Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. Edward M. Brecher was a journalist and free-lance science writer who served as Associate Editor of Consumer Reports publications in the 1940s-1950s. The Edward M. Brecher papers include clippings, correspondence, drafts of articles, research notes and other printed materials relating to some of Brecher's writing projects including articles co-written with Ruth Brecher. Topics represented include consumer education and protection, nursing home care, health and legal aspects of smoking, and urban transportation systems. Organizations represented include the American Cancer Society, Department of Health Education and Welfare, Federal Trade Commission, J. Walter Thompson, Liggett & Myers, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
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Consumer Reports. Helen Canoyer papers, 1938-1968 and undated 3.0 Linear Feet
The Helen Canoyer papers include correspondence, clippings, news releases, lecture notes, texts to speeches and articles and other printed materials. An audio tape contains an interview of Canoyer. Much of the materials pertain to Canoyer's work with the Consumer Advisory Council, its administration and its efforts to advocate for consumer protection, consumer education and home economics. Other materials pertain to conferences, personal and professional correspondence, and writings.
Consumer Reports Books records, 1938-1995 6.0 Linear Feet
The Consumer Reports Books records include catalogs of offerings; correspondence relating to various publications; requests for reprints; drafts of book projects and other printed materials.
Consumer Reports. Charles Cavagnaro papers, 1965-1978 0.6 Linear Feet
The Charles Cavagnaro papers include clippings, correspondence, reports, statements and other printed materials relating to Cavagnaro's work on consumer education and protection with the Office of Consumer Affairs and the President's Committee on Consumer Interests.
Consumer Reports. Henry Harap papers, 1916-1973 and undated 3.0 Linear Feet
The Henry Harap papers include clippings, correspondence, drafts of articles, lecture notes, meeting minutes, pamphlets, press releases and other printed materials that relate to administrative affairs in the American Council on Consumer Interests, other consumer advocacy organizations including the Better Business Bureau and materials pertaining to consumer education.
Consumer Reports. Morris Kaplan papers, 1948-1972 6.0 Linear Feet
The Morris Kaplan papers include correspondence, articles, laboratory and research reports and other printed materials. Topics include automotive safety, cigarettes, food safety, government regulations, motor oil, quality control, safety standards, testing methods and textile labeling. Organizations represented in the collection include American Standards Association; International Organization of Consumers' Unions; National Bureau of Standards, and USA Standards Institute.
Consumer Reports. Lynn Jordan papers, 1970-1983 and undated 1.2 Linear Feet
The Lynn Jordan papers include clippings, correspondence, government documents, pamphlets, reports, testimonies and other printed materials that document Jordan's work in consumer education and protection as a representative of the Virginia Citizens Consumer Council and other organizations. Topics addressed include beef quality and grading, consumer credit, food prices, gender discrimination, patient rights, prescription drug prices, supermarkets, as well as the consumer effects of wage and price freezes resulting from the Economic Stabilization Act of 1973.
Consumer Reports. Audiovisual materials, 1940-2011 and undated 90.00 Linear Feet
The audiovisual materials collection consists of non-print materials in a variety of formats: audio cassettes and tape reels; film; optical disks; videocassettes and video reels. Materials document a range of activities at Consumer Reports, including: Consumer Reports' radio and television productions; footage of product testing; appearances of Consumer Reports personnel on news programs; mentions of Consumer Reports in the media; press releases and other publicity; recordings of staff and Board meetings and staff speeches; and taped testimonies. The collection also contains some microfilmed documents and digitized elements of Consumer Reports' publications.
Consumer Reports. Florence Mason papers, 1957-1982 and undated 12.0 Linear Feet
The Florence Mason papers include correspondence, meeting minutes and notes, newsletters and periodicals, reports and other printed materials that primarily document Mason's work with the International Organization of Consumers Unions (IOCU). Topics addressed include consumer protection and education, food issues, economic development, humanitarian assistance, as well as issues relating to women in rural and developing areas. Several files relate to correspondence with Colston Warne, Director of Consumers Union.
Consumer Reports. Colston E. Warne papers, 1910-1995 and undated 60.0 Linear Feet
The Consumer Reports Colston E. Warne papers include correspondence, clippings, photographs, scrapbooks, manuscripts and texts of articles and speeches, reports and other printed materials. Correspondents include Arthur Kallet, Dexter Masters, E. Scott Maynes, Edward Reich, James Mendenhall, James Morgan, Jean Whitehall, Leland Gordon, Morris Kaplan, Persia Campbell, Rhoda Karpatkin, Ruby Turner Morris, Walker Sandbach and William Pabst. Institutions represented include the American Council on Consumer Interests, Amherst College, Consumer Federation of America, Cooperative Distributors, Council of Economic Advisors, International Organization of Consumers' Unions (later Consumers International), League for Industrial Democracy, National Consumer Energy Advisory Committee, National Consumers League, National Recovery Administration and the University of Pittsburgh. Topics addressed include academic and intellectual freedom, communism and subversion, consumer and worker education, economics, labor and war-time advertising. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports. Robert L. Smith papers, 1938-1978 8.0 Linear Feet
The Robert L. Smith papers largely span Smith's tenure as Assistant Director of Consumers Union, along with files he inherited from predecessors and some materials filed under his name after Smith's death in 1971. The collection includes correspondence, meeting minutes, grant applications and other records, materials relating to state and regional consumer organizations, records of educational and social outreach programs, permissions to reprint Consumer Reports content, and other printed materials. In addition the collection includes records pertaining to a Consumers Union study performed for the U.S. Defense Department on consumer protections for military personnel. Correspondents include Colston Warne, Esther Peterson, Irving Michelson and Walter Sandbach.
The William S. Taylor papers include correspondence, clippings, pamphlets, business papers, committee reports and other printed materials that relate primarily to the operation and administrative activities of the Northampton Consumers Association and its relations with other regional consumer groups and cooperative societies. Topics include consumer education and protection, cooperative-run enterprises including book clubs and mail order. Organizations represented include Consumers' Research, the Eastern Cooperative League and Springfield Consumers Cooperative.
Consumer Reports. Edward Reich papers, 1940-1946 and undated 0.2 Linear Feet
The Edward Reich papers consist of correspondence, bibliographies reports and teaching guides relating to Reich's service with the New York City Board of Education's consumer education program. Topics include establishing and organizing activities for consumer clubs; adult consumer education programs; and suggested resources for study.
Consumer Reports. Educational Services Division records, 1936-2001 24.0 Linear Feet
The Educational Services Division records include: Board reports; classroom teaching plans; correspondence and memoranda; governmental and non-governmental agency reports and publications; and other printed materials. The collection also includes materials relating to some of the Division directors (Charlotte Braecher, David Schoenfeld, James Mendenhall) as well as Consumer Union's National Educational Advisory Committee which oversaw the Division's activities. Projects involving a variety of media (print, television, internet) include Best Buy Gifts; the Buy Me That! series; Captive Kids; HBO specials; Penny Power; Selling America's Kids; and Zillions/Zillions TV. Organizations represented in the collection include Channel One; Consumer Education Materials Project; Job Corps; Lincoln High School; and the U.S. Office of Economic Opportunity.
The Consumer-Farmer Milk Cooperative records include clippings, correspondence, facility documents, financial and tax reports, meeting minutes, newsletters, pamphlets and flyers, photographs, sales and distribution records and other printed materials that document the operation of the cooperative and its relations with government agencies, labor unions, supplier dairies and creameries and other associated organizations. Topics discussed in the records include community health, consumer education and protection, government regulation, housing settlements, milk grading and pricing, and milk depots for supply and distribution. Organizations represented include Associated Dairies (now ASDA), Belle Mead Creamery, Cooperative League (now the Twentieth Century Fund), Dairy Farmers Union, Farmers' Educational and Cooperative Union (later the National Farmers Union), Milk Consumers Protective Committee, Rutland Railroad, Sunnyside Consumers Cooperative, the Teamsters Union, and the United States Department of Agriculture.
The Editorial Department records include biographical information, corporate anniversary planning documents, correspondence, publication drafts, research and investigative materials, texts of speeches and testimonies, and other printed materials. The collection also contains office files of several Editors and departmental directors, including Dexter Masters, Donal Dinwiddie, and Mildred Brady.
The Consumer Federation of America records include bylaws, clippings, correspondence, meeting minutes and other materials, newsletters, reports and other printed materials that relate primarily to the administrative activity of the organization. The records also include files of the organizational leadership, including Carol Tucker Foreman, Erma Angevine, Kathleen O'Reilly, and Robert McKuen. Other organizations represented in the records include the annual Consumer Assembly meeting and the National Association of Consumers. Topics and interest issues represented include banking, energy policy, insurance (automobile and life), prescription drug prices, and telecommunications deregulation and policy.
Consumer Reports. Leland Gordon papers, 1931-1987 and undated 1.2 Linear Feet
The Leland Gordon papers include correspondence, manuscript of papers and book chapter drafts for Economics for Consumers, conference proceedings and other printed materials. Topics include consumer education and protection, consumption, economic aspects of burial and funeral practices, packaging and labeling of products, weights and measures, and World War II-era wartime economies. Institutions represented in the collection include Denison University, the National Council of Churches, Office of Price Administration, and Stephens College.
Consumer Reports. Persia Campbell papers, 1930-1974 50.0 Linear Feet
Collection includes clippings, conference proceedings, correspondence and memoranda, legislative materials, press releases, speeches, travel notes, and other printed materials that document Campbell's career in consumer advocacy and education. Topics covered in the collection include consumer credit, environment, fraud and misrepresentation, health care, poverty, and price and economic stability during the Depression and World War II. Organizations and institutions represented include the Council on Consumer Information, Food and Agriculture Organization (United Nations), International Federation of University Women, International Organization of Consumers' Unions, National Association of Consumers, New York City Community Development Agency; New York State Consumer Counsel, Pan Pacific and Southeast Asia Women's Association. Queens College, U.S. Agricultural Adjustment Administration, U.S. Consumer Advisory Council, U.S. Office of Price Administration, U.S. Office of Price Stabilization, U.S. National Recovery Administration, and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Consumer Reports. Reader Service Department records, 1937-1996 5.0 Linear Feet
This collection contains newspaper clippings, correspondence, and other printed materials related to consumer union policies, Ralph Nader resignation, health care, homeopathy, Suzuki Samurai, and kerosene heaters.
Collection spans the years 1957-2012 with the bulk of materials 1960-1991. It includes magazines, newspapers, newsletters, pamphlets and other printed materials produced by consumer education and protection organizations, women's groups, housewives associations and other organizations. 49 principalities outside the United States are represented. Some materials are in English, but many are in the national language, occasionally with supplemental summaries of their contents in English.
Consumer Reports. Office of Public Information records, 1917-2007 30.0 Linear Feet
Collection includes clippings, correspondence, memoranda, newsletters, pamphlets, photographs, press releases, reports, reprints of articles and other printed materials relating to the Office's public relations and media activities. Topics and events covered in the materials include: consumer credit and financial management; Consumers Union history and anniversaries; the cooperative movement; household appliances; medical and health care; product safety; sport utility vehicle rollover tests; and relations between Consumers Union and the Newspaper Guild.
Consumer Reports. Dan Franklin papers, 1933-2011 3.0 Linear Feet
Collection includes clippings, correspondence, departmental manuals; newsletters, photographs, pamphlets and other printed materials. Materials pertain to Consumers Union administrative matters; historical documents collected in support of planning for various events and anniversary celebrations; the move of the headquarters to Yonkers; and the organization's tax status as a nonprofit organization.
Consumer Reports. Rhoda Karpatkin papers, 1935-2010 50.0 Linear Feet
The collection includes clippings; correspondence and memoranda; corporate and financial audits and reports; legal and legislative documents; meeting agendas and minutes; newsletters, pamphlets and other publications; photographs; press releases; speeches; texts of articles and other printed materials that document Karpatkins career with Consumers Union as well as her involvement with the international consumer movement. Topics include the Bhopal gas disaster; communism and the anti-communist movement during the Cold War; consumer protection; drug export controls; economic and human rights; environmental justice and policy protections; history of Consumers Union; sustainable consumption; tobacco use and passive health hazards; and transnationalism and international businesses. Individuals represented in the collection include Colston Warne, Eileen Nic, Esther Peterson, James Guest, Madeline Ross, Manubhai Shah, Michel van Hulten, and Ralph Nader. Organizations represented include the Administrative Conference of the United States, Consumer Product Safety Commission, Consumer Reports Books, Consumers Union Foundation, Consumers' Association of Canada, International Organization of Consumers' Unions (now Consumers International), Media and Consumer Foundation, and the United Nations.
Consumer Reports. International Organization of Consumers' Unions records, 1950-2015, bulk 1960-1997 21.0 Linear Feet
Collection includes audiovisual materials; clippings; correspondence; financial reports; meeting minutes; membership applications; policy statements; press releases; proceedings and planning documents for conferences, seminars, and workshops; texts of speeches and articles; and other printed materials that document Consumers Union's membership and participation in the organization. Organizations and individuals represented in the collection include: Anwar Fazal; Charles Medawar; Florence Mason; Foo Gaik Sim; Health Action International; International Air Transport Association; International Baby Food Action Network; Lars Broch; Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development; Pesticide Action Network; United Nations. Topics addressed in the collection include: Bhopal disaster; consumer product testing and safety; environmental justice; food safety, security and nutrition; founding of the organization; international businesses; medical care and pharmaceutical policies; pesticide use, environmental and health concerns; sustainable agriculture; and women's health.
Consumer Reports. Marketing and Circulation records, 1936-2007 18.0 Linear Feet
Marketing and Circulation records include budget reports, clippings, correspondence, mailings, planning and research reports and other printed materials that document Consumers Union's efforts to promote its publications primarily through direct-to-consumer advertising, subscription, and subscription renewal campaigns. Correspondents include Consumers Union executives such as Colston Warne, Jonathan Leff, Sidney Shainwald, and Walker Sandbach; as well as consultants, periodical distribution firms, and subscription service providers.
Consumer Reports. Oral history project records, 1932-2016 and undated, bulk 1969-1989 10.0 Linear Feet
The collection includes articles and clippings; audiocassettes; biographical sketches, lectures, speeches, and other background information; correspondence and memoranda; prject procedures and guidelines; prospective interviewee and contact lists; transcripts of recordings; workflow and legal release forms and other materials that document the establishment and operation of the oral history project. Interviewees include A.J Isserman; Arthur Kallet; Colston E. Warne; Edward Brecher; Edward Reich; Esther Peterson; Florence Mason; Henry Harap; Irving Michelson; Leland Gordon; Monte Florman; Paul Kern; Sidney Shainwald; Sybil Shainwald; and William L. Nunn.
Consumer Reports. Staff Information Services records, 1934-2015 15.0 Linear Feet
The Staff Information Services records include: brochures; color photographs; correspondence; database records; informational indexes; newsletters; policy statements; product reviews; reader survey questionnaires and data; statistics and other printed materials that document the functions and activities of the organizational unit. The collection also includes a sampling of historical materials relating to the consumer movement. Individuals represented in the collection include Colston Warne, E. Scott Maynes, Florence Mason, Henry Harap, and Sidney Shainwald.
Consumer Reports. Iconographic materials, 1895-2013 100.0 Linear Feet
Collection includes: black-and-white and color photographic prints; contact sheets; cartoons and line art; graphic designs; magazine page layout art and designs; posters; slides; and other visual materials. Images depict products and product testing methods photographed for inclusion in Consumer Reports' magazines and other consumer education and protection publications; office, library and testing facilities in Mt. Vernon and Yonkers, N.Y.; staff and Board of Directors members; and corporate events. Posters include Consumer Reports anniversary events; speaking engagements; and post-World War II consumer advocacy messages from organizations in England and India. Cartoonists and illustrators represented include Art Glazer, Bob Bugg, Bob Engelhart, Gary Larson, Joseph Farris, Joseph Mirachi, Marty Norman, Richard Guindon, Roy Doty, and Tom Bloom.
Consumer Reports. Consumer newsletters collection, 1933-1980 5.0 Linear Feet
Collection includes newsletters, pamphlets and other printed materials produced by a range of North American consumer advocacy, education and protection organizations, both private, nongovernmental organizations and governmental agencies. Many of the newsletters collected include the first issue produced by the respective organization. Topics cover general issues of consumer economics, health and safety, as well as consumer issues relating to recovery from the Depression and World War II.
Consumer Reports. Human Resources Department records, 1935-2001 1.2 Linear Feet
The collection includes memos, employee manuals and other printed materials that relate to the administration of personnel policies and employee relations. Topics addressed include salaries, new employee orientation, disability, insurance and management training.
Collection includes clippings, contracts, correspondence, press releases, reports, scripts and other printed materials relating to the production of Consumer Reports television programming and educational films. Broadcast productions cover a range of consumer topics, including household appliances, personal finance, food, health, product advice, and safety hazards.
Consumer Reports. Warren Braren papers, 1936-1980 25.0 Linear Feet
Collection includes budget reports; correspondence and memoranda; direct marketing materials; grant applications and related materials; mailing lists; statistics; and other printed material that document Braren's career at Consumers Union. Topics include advertising to children; broadcasting; cable/pay television and deregulation; fundraising; and telephone service providers. Organizations represented in the collection include the American Council on Consumer Interests; Consumer Federation of America; and Consumers Union's Broadcast/Film, Promotion and Office of Public Information units.