Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Herbert Retzlaff papers, 1954-1978
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Retzlaff, Herbert, 1903-1999
- Title
- Herbert Retzlaff papers
- Dates
- 1954-1978 (inclusive)19541978
- Quantity
- .45 cubic feet, (1 document case)
- Collection Number
- Mss 2816
- Summary
- Herbert Retzlaff studied accounting at the Oregon Institute of Technology and became a CPA in 1933. In 1939, he began working as an accountant for Fred Meyer Inc., later becoming a vice president of the company. Collection includes correspondence, including congratulations, invitations, etc. regarding Fred Meyer Inc. and some to the German Consulate; programs for award banquets at Fred Meyer Inc., a history of the company, and organizational charts; and a biography of Fred Meyer.
- Repository
-
Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org - Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open for research.
- Languages
- English
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Herbert Retzlaff was born in KoĢnigsberg, Germany (which is now Kaliningrad, Russia) in 1903. During World War I, his family was evacuated to Berlin. He attended the University of Munich for three years. Inflation in post-World War I Germany drove him to seek employment abroad, ultimately landing him in Portland, Oregon, in 1924, where a fellow German American offered him a job at a gas company. In 1932, he and Lucile N. Martin were married. During the Depression, Retzlaff studied accounting at the Oregon Institute of Technology and became a CPA in 1933. In 1939, he began working as an accountant for Fred Meyer Inc. In 1955, he became a vice president of Fred Meyer Inc., and he retired in 1972. Lucy N. Martin died in 1978, and in 1980, Retzlaff and Helen E. Amacher were married. He was a patron of the Portland Opera, and established the Herbert Retzlaff Chair of Management Accounting endowment at Portland State University in 1986. He died in 1999.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Collection includes correspondence, including congratulations, invitations, etc. regarding Fred Meyer Inc. and some to the German Consulate; programs for award banquets at Fred Meyer Inc.; history of Fred Meyer Inc.; biography of Fred Meyer; organizational charts of Fred Meyer Inc., circa 1954.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Preferred Citation
Herbert Retzlaff papers, Mss 2816, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Restrictions on Use
The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Personal Names
- Meyer, Fred G., 1886-1978
- Retzlaff, Herbert, 1903-1999
Corporate Names
- Fred Meyer, Inc.
- Fred Meyer, Inc.--Employees
Form or Genre Terms
- correspondence
- printed ephemera