 24: Mayoral Papers Folders
Box 25: Mayoral Papers Folders
Box 26: Mayoral Papers Folders
Box 27: Mayoral Papers Folders
Box 28: Mayoral Papers Folders
Box 29: Mayoral Papers Folders
Box 30: Mayoral Papers Folders
Box 31: Mayoral Papers Folders
Box 32: Mayoral Papers Folders
Box 33: Mayoral Papers Folders
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