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Montgomery Ward records, 1849-1989

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Montgomery Ward.
Title
Montgomery Ward records
Dates
1849-1989 (inclusive)
Quantity
153 cubic feet (336 boxes) + artifacts.
Collection Number
08088
Summary
The Montgomery Ward Company was a national retail chain store which dominated the mail-order market during the 20th century. Company records include correspondence, catalogs, marketing materials, and legal records.
Repository
American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming
American Heritage Center
University of Wyoming
1000 E. University Ave.
Dept. 3924
Laramie, WY
82071
Telephone: 3077663756
ahcref@uwyo.edu
Access Restrictions
Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes, and the collection is open to the public.

Languages
English
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Historical Note

Montgomery Ward, the world's first general merchandise mail-order business, issued its first single sheet catalog in 1872. By 1887, the Chicago based company had annual sales exceeding $$1,000,000 and in 1889 it became a privately held corporation. In 1893, founder Aaron Montgomery Ward sold his controlling interest to partner George R. Thorne, and the company became a public corporation in 1919.

In 1931, Sewell L. Avery became chairman and chief executive officer. His tenure was marked by labor troubles in the 1940s which culminated in two government seizures of the company in 1944. In 1968 Montgomery Ward merged with Container Corporation of America to form Marcor Inc. Mobil Oil Corporation gained a controlling interest in Marcor in 1974, and Wards became a subsidiary of Mobil. In 1988 senior management led a drive for a levereged buyout and Wards became a privately-held company.

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Content Description

Collection contains Montgomery Ward catalogs and 194 35 mm microfilm copies (1874-1985); competitors' catalogs including Aldens (1954-1981), J.C. Penney (1963-1982), Sears (1954-1982) and Spiegel (1962-1983); correspondence (1889-1985) including approximately 20,000 letters between the general public and Ward regarding the National War Labor Board and the 1944 government seizures; scrapbooks of newspaper and magazine articles on Ward and competitors (1971-1987) including extensive national press coverage of the 1944 seizures; handwritten musical scores by Nathan Lang Van Cleave for the 1940s radio programs "The Man Behind the Gun" and "This Is Our Enemy"; news releases; organization charts; speeches; photographs; title abstracts for Chicago real estate; advertisements; legal documents; manuals; and financial files. A supplement from 1993 is included as well.

Subject files (1862-1985) include information on takeover attempts, price controls, A. Montgomery Ward's role in preserving Chicago's lake front, company history, the National War Labor Board, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, which originated as a Christmas advertising promotion in 1939. There are also miscellaneous artifacts.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Copyright Information

The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.

Preferred Citation

Preferred Citation

Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Collection Name, Collection Number, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

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Administrative Information

Preservation Note

System Requirements

Catalogs -- microfilm -- 35 mm.

Related Materials

Related Materials

There are no known other archival collections created by Montgomery Ward at the date of processing.

Acquisition Information

Acquisition Information

The Montgomery Ward Records were given to the American Heritage Center by Montgomery Ward in seventeen shipments, three in 1983, one in 1986, two in 1987, one in 1988, one in 1989, two in 1993, and seven in 1995.

Processing Note

Processing Information

The collection was processed by Loreley Moore in December 1996 and revised by Loreley Moore in May 2001. The finding aid was encoded by JoNel Wilmot and D. Claudia Thompson in 1018.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Container List

Processed by Loreley Moore
2013

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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