William Rosen oral history interview, 1974
Table of Contents
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Rosen, William, 1907-1990
- Title
- William Rosen oral history interview
- Dates
- 1974 (inclusive)19741974
- Quantity
- 1 vertical file, (2 sound cassettes ; transcript: 18 pages; 1 hr. 20 min.)
- Collection Number
- 2284
- Summary
- Interview of a businessman describing his father's activities and businesses
- 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
-
Open to all users.
- Languages
- Collection materials are in English.
Biographical Note
Born Oct. 28, 1907, in Philadelphia, Mr. Rosen was educated in the Seattle Public Schools system. He graduated from Broadway High School and earned a degree in business administration from the University of Washington. He was an avid fisherman and yachtsman. He served in the Coast Guard Auxiliary during World War II with his yacht ``Hellabella'' and was a longtime member of the Seattle Yacht Club. He also enjoyed golf and tennis and rowed on the UW crew team while a student there. Mr. Rosen, his father and his late brother, Kermit, established the Alaskan Copper and Brass Co., now a nationally prominent company that employs about 450 people and posts sales of $90 million to $100 million a year. He died August 12, 1990.
Content Description
Tape-recorded interview covers the period of 1906-1955 and is accompanied by duplicate and partial transcripts.
William Rosen tells of his father Morris' training as a coppersmith in his native Lithuania, his immigration to Philadelphia at about the age of 10 after the turn of the century, and marriage there to Rebecca Miller in 1906. After working on the Panama Canal from 1906 to 1913, Morris Rosen extablished himself as a coppersmith in Seattle. With the outbreak of World War I and the growth of shipbuilding in Seattle, Rosen's Alaskan Copper Works boomed. The business lull at war's end was broken for Alaskan Copper in about 1924 with the advent of pulp mills around Puget Sound. Rebecca Miller Rosen's brothers followed the Rosens to Seattle in about 1915 and established the Seattle Quilt Company. The Rosens did not identify closely with the Jewish Community. Morris' cronies were Gentiles from his business world and Rebecca was not active in Jewish organizations. William Rosen recalls growing up in Seattle, living at 16th and Main, Alki, Capitol Hill and Montlake. He talks of the Alaska Copper Company and its diversified activities.
Use of the Collection
Alternative Forms Available
Listen to the audio recording and view the transcript of this interview on the Libraries Digital Collections site.
Restrictions on Use
Creator's literary rights transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.
Administrative Information
Return to TopDetailed Description of the Collection
-
Description: William Rosen oral history interviewContainer: 2284-001 VF 1241
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Jews--Washington (State)--Seattle--Interviews
- Personal Papers/Corporate Records (University of Washington)
Form or Genre Terms
- Interviews
- Oral histories
- transcripts
Other Creators
-
Personal Names
- Rosen, William, 1907-1990--Interviews
Corporate Names
- Alaska Copper Company--History--Sources
- Seattle Quilt Company (Seattle, Wash.)--History--Sources
- Temple de Hirsch (Seattle, Wash.)
- Washington State Jewish Archives (University of Washington)
