Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. The audiovisual materials collection consists of non-print materials in a variety of formats: audio cassettes and tape reels; film; optical disks; phonograph 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. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. The Consumer Reports Board of Directors records include correspondence, meeting minutes, clippings, financial and status reports, pamphlets and other printed materials. Topics include general operations, Board memberships and resignations; budgets and financial performance, building maintenance and facility site planning; Consumers Union mission and philosophy; litigation; personnel and pension policies; publication and subscription status; research and technical activities. Board members and correspondents represented in the collection include Betty Furness, Clarence Ditlow, Colston Warne, Marjorie East, and Ralph Nader. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. Arthur Kallet was an engineer and leading consumer advocate, co-founder of Consumers Union. The Consumer Reports Arthur Kallet papers include clippings, tear sheets, correspondence, pamphlets, meeting minutes, book chapter manuscripts, reports and other printed materials that document Kallet's career in consumer advocacy groups including Consumers' Research and Consumers Union. Correspondents include Bernard Reis and Colston Warne. Topics include management benefits, organization and finance, labor relations, dealings with consultants and government agencies, as well as U.S. government investigations into allegations of communist links and Un-American activities during the Cold War era. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. Consumer Reports Books is responsible for publishing buyers' guides and other subject-based books relating to consumer education and public interest issues. 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. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936 as Consumers Union. Collection includes 45 pieces of test equipment used by Consumer Reports engineers to evaluate the materials, construction, safety, and marketing claims of a range of consumer products including pens, household appliances, consumer electronics, apparel and toiletries. Items provide a representative sampling of the types of equipment designed for the Consumer Reports test laboratories as well as some products that were tested. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. Eileen Nic was a consultant to Consumer Reports on health and environmental issues and an advocate for hazardous chemical and pesticide control. The Consumer Reports Eileen Nic papers include Correspondence, project proposals, research reports and other printed materials that relate to air pollution, chemical accidents, environmental policy, hazardous materials and pesticide use and regulation. Organizations and individuals represented in the collection include Ciba-Geigy, Esther Peterson, International Organization of Consumers' Unions (IOCU, later Consumers International) and Union Carbide (relating to the Bhopal chemical accident). Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. Esther Peterson (1906-1997) was a leader in consumer, labor and women's movements who served as the first Special Assistant to the President for Consumer Affairs. The Consumer Reports Esther Peterson papers include correspondence, clippings, photographs, texts of articles and speeches, reports, white papers, and other printed materials. The bulk of the collection documents Peterson's work after leaving government in 1981, especially with the International Organization of Consumer's Unions (IOCU) through the 1980s and early 1990s as well as her involvement with consumer and women's movements. Key correspondents include Peter Hansen, Joan Claybrook, Ralph Nader, and Gus Yatron. Institutions represented include Aetna Insurance, American Council on Consumer Interests (ACCI), Centre for Our Common Future, Consumer Federation of America, Consumer Insurance Interest Group (CIIG), Consumer Product Safety Commission, Consumers Union, IOCU, Professional Insurance Agents (PIA), the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the United Nations Commission on Transnational Corporations, and the U.S. Office of Consumer Affairs. Topics addressed include: consumer advocacy and protection, environmental regulation, particularly the regulation of pesticides, chemicals, and hazardous substances; insurance and health care, especially women's health and long-term care for the elderly; international development and trade; pharmaceutical exports; and transnational corporations. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936 as Consumers Union. The International Organization of Consumers' Unions (IOCU) is a consumer protection and rights advocacy organization founded in the Hague in 1960; it renamed as Consumers International in 1995. 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. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936 as Consumers Union. R. David Pittle was Technical Director of Consumers Union from 1982-2005. Collection includes articles; clippings; correspondence; press releases; published comments and statements; research reports and data and other printed materials. Institutions represented in the collection include the Consumer Product Safety Commission; National Science Foundation; and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Topics addressed in the collection include automobile standards; automotive aftermarket replacement parts; child automotive car seats and restraints; hair dryers and small appliance safety; and kerosene space heaters. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936 as Consumers Union. The Southwest Regional Office was established as a public interest law office in 1979 in Austin, Tex. Collection includes booklets, clippings, correspondence, data charts, journal articles, position statements, press releases, reports, testimonies and other printed materials. Materials primarily relate to advocacy issues in Texas but also touch on similar issues and activities in California, the American West, Appalachia and the U.S. southeast. Organizations represented include Baylor Health Care System, Columbia/HCA, United Methodist Church, Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission, Texas Office of Public Utility Counsel, and the Texas Public Utility Commission. Materials largely focus on the protection of consumer interests with regard to: electric utility deregulation, environmental justice, funeral industry, health care reform, hospital for-profit conversions, managed medical care plans, mobile and manufactured homes, pesticide use, telephone services and telecommunications. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. The Consumer Reports Archive was first established in 1972 as the Center for the Study of Consumer Movements. Collection includes correspondence, forms, photographs, policy and procedure statements and other printed materials that pertain to the operation support activities of the Consumer Union Archives. Included are files relating to archival administration and records management for the organization, reference requests and reference files relating to exhibit planning, Consumers Union and consumer movement history, and photocopied materials for individual research requests on various subjects. Organization resources include staff biographies; collection finding aids, indexes, and inventories; card and microfiche files. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. George Arthur is Executive Design Director for the organization. The George Arthur papers include correspondence, design manuals, graphic design examples, organizational proposals and reports and other printed materials. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
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. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. Helen Gertrude Canoyer was an author, home economist and educator who served as Dean of the Home Economics colleges at Cornell University and the University of Massachusetts. 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. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. Lynn Jordan was a consumer rights advocate, President of the Virginia Citizens Consumer Council and a member of the Board of Directors of Consumers Union in the 1970s. 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. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. Abraham J. Isserman was a labor lawyer, counsel to the American Civil Liberties Union during the 1930s, and one of the original members of the Board of Directors of Consumers Union. The Consumer Reports A.J. Isserman papers includes correspondence, clippings, court briefs and depositions, book manuscript drafts, photographs and other printed materials relating to Isserman's work in civil rights and labor law. Topics include labor union activities and strikes, civil liberties, communist influence, investigations into Un-American activities, deportation, and disbarment of lawyers. Persons and institutions reflected in the collection include the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, the Dies Committee, Judge Harold Medina, and Leinhard Bergel. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. George Brunn was a lawyer, municipal judge and consumer advocate primarily in California, and a member of Consumers Union's Board of Directors and Executive Committee in the 1960s and 1970s. The George Brunn papers include primarily correspondence and other materials relating to the establishment of the Association of California Consumers, along with some materials pertaining to other cooperative associations, consumer advocacy groups and the New York Office of Consumer Counsel. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. Leland Gordon was Professor of economics at Denison University who served on the Board of Directors of Consumers Union from 1942-1949. 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. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936 as Consumers Union. The Accounting Department was responsible for budget, cost, and income analysis and record keeping. Collection includes audit reports, cash account records, employee lists, income data, journals, ledgers, project and personnel cost spreadsheets, and other financial reports and statements. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. Florence Mason served as Librarian and Assistant to the Director at Consumers Union and correspondent to the United Nations for the International Organization of Consumers' Unions' (now Consumers International). 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. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936 as Consumers Union. Collection includes bylaws, correspondence, meeting minutes, reports and other printed materials. It includes materials collected and maintained under the names of Executive Assistants including Dan Franklin, Florence Mason and Richard Cross. The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence files pertaining to consumer organizations, cooperatives, buying clubs, libraries and trade unions, including Consumers Association of Canada, Consumers Association Ltd. (England), and the International Organization of Consumers' Unions. Topics addressed include consumer protection, education, the cooperative movement, and product safety. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. Morris Kaplan was a chemist who served as Technical Director of Consumers Union from 1946 until his death in 1971. The Morris Kaplan papers include correspondence, articles, laboratory and research reports, speeches 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. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. Irving Michelson was a chemist who directed the Special Projects and Public Service Projects departments during the 1950s-1960s. The Irving Michelson papers include clippings, correspondence, reprints of articles, research data, questionnaires, reports and other printed materials. Topics include air pollution, cigarette testing, economics, nuclear radiation and fallout, packaging standards, and seat belt design and testing. Much of the research discussed in the papers was conducted in Connecticut. Organizations represented include the British Consumers Association, Consumers Union, International Organization of Consumers' Unions, and the U.S. Defense Department. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. The Washington Office opened in 1972 focused on representation of consumer interests before government institutions. Collection includes correspondence, status reports, position papers, statements and testimonies before Congressional committees and other government agencies, and other printed materials. Topics addressed include energy policy, food marketing and safety, product safety and other subjects relating to consumer protection. Institutions represented include the Center for Law and Social Policy, Consumer Product Safety Commission, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Originally designated Record Group 1LD in Consumers Union Archives. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. The Human Resources Department was responsible for the design, implementation and enforcement of policies relating to employment and the workplace. 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. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & marketing and history.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. Frances Warne was an author, consumer advocate and instructor in home economics and consumer education; co-founder of Consumers Union. The Consumer Reports Frances Warne papers include clippings, correspondence, book manuscripts and drafts, course notes and other printed materials. The bulk of the collection pertains to "Wise Buymanship", a home economics and consumer education manual produced for the YWCA. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936 as Consumers Union. Channing Lushbough is a biochemist who served as Associate Director of Consumers Union from 1971-1973. Collection includes correspondence, clippings, texts of speeches and testimonial statements, articles and other printed materials that pertain to Lushbough's tenure at Consumers Union. Topics include consumer product testing, detergent marketing, phosphates, microwave ovens (including a dispute with the Amana company) and discussions of Lushbough's employment status and the scope of his responsibilities. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. Edward Reich was an educator and consumer advocate who served as director of the New York City Board of Education's Consumer Education Office and as Board member (1943-1973), Vice President (1958-1961) and Treasurer (1961-1973) of Consumers Union. 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. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. Colston E. Warne was an economist and consumer advocate who served as the first President of Consumers Union from its formation in 1936 until his retirement in 1980. 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 is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. The Consumer Reports Advocacy records collection assembles materials relating to Consumer Reports' efforts at influencing public policy and addressing a variety of social issues. Materials originated at Consumer Reports main headquarters as well as at regional offices (Southwest Region, West Coast, Washington) more closely focused on advocacy activities. Materials include correspondence, press and publicity releases, clippings, research reports, policy papers, transcripts of testimony given before government and institutional agencies and committees, and other printed material. Social issues represented include antitrust investigations, automobile safety and rollover standards, child car seats, consumer credit, dairy products and food safety, household appliance safety, housing, insurance, lead poisoning, medical care, manufactured and mobile homes, mortgage bank practices, moving industry, pesticides, poverty, product liability, school lunch programs, steel and petroleum industry actions, telecommunications, and toy safety. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936 as Consumers Union. Warren Braren (1932-2015) was a consumer advocate and broadcasting executive who served as Associate Director at Consumers Union from 1971-1980. 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. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. The Editorial Department is responsible for the production of the organization's serial publications and promotional literature. 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. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. 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. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936 as Consumers Union. Dan Franklin was an executive at Consumers Union who served as Director of Labor Relations and Ethics Officer before retiring in 2013. 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. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. William L. Nunn was an economist active in labor issues, officer in the American Civil Liberties Union and the first Director of University Relations at the University of Minnesota. The William L. Nunn papers consist of clippings and scrapbooks that document topics of interest to Nunn as well as occupational events in Nunn's life. Topics include activities of the Liberal Club at the University of Pittsburgh; coal mining and miner unrest in Pennsylvania and suppression by the Coal and Iron Police; diversity in political parties; and clippings reporting events pertaining to civil liberties, censorship and repression. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. James E. Mendenhall was a home economist and magazine editor who served as Education Director of Consumers Union (1959-1969). The James Mendenhall scrapbook collects articles and writings by Mendenhall during and immediately after World War II. Articles appeared under the auspices of the U.S. Office of Price Administration, where Mendenhall served during the war years. Topics of articles include gasoline prices, home economics, housing costs, inflation, price regulation, retailer integrity, savings, teacher salaries, and other aspects of war-time and postwar recovery economies. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. 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. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. The Educational Services Division was primarily responsible for producing consumer education materials especially for children and young adults. 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. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936 as Consumers Union. 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. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936 as Consumers Union. James Guest served Consumers Union as a member of the Board of Directors (1980-2001) and President (2001-2014). Collection includes audiovisual optical disks; clippings; correspondence; executive planning documents; photographs; policy manuals; survey research reports and other printed materials. Topics include institutional anniversaries; Board of Directors membership and tenure; financial management and advocacy; health and medical care and insurance; consumer health and patient advocacy. Institutions represented in the collection include the American Board of Internal Medicine; American Council on Consumer Interests; Consumer Federation of America; and Consumers International. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. Monte Florman was an engineer who spent most of his professional career with Consumers Union and served as Technical Director during the 1970s. The Monte Florman papers include correspondence, memos, meeting minutes, publications, research reports and other materials. Topics addressed include automotive safety, lawn mower standards, microwave ovens, nitrates and nitrites, radiation and office safety. Correspondents include Ralph Nader and Scott Maynes. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936 as Consumers Union. Dexter Masters (1908-1989) was an author, editor and critic noted for his work to raise awareness of the dangers of cigarette smoke and nuclear radiation. He worked at Consumers Union as an editor (1937-1942, 1947-1953) and as Executive Director (1958-1963). Collection includes articles and clippings; correspondence; manuscripts of book projects; reports and other printed materials. Topics addressed include consumer education and protection; Consumers Union anniversaries; policy and personnel issues; and public relations. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. Persia Campbell (1898-1974) was an economist, author and consumer interests advisor to a number of government agencies and consumer organizations, and a member of the Consumers Union Board of Directors (1959-1974). 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. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. 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. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. Henry Harap (1893-1981) was professor of education and author, co-founder and Board member of Consumers Union. 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. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. The Consumer Federation of America is an association of state and local non-profit consumer organizations, founded in 1967 in Washington, D.C. 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. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. Sylvia Lane was an economist who served on the Board of Directors of Consumers Union 1975-1977. The Sylvia Lane papers consist primarily of drafts, notes, reprints and published reports of Lane's advocacy and professional research writings. Subjects include consumer education, credit and credit discrimination, economic development, food distribution, health and medical care costs, housing and real estate, low-income communities and individuals, and sales and other taxes. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. Sybil Shainwald is an educator and lawyer who founded and then served as the Director of the Center for the Study of the Consumer Movement at Consumers Union from 1972-1978. The Sybil Shainwald papers include correspondence, clippings, articles, advocacy reports, administrative files, program brochures and other materials. Topics represented include women's health; the establishment of centers for the study of consumer advocates; and history of the consumer movement. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Madeline Ross was a chemical engineer who served as Technical Editor, Assistant Director and a member of the Board of Directors at Consumers Union. Collection consists of clippings and correspondence that document Ross's career at Consumer Reports. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. The Consumer-Farmer Milk Cooperative was a dairy cooperative serving the New York City area, established in 1937 and operated until 1971. 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. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. The Film Division and Television Department produced educational films and television programming on a range of topics relating to consumer advice and protection, including household appliances, personal finance, food, health, and safety hazards. Collection includes clippings, contracts, correspondence, press releases, reports, scripts and other printed materials. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. Consumers Union Foundation was established in 1971 as a nonprofit focused on fundraising and promotion of consumer-based research projects. The Consumers Union Foundation (CUF) records include correspondence, direct mail examples, financial statements and reports, grants and internships, meeting minutes, project notes and reports, research reports and other printed materials. The collection also includes materials relating to an oral history project on people active in the consumer movement, and notes and drafts for a history of the Consumers Union. Organizations represented include the Consumer Interests Foundation (precursor to the CUF), the Center for the Study of Consumer Movements research center, and the Consumer Policy Institute (and its predecessor the Institute for Consumer Policy Research), a subsidiary of Consumers Union. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. Charles Cavagnaro served as a Director with the U.S. Office of Consumer Affairs and later in the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. 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. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. Paul Kern served as Legal Counsel and a member of the Board of Directors of Consumers Union in the 1940s-1950s. The Paul Kern papers include clippings, correspondence, legal documents, pamphlets and other printed materials that primarily document Kern's work as legal counsel for Consumers Union. Issues addressed include copyright infringement and fair use of Consumers Union intellectual property; Post Office censorship relating to Consumers Union's publication on contraception and sexual health; labor relations and union negotiations; libel complaints over reviews published in Consumer Reports magazine; management and employee pension programs; and property issues relating to the Mount Vernon offices of Consumers Union. Correspondents include John J. Carson (Federal Trade Commission) and Frank Walker, Postmaster General. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. Rhoda Karpatkin is a lawyer and consumer advocate who served as Director of Consumers Union from 1974 until her retirement in 2001. 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. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. Sidney Shainwald was a accountant who served as Comptroller and later Associate Director of Consumers Union. Collection includes departmental correspondence and memoranda; audits and other financial reports; budget proposals and operating cost estimates; payroll forecasts and reports; publication planning, distribution and promotional campaigns; policy statements and other printed materials. It also includes materials relating to Consumers Union support of the Media and Consumer Foundation's eponymous newsletter. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. Robert L. Smith was a consumer advocate who served as Assistant Director of Consumers Union from 1963-1971. 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. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936 as Consumers Union. Wray Smith (1924-2000) was an engineer and statistician who served as Executive Director of Consumers Union from 1963-1965. Collection includes clippings, conference programs, correspondence, grant materials, reports and other printed materials. Topics include low-income consumers, management structure, and the establishment of the Dorothy Steele Loan Fund at Fisk University. There is also a newsletter from the Highlander Center celebrating its renaming (originally the Highlander Folk School) and its civil rights activities. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. William Sentman Taylor was professor of psychology at Smith College and active in cooperative societies in the Northampton, Mass. area. 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. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. 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. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Cente for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936 as Consumers Union. Consumer Reports institutional records includes all materials received from the Consumer Reports Archives which were not segregated and processed into individual collections (persons, departments and other entities, genre-based collections). The collection includes records of lesser-documented departments, committees, task forces and special-purpose groups, along with institutional reference files that document corporate anniversaries; grounds and facilities maintenance; relations with external organizations in the consumer advocacy and cooperative movements; and the history of Consumers Union as well as that of more general consumer interests as they developed through the 20th century. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936 as Consumers Union. The Technical Department was responsible for the creation of testing procedures and methods; performance of product tests; and production of test data and written evaluations for use in Consumer Reports periodicals and buying guides. The collection includes correspondence; photographs of products and product testing; research data and test results; testing procedures and methods documentation; and technical reference report files. Notations on some of the original containers indicate that the collection contains selected files and thus represents a sampling rather than a comprehensive record of Technical Department activities. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936 as Consumers Union. Walker Sandbach was an activist in the cooperative movement who served as Executive Director of Consumers Union from 1965-1974. Collection includes articles, clippings, correspondence, research reports, texts of speeches and other printed materials. Topics addressed include automobile design and safety; consumer protection; the cooperative movement; insurance reform; and Consumers Union's financial support for Media and Consumer magazine. Correspondents include Colston Warne, Esther Peterson, Persia Campbell, Rhoda Karpatkin, and Sidney Shainwald. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936 as Consumers Union. Staff Information Services was a joint activity between the Consumers Union Library and the Survey Research Division to centralize information resources for Consumers Union staff. 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. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. The oral history project was organized by Sybil Shainwald and the staff of the Center for the Study of Consumer Movements (CSCM) to capture reminiscences of senior Consumers Union staff and others active in the consumer movement. 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. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936 as Consumers Union. The Office of Public Information was established for public and media relations functions. 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 consumer and cooperative movements; food packaging and safety; household appliances; medical and health care; product safety; sport utility vehicle rollover tests; and relations between Consumers Union and the Newspaper Guild. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Consumer Reports is a product testing and consumer advocacy nonprofit organization based in Yonkers, N.Y., founded in 1936. The National Association of Consumers was a consumer advocacy and lobbying organization founded in 1946 and active until around 1957-1958. The National Association of Consumers records include correspondence, drafts and notes for articles and speeches, meeting minutes, membership lists, bylaws and other printed materials that primarily document the administrative life of the organization. Included in the collection are correspondence and writings of Colston Warne and Helen Hall, and food safety projects relating to the pork and poultry industry, including Trichinosis. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.