Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Donald W. Anderson Papers, 1941-1971
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Anderson, Donald W., 1901-1978
- Title
- Donald W. Anderson Papers
- Dates
- 1941-1971 (inclusive)19411971
- Quantity
- 5.25 linear feet
- Collection Number
- Mss 157 (collection)
- Summary
- The collection consists of correspondence that Anderson kept with various people and organizations during his career as president of Lee Newspapers of Montana.
- Repository
-
University of Montana, Mansfield Library, Archives and Special Collections
Archives and Special Collections
Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library
University of Montana
32 Campus Dr. #9936
59812-9936
Missoula, MT
Telephone: 406-243-2053
library.archives@umontana.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of Archives and Special Collections, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, and The University of Montana--Missoula.
- 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
Donald W. Anderson was born in Bozeman, Montana in 1901. He attended the University of Wisconsin and eventually started his journalism career in Wisconsin. He eventually worked his way up to publisher and organized the purchase of seven Montana newspapers by Lee Enterprises in 1959. They purchased the newspapers from the Anaconda Copper Mining Company, the state's biggest newspaper publisher. The papers, the Montana Standard in Butte, the Butte Daily Post, the Missoulian, the Billings Gazette , the Helena Independent Record, the Anaconda Standard, and the Livingston Enterprise, were purchased for $5.2 million. The purchase freed major Montana newspapers from the control of the Anaconda Company, which had profoundly influenced their content and editorial opinions. Anderson became president of Lee Newspapers of Montana after the purchase and ran the company from the Madison, Wisconsin headquarters. Anderson was also publisher of Lee's Wisconsin State Journal in Madison.
Anderson began his reporting career in Madison in 1923 as a humor columnist. He became city editor in 1925, Sunday editor in 1926, managing editor a few months later, and business manager and assistant publisher in 1933. He became publisher in 1942 and remained chief executive for 26 years. He was vice president of Lee Enterprises and a member of the decision-making executive committee at the time of his retirement. In addition to his newspaper work, Anderson was an avid traveler and wrote a book recounting a trip around the world in 1954. He received many awards, including one from Sigma Chi for his contributions to journalism and literature in 1963. Anderson died on April 26, 1978, in Madison of Lou Gehrig's disease. He was 77 years old.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The collection consists of correspondence that Anderson kept with various people and organizations during his career as president of Lee Newspapers of Montana. This correspondence documents the transition of these newspapers from Anaconda Copper Mining Company ownership to Lee Enterprises ownership, a profound transition for newspapers in Montana.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. and any other applicable statutes. Copyright not transferred to The University of Montana.
Preferred Citation
[Name of document], Donald W. Anderson Papers, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana-Missoula.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Custodial History
This collection was in the possession of Sue Talbot until its donation to the University of Montana School of Journalism in 1974. In 1990, the School of Journalism transferred the materials to Archives and Special Collections at the Mansfield Library. In 2008, four additional boxes of materials were found in the School of Journalism building and transferred to Archives and Special Collections.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Sue Talbot, 1974.
Processing Note
The actions of the original processor are unknown. In 1998, the collection was re-described, leaving the original organization intact. A substantial addition was made to the materials in 2008.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
1/1 | Adler, Philip D. | January-April 1960 |
1/2 | Adler, Philip D. | May-August 1960 |
1/3 | Adler, Philip D. | September-December 1960 |
1/4 | Adler, Philip D. | January-December 1961 |
1/5 | Adler, Philip D. | January-August 1962 |
1/6 | Adler, Philip D. | September-December 1962 |
1/7 | Adler, Philip D. | January-March 1963 |
2/1 | Adler, Philip D. | April-December 1963 |
2/2 | Adler, Philip D. | January-December 1964 |
2/3 | American Press Institute | September 1953-December 1960 |
2/4 | American Society of Newspaper Editors | March-May 1960 |
2/5 | Anaconda Company and Montana Power | May 1969-May 1971 |
2/6 | Anonymous Letters | 1943-1954 |
2/7 | Argenson, Marquis | December 1954-December 1956 |
2/8 | Aronson, Governor J. Hugo | June 1959-December 1960 |
2/9 | A | September 1959-December 1960 |
2/10 | Bankers' Letters | May-August 1959 |
2/11 | Black, Ruby | 1941-1945 |
2/12 | Bowler, Duane, Billings Gazette | January 1960-February 1961 |
2/13 | B | April 1944-March 1960 |
3/1 | Congratulatory Letters | May 1959-July 1959 |
3/2 | C | December 1947-February 1967 |
3/3 | Dye, E.A. "Shorty" | May 1959-November 1960 |
3/4 | Fanning, W. | May 1959-June 1963 |
3/5 | G | December 1950-January 1961 |
3/6 | Gardner, Earl Stanley | June 1955-May 1956 |
3/7 | Gardner, Earl Stanley | June 1956-December 1959 |
3/8 | Governors' Conference | March 1960 |
3/9 | Hilleboe, J. Strand | May 1959-September 1961 |
4/1 | Hilleboe, J. Strand | October 1961-December 1963 |
4/2 | H | July 1959-October 1962 |
4/3 | Loble, Judge Lester H. | August 1959-December 1960 |
4/4 | Loomis, Lee | June 1959-May 1960 |
4/5 | McLeod, Walter H. | June 1959-February 1963 |
4/6 | Morrison, Richard E. | January-March 1960 |
4/7 | Morrison, Richard E. | March-April 1960 |
4/8 | Morrison, Richard E. | May-June 1960 |
4/9 | Morrison, Richard E. | July-September 1960 |
4/10 | Morrison, Richard E. | October-December 1960mo |
4/11 | Morrison, Richard E. | January-February 1961 |
4/12 | Morrison, Richard E. | March-April 1961 |
4/13 | Morrison, Richard E. | May-July 1961 |
5/1 | Morrison, Richard E. | August-September 1961 |
5/2 | Morrison, Richard E. | October-November 1961 |
5/3 | Morrison, Richard E. | November-December 1961 |
5/4 | Morrison, Richard E. | January-April 1962 |
5/5 | Morrison, Richard E. | May-June 1962 |
5/6 | Morrison, Richard E. | July-October 1962 |
5/7 | Morrison, Richard E. | November-December 1962 |
5/8 | Morrison, Richard E. | January-February 1963 |
5/9 | Morrison, Richard E. | March 1963 |
5/10 | Morrison, Richard E. | April-June 1963 |
5/11 | Morrison, Richard E. | July-September 1963 |
6/1 | Morrison, Richard E. | October-November 1963 |
6/2 | Morrison, Richard E. | December 1963 |
6/3 | Morrison, Richard E. | January-March 1964 |
6/4 | Morrison, Richard E. | March-April 1964 |
6/5 | Morrison, Richard E. | May-June 1964 |
6/6 | Morrison, Richard E. | June-September 1964 |
6/7 | Morrison, Richard E. | October-December 1964 |
6/8 | Morrison, Richard E. | January-April 1965 |
6/9 | Morrison, Richard E. | May-June 1965 |
6/10 | Morrison, Richard E. | July-December 1965 |
7/1 | Morrison, Richard E. | January-April 1966 |
7/2 | Morrison, Richard E. | May-October 1966 |
7/3 | Nelson, Walter | October 1959-April 1960 |
7/4 | Offers to Buy Papers | 1959 |
7/5 | P | August 1959-November 1960 |
7/6 | Post-sale Letters | June 1959 |
7/7 | Risken, Law | June 1959-February 1960 |
7/8 | R | December 1959-April 1960 |
7/9 | S | March 1960-October 1960 |
7/10 | The People's Voice | May-June 1959 |
7/11 | W | October 1959-October 1960 |
8/1 | A | 1961-1964 |
8/2 | Anaconda Company, Legal | 1961 |
8/3 | B | 1960-1967 |
8/4 | Billings Building | 1962 |
8/5 | Billington Jr., D.R. | 1962-1967 |
8/6 | Bowler, D.W. | 1961-1968 |
8/7 | Burgess, William T. | 1959-1960 |
8/8 | C | 1959-1967 |
8/9 | D | 1961-1967 |
8/10 | Dickey, James, C. Jay Parkinson, E.H. McGlone | January-March 1959 |
8/11 | F | 1959-1964 |
8/12 | Fanning, Ward | 1964-1967 |
8/13 | G | 1965-1967 |
8/14 | Goodrich | 1961-1964 |
8/15 | Gottlieb, David K. | 1964-1966 |
8/16 | H | 1963-1967 |
8/17 | Hilleboe, Strand, J.S. | 1963-1967 |
8/18 | History of Montana | 1960-1963 |
8/19 | Halloran | 1967 |
8/20 | J | 1959-1961 |
8/21 | K | 1960-1967 |
8/22 | Kelley, V.J. | 1964-1965 |
8/23 | Lee Group | January-February 1959 |
8/24 | Correspondence with Lee Group | May 1959- |
8/25 | Legal | 1959-1960 |
8/26 | LeRossignol, J.E. | 1963-1965 |
9/1 | Loble, Judge Lester J. | 1961-1964 |
9/2 | Mc | 1959-1966 |
9/3 | MacGilvra, E.E. | 1961-1964 |
9/4 | Miller, Robert E. | 1959-1966 |
9/5 | Montana State University | 1965-1966 |
9/6 | M | 1961-1967 |
9/7 | Martin, Fred J., Livingston | 1959-1967 |
9/8 | Mooney, Tom | 1959-1963 |
9/9 | Montana Executives | 1963-1964 |
9/10 | Montana Historical Society | 1962-1965 |
9/11 | Correspondence with Montana Sources, Sherman and Swenson | 1959 |
9/12 | Morrison | 1959 |
10/1 | N | 1961-1962 |
10/2 | Nelson, Walter | 1961-1967 |
10/3 | News Stories and Editorials | 1959 |
10/4 | Northern Pacific | 1959-1962 |
10/5 | Northern Trust | 1961 |
10/6 | P | 1963-1964 |
10/7 | Parkinson, C. Jay | 1960-1967 |
10/8 | Q | 1963-1965 |
10/9 | R | 1963-1967 |
10/10 | Scheibel, Kenneth | 1963-1965 |
10/11 | Schermer, Lloyd | 1959-1962 |
10/12 | Schermer, Lloyd | 1963-1964 |
10/13 | Seipp, Hal | 1959-1967 |
10/14 | Montana Spelling Bee | 1959-1967 |
10/15 | National Spelling Bee | 1965 |
10/16 | Talbot, John | 1965-1967 |
10/17 | UPI-Montana | 1959-1964 |
10/18 | W | 1961-1968 |
11/1 | Auditors Report | 1960 |
11/2 | Pro Forma Financial Statements | 1959 |
11/3 | Annual Report | 1959 |
11/4 | Stockholders of Minority Interests, Balance Sheets, Advertising Reports, Data Sheets | 1959 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Newspaper publishing--Montana
Personal Names
- Adler, Philip David, 1902-
- Morrison, Richard
Corporate Names
- Lee Enterprises
- Lee Newspapers of Montana
Geographical Names
- Montana--Newspapers