Edward Moss Martin papers, 1896-1985

For listening purposes, it is necessary to use a copy, not the original (and to have a listening copy made if one is not available).

Copyright may be retained by the creators of items, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States coyright law, unless otherwise noted.

Gift of Mrs. Edward Moss Martin. An addition to the collection was donated by the Union League Club of Chicago.

Edward Moss Martin papers (Chicago History Museum) plus a detailed description, date, and box/folder number of a specific item.

Biographical materials, correspondence, publications, research materials, memoranda, fliers, programs, and other papers of Edward Moss Martin, a civic reformer and member of the Union League Club of Chicago. Much of the material in the collection relates to Martin's work as director of public affairs (1924-1960) and director of the Civic and Arts Foundation (1960-1974) at the Union League Club of Chicago, including research materials on local government in Illinois villages, programs and promotional materials for Union League events, and correspondence and articles related to Martin's awards and citations, retirement, and professional contacts. Biographical materials pertain to Martin's childhood, education, and early employment. Present are booklets and articles, some authored by Martin, that document Martin's interest in judicial, electoral, and civic reforms. Also included are materials related to organizations with which Martin was involved, notably the Municipal Art League of Chicago and the Citizenship Council of Metropolitan Chicago.

The collection includes a reel-to-reel tape of a speech given about Martin when the Union League Club honored him with a citation for distinguished public service (1958).

Edward Moss Martin (1896-1985) was a civic reformer and active in the Union League Club of Chicago. After graduating from Oberlin College in 1916, Martin worked as a reporter for the Chicago City News Bureau, as a field investigator for the U.S. Public Health Service, and studied and taught at the National Institute for Public Administration in New York City. Martin served as director of public affairs for the Union League Club of Chicago from 1924 to 1960, and as director of the Union League Civic and Arts Foundation from 1960 to 1974. Martin received his doctorate in political science from the University of Chicago in 1938. His doctoral thesis was an analysis of the effects that the Chicago Bar Association's recommendations to voters had on judicial elections, and was published in 1936 as The Rôle of the Bar in Electing the Bench in Chicago.

Throughout his life, Martin pursued civic reforms through his involvement with a variety of organizations and committees. In the late 1940s he served as chairman of the Joint Civic Committee on Elections, a group dedicated to educating voters and discouraging electoral fraud, and in 1953 he became chairman of the Council on Government Personnel, which worked to improve the merit system in the Illinois civil service. He was an advocate of the city manager system of government, and worked to pass legislation that would enable Illinois cities to adopt city manager plans. He was also interested in judicial reform, and advocated for the appointment, rather than election, of judges. Martin's organizational affiliations also include serving as chairman of the Municipal Art League of Chicago and cofounder and secretary of the Citizenship Council of Metropolitan Chicago.

Related materials at Chicago History Museum, Research Center, include the Moss family papers (M1979.0025) and publications cataloged separately.

Processed with funding provided by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

• Names
  • Martin, Edward Moss, 1895-1985--Archives
  • Van der Vries, Bernice T., 1890-
  • Citizenship Council of Metropolitan Chicago
  • Joint Civic Committee on Elections (Chicago, Ill.)
  • Municipal Art League of Chicago
  • Union League Club of Chicago
  • Union League Club of Chicago.$bPublic Affairs Committee
  • United States. Public Health Service
• Subject
  • Citizenship -- Illinois -- Chicago -- 20th century
  • Civic leaders -- Illinois -- Chicago -- 20th century
  • Elections -- Illinois -- 20th century
  • Justice, Administration of -- Illinois -- 20th century
  • Law reform -- Illinois -- 20th century
  • Municipal government by city manager -- Illinois -- 20th century
  • Reformers -- Illinois -- Chicago -- 20th century
  • Public art -- Illinois -- Chicago -- 20th century
  • Voting -- Illinois -- 20th century.
• Geographic Coverage
  • Chicago (Ill.) -- Politics and government -- 20th century
  • Chicago (Ill.) -- Social life and customs -- 20th century
  • Illinois -- Politics and government -- 20th century

The collection is arranged in six series.

Series 1. Biographical materials, 1896-1985 (box 1)

Contains correspondence, photographs, report cards, diplomas, and other materials related to Martin's childhood, education, early employment, and the publication of Martin's doctoral thesis, The Role of the Bar in Electing the Bench, published by the University of Chicago Press (1936). Also included are biographical summaries, obituaries, and a diary (1921).

Series 2. Publications, 1914-1939 (box 2)

Contains pamphlets and articles, some written by Martin, pertaining to judicial, electoral, and civic reforms. Also includes government publications (1918, 1920-1921) with articles on industrial fatigue that relate to Martin's work as a field investigator for the U.S. Public Health Service.

Series 3. Union League Club of Chicago, Public Affairs Committee, 1924-1985 (box 3-4 and sound recording)

Contains correspondence, articles, and other papers related to Martin's work as director of public affairs for the Union League Club of Chicago. Present are a citation for distinguished public service from the Union League Club of Chicago (1958), a reel-to-reel tape of a speech given in honor of Martin on the occasion of his citation, and materials on the subject of Martin's retirement as director of public affairs in 1960. Much of the series consists of research materials on the city manager form of government, and local government and caucuses in Illinois villages. Included among the research materials is a graduate student research paper (1985) on former Illinois state Representative Bernice T. Van der Vries, who sponsored city manager legislation in the 1950s. The series also includes some correspondence with political figures and newspaper clippings related to Martin's work as the Union League Club representative on the Joint Civic Committee on Elections.

Series 4. Union League Civic and Arts Foundation, 1949-1985 (bulk 1974-1985) (box 5, 2 vols.)

Contains correspondence, memoranda, notes, programs, fliers, and other papers related to art and music events sponsored by the Union League Civic and Arts Foundation, such as auctions, exhibits, and competitions. Some materials relate to Martin's retirement as director of the Civic and Arts Foundation in 1974, and his continued involvement with the foundation through the Edward Moss Martin Society, a fundraising group. Two volumes contain correspondence about Martin's retirement and a lunch given by the Edward Moss Martin Society in honor of Martin in 1980.

Series 5. Citizenship Council of Metropolitan Chicago, 1975-1984 (box 6)

Consists mainly of materials related to the "Outstanding New Citizen of the Year" award given to recently naturalized citizens by the Citizenship Council of Metropolitan Chicago, an organization of which Martin was cofounder and served as corporate secretary. Included are essays by individuals nominated for the award and judges' evaluation forms. Also present are programs and fliers for Citizenship Day and Constitution Week events, at which the award was presented, and some memoranda and meeting minutes.

Series 6. Miscellaneous organizations and activities, 1955-1985 (box 7, oversize folder)

Contains materials related to Martin's other memberships and interests. Most materials relate to the Municipal Art League of Chicago, of which Martin was chairman, including fliers, programs, and papers documenting the donation of artwork to the city of Chicago and the sale of paintings to the Union League Civic and Arts Foundation. Also included are materials relating to Martin's citation by the Chicago Press Veterans Association (1970), involvement with the Boswell Institute, induction into the Chicago Hall of Fame, and membership in the Citizens Association of Chicago. An oversize citation certificate from the Chicago Press Veterans Association is present.