Cooper and Levy families papers, 1890-1959

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Cooper family
Title
Cooper and Levy families papers
Dates
1890-1959 (inclusive)
Quantity
17.46 cubic feet (42 boxes)
Collection Number
2366 (Accession No. 2366-001)
Summary
Papers of two related pioneer Jewish families from Seattle, Washington.
Repository
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions

The papers are open to all users.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

In 1892 Isaac Cooper and his wife's brother, Louis Levy, formed a partnership and established the firm of Cooper & Levy, a retail and mail order grocery, hardware, and woodenware business. They supplied most of the prospectors during the Alaska-Klondike gold rush and acquired a considerable fortune by the time they sold out ten years later to the Bon Marché department store.

In the same year, 1892, Esther Levy and her daughter, Lizzie Levy Cooper, organized Seattle's first Jewish welfare society, the Ladies' Hebrew Benevolent Society, to provide aid to needy families. Esther Levy became its first president, serving until 1900. Lizzie Levy Cooper was president from 1900 to1915. She was also president of the Seattle Council of Jewish Women, 1903-1906; vice president of the state council during the same period; and president of the Ladies Auxiliary to Temple De Hirsch, 1913-1914. She died in 1915.

Two of Lizzie Levy Cooper's brothers, Aubrey Levy, a lawyer, and Eugene Levy, a motion picture theater promoter, in partnership with Isaac Cooper (Lizzie Levy Cooper's husband) formed the Republic Operating Company and in 1927 built the Republic Building at Third Avenue and Pike Street. All of the income from this building was willed in 1945 and 1959 to three service organizations: the Jewish Welfare Society, the Caroline Kline Galland Home for the Aged, and the Seattle Children's Orthopedic Hospital of Seattle.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Cooper and Levy families papers are the records of two pioneer Seattle Jewish families and include the records of Isaac Cooper; his wife, Lizzie Levy Cooper; her brothers Louis, Aubrey, and Eugene Levy; and their mother, Esther Levy. The papers contain correspondence, business records, financial records, legal documents, memorabilia, scrapbooks, and some photographs.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

The creators' literary rights have not been transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.

Preferred Citation

Cooper and Levy families papers, Accession No. 2366-001, University of Washington Libraries.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

The papers have been arranged into 10 series:

  • General family papers
  • Isaac Cooper papers
  • Lizzie Levy Cooper papers
  • Aubrey Levy papers
  • Eugene Levy papers
  • Republic Operating Company records
  • Republic Building records
  • Henry Broderick, Inc. records
  • Bonham Galland papers
  • Visual and other materials

Separated Materials

339 photographs were relocated to the Cooper and Levy Families Photograph Collection, PH Coll. 722, in Special Collections in 1977, 1979, 1982, and 1987.

2 scrapbooks of Eugene Levy relating to theater in Seattle from 1917 to 1920 were relocated to the Special Collections' Pacific Northwest Scrapbook Collection in 1977.

Acquisition Information

Gift of the Levy Memorial Trust, Bank of California, Seattle, November 14, 1974; and of Eugene Levy, Seattle, 1975.

Processing Note

Processing completed circa 1977-1979. Accession Nos. 2366-001 and 2366-002 were merged.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

 

General family papersReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/1-2
Biographical data
undated
1/3-5
Financial records
3 items
1936-1945
Legal documents
Box/Folder
1/6
Congregation Ohaveth Sholom
1 item
undated
1/7
Ladies Hebrew Benevolent Society
1 item
undated
Box/Folder
1/8-9
Cooper-Levy Company catalogs
3 items
1896, 1897, 1898
box-folder-box
2/1-3/15/40
Photographs

Isaac Cooper papersReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
5/1
Incoming letters
12 items
1913-1922
5/2
Outgoing letters
1 item
undated
Letterpress copy book of Isaac Cooper
598 pages
1907-1924
Box/Folder
5/3-4
Financial records
1918-1946
5/5
Tax records
15 items
1939-1941
6/1
Legal documents
7 items
1912
6/2-4
Estate of Isaac Cooper
80 items
1945-1946

Lizzie Levy Cooper papersReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
6/5
Biographical material
3 items
1915, 1951
6/6
Writing
3 items
undated
6/7-8
Clippings
130 items
1886-1911
6/9
Memorabilia
1 item
undated

Aubrey Levy papersReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
7/1
Incoming letters
5 items
1900-1921
Letterpress copy book of Aubrey Levy
560 pages
1907-1914
Box/Folder
7/2
Miscellaneous financial records
10 items
1916, 1945, 1947
7/3
Tax records
8 items
1939-1944
7/4
Speech
1 item
undated
7/5-6
Legal documents
undated
8/1
Court docket
145 pages
1909-1920
8/2
Memorabilia
4 items
undated
8/3-4
Estate of Aubrey Levy
100 items
1945-1946

Eugene Levy papersReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
9/1-10/8
General correspondence
300 items
1905-1959
Business correspondence and related papers
This series contains not only the business correspondence of Eugene Levy, but correspondence concerning his charitable contributions.
Box/Folder
11/1-4
Church
1948-1959
11/5-7
Estate charities
200 items
1946-1959
12/1-3
Investments
200 items
1945-1959
12/4-6
Jewish Family and Child Service
300 items
1945-1959
13/1
John Carefoot Charity
30 items
1950
13/2
Jonas and Bronson
40 items
1947-1948
13/3
Preston, Thorgrimson, Horowitz and Turner
30 items
1944-1948
13/4
Price Waterhouse and Company
20 items
1946-1949
13/5-8
Seattle First National Bank
300 items
1945-1959
14/1-5
Terry and Pike property
400 items
1947-1954
15/1-3
Yates, Riley and MacDonald
200 items
1946-1954
15/4-5
14th and East Madison property
150 items
1948-1955
15/6
1704 14th Avenue property
40 items
1944-1951
16/1-3
Tax records
150 items
1939-1958
16/4
Writings
5 items
undated
16/5
Radio broadcast transcripts
30 items
1952-1953
17/1
Will of Eugene Levy
1 item
1959
17/2-10
Newsletters
100 items
1954-1958
18/1-19/2
Cards
200 items
1948, undated
19/3
Lists
8 items
undated
19/4-20/2
Memorabilia
40 items
1949-1955
Box
20
Scrapbook
1 item
1907-1911
21
Scrapbooks
1912-1933, 1950-1957
22
Appointment, address, autograph books, and passport
20 items
1950-1959
Box/Folder
22/1
Notes
30 items
undated
22/2-23/4
Clippings
150 items
1901-1959
23/5-6
Programs
30 items
1899-1918
23/-24/1
Ephemera
100 items
undated

Republic Operating Company recordsReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
24/2-5
General correspondence
200 items
1922-1943
24/6
Minutes
1 item
1926
24/7
Reports
2 items
1937, 1939
24/8-25/3
Financial records
200 items
1934-1938
25/4-7
Legal documents
40 items
1927-1944
25/8
Lease forms
2 items
undated
25/9
Insurance policies
2 items
1926, 1928
25/10
Lists
2 items
1936, 1942
25/11
Notes
7 items
undated
25/12
Miscellany
4 items
undated

Republic Building recordsReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
26/1-2
General correspondence
100 items
1942-1959
26/3
Financial records
120 items
1947-1948, 1959
26/4
Payroll records
14 items
1959
26/5-7
Tax records
70 items
1948-1959
26/8-10
Agreements
15 items
1943-1945
26/11
Vacate notices
10 items
1943
26/12
Insurance analysis
32 pages
1957
26/13
Lease between Cooper and Levys and Republic Building Company
80 pages
1926
26/14
Mandatory wording and standard clauses of Republic Building leases
7 items
1940, undated
27/1
Expired leases
4 items
1957-1958
27/2 -28/6
Leases
60 items
1945-1959
29/1-10
Newsletters: Building Owners and Managers Association
undated
30/1 -34/5
Statements
500 items
1943-1954, 1956
35/1-36/7
Miscellaneous building management materials
200 items
1950-1959
37/1
Clippings
12 items
1909-1929
37/2-4
Ephemera
70 items
1955-1957

Henry Broderick, Inc. papers, 1946-1959Return to Top

Container(s): Box-folder 37/5-8

150 items

Bonham Galland papersReturn to Top

The Bonham Galland papers are from the disposition of the estate of Bonham Galland. Galland was a Seattle pioneer and well-known Jewish philanthropist whose will established a trust for the construction and maintenance of an orphanage for homeless Jewish children. Isaac Cooper was executor and Aubrey Levy was the attorney for this trust.

The papers, formerly housed in the Republic Building, were willed to the University of Washington by Eugene Levy.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
38/1
Incoming letters
30 items
1915-1918
38/2
Outgoing letters
1 item
1915
38/3-7
Financial records
60 items
1907-1919
38/8-9
Legal documents
50 items
1915-1917
38/10
Clippings
1 item
1915

Visual and other materialsReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
box:oversize
39
Photograph of a banquet
undated
39
Scrapbook of Isaac Cooper
undated
39
Scrapbook of Eugene Levy
undated
39
Memorabilia of Eugene Levy
undated
40
Certificates
undated

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Building management--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • General stores--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Grocery trade--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Jewish businessmen--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Jewish families--Washington (State)--Seattle--Archives
  • Jewish pioneers--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Jews--Charities--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Jews--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Personal Papers/Corporate Records (University of Washington)
  • Philanthropists--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Real estate investment--Washington (State)--Seattle

Personal Names

  • Galland, Bonham
  • Levy, Aubrey, 1945
  • Levy, Eugene

Corporate Names

  • Cooper & Levy (Firm : Seattle, Wash.)
  • Henry Broderick, Inc

Family Names

  • Cooper family
  • Levy family

Geographical Names

  • Seattle (Wash.)--Buildings, structures, etc
  • Seattle (Wash.)--Economic conditions

Form or Genre Terms

  • Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
  • Legal documents
  • Photographs
  • Scrapbooks
  • business records
  • correspondence
  • financial records
  • letterpress copybooks
  • memorabilia
  • property records
  • tax records

Other Creators

  • Corporate Names
    • Washington State Jewish Archives (University of Washington)
    Family Names
    • Levy family (creator)