Joseph B. Eastman (AC 1904) Papers, 1837-1960 (bulk 1904-1944)
General International Standard for Archival Description
Amherst College Archives and Special Collections Amherst, MA
Finding aid encoded in NoteTab Pro. Encoded by Peter A. Nelson. 2010-02-17
Encoded Archival Description
Encoded Archival Description (EAD) Version 2002
collection
Joseph B. Eastman (AC 1904) Papers
Creation of Joseph B. Eastman (AC 1904) Papers
Time of Creation of Joseph B. Eastman (AC 1904) Papers
34 records storage boxes; 62 archives boxes; 2 half archives boxes; 8 oversize boxes, and 2 tape boxes
Eastman, Joseph B. (Joseph Bartlett), 1882-1944
Biographical History for: Joseph B. Eastman (AC 1904) Papers
Biographical Note Born at Katonah, N.Y., on June 26, 1882, Joseph Bartlett Eastman was the son of a Presbyterian minister, Rev. John Huse Eastman, and Lucy (King) Eastman. He received a B.A. from Amherst College in 1904 and was then accepted as a fellow at the South End House in Boston, position that would launch him on a lifelong career as a public servant. In 1905, Eastman was appointed by later U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis the secretary of the Public Franchise League. While in that position, he fought against attempts by the Boston Elevated Railway to gain control of the city's subway system. In 1907, Eastman enrolled in the Boston University Law School, but dropped out after two years. He worked for the Public Franchise League until 1913, when he resigned in order to act as counselor for various Street Railway employees' organizations. Two years later, Eastman became a member of the Massachusetts Public Service Commission where he worked until President Woodrow Wilson nominated him to the Interstate Commerce Commission in late 1918. The ICC was an independent agency of the U.S. government which regulated the operation of railroads, trucking companies, bus lines, freight forwarders, water carriers, oil pipelines, transportation brokers, and express agencies engaged in transportation between states. By appointment of President Franklin Roosevelt, Eastman also served the office of Federal Coordinator of Transportation from 1933 to 1936 and was Director of Defense Transportation from 1942 to 1944. Joseph B. Eastman earned the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from Amherst (1926) and Dartmouth (1941). He was elected a trustee of Amherst College in 1940. He never married and lived with his sister Elizabeth Eastman until his death in 1944. JOSEPH B. EASTMAN: CHRONOLOGYJune 26, 1882Joseph B. Eastman is born at Katonah, NY1904Graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Amherst College1904-1905South End House fellowship, Boston, MA1905Appointed Secretary of the Public Franchise League, Boston, MA1907-1908Studied at Boston University Law School1912-1913Responsible for the Boston Elevated Railway Report1913Serves on the Massachusetts Public Service CommissionDec. 19, 1918Nominated by Pres. Wilson to the Interstate Commerce Commission1926Appointed Chairman of the ICC1926Awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws by Amherst College 1930Appointed Chairman of the ICC Legislative Committee1933Nominated by Pres. Roosevelt Federal Coordinator of Transportation1934Delivered the address to the Senior Class of Amherst College at Commencement1940Elected Amherst College Trustee1941Appointed by Pres. Roosevelt Director of Defense TransportationMarch 15, 1944Dies at the age of 62June 1944Liberty Ship named in Eastman's honor by the Maritime CommissionMarch 1945Bronze portrait bust of Eastman presented to the ICC by the Association of ICC Practitioners of Washington1945Joseph B. Eastman Foundation is created1952Joseph B. Eastman: Servant of the People, a biography by Claude Fuess, is published in New York
The materials in this collection came from a wide variety of sources over time. The first records seem to have been provided by the Joseph Eastman Foundation not long after Eastman's death in 1944. A significant amount of correspondence, personal files and printed matter was subsequently sent by his sister Elizabeth Eastman to Amherst College in 1953. Additional materials have come from donations made by Frances S. Shine (whose mother was Eastman's first cousin) in 1958, and by Mr. Rufus Lisle in 1994.
Scope and Contents of the Collection The Joseph B. Eastman (AC 1904) Papers cover chiefly the period 1898-1944 and offer a valuable picture of Eastman's 25-year career in the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC). His professional papers include extensive correspondence, speeches, transcripts of hearings and extensive sets of ICC reports. It also includes family correspondence, diaries, photographs, clippings and memorabilia related to Eastman's personal life. The collection also includes letters, notes and manuscript drafts related to Claude Moore Fuess's biography of Eastman.
There is no restriction on access to the Joseph B. Eastman (AC 1904) Papers for research use. Particularly fragile items may be restricted for preservation purposes.
Requests for permission to publish material from Joseph B. Eastman (AC 1904) Papers should be directed to the Archives and Special Collections. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights.
Alumni Biographical Files -- 1904 -- Eastman, Joseph B. Alumni Biographical Files -- 1905 -- Fuess, Claude Moore Interstate Commerce Commission records, 1887-1995. National Archives and Records Administration (www.archives.gov)
The records donated by Elizabeth Eastman were previously organized by subject and accompanied by an index card file prepared by her. In this case, the original order of the records was maintained, but all of the remaining materials in the collection were rearranged during processing.
World War, 1939-1945 -- Transportation.
lcsh
Railroads, Elevated -- Massachusetts -- Boston.
Transportation -- United States.
Eastman, Joseph B. (Joseph Bartlett), 1882-1944.
lcnaf
Fuess, Claude Moore, 1885-1963
Boston Elevated Railway Company.
United States. Office of Defense Transportation.
United States. Interstate Commerce Commission.
series
Series 1: CORRESPONDENCE, 1917-1944
Incoming and outgoing correspondence, chiefly professional, by or about Joseph B. Eastman. The letters were filed as loose sheets or bound volumes according to their original format, and arranged in chronological order. Unidentified correspondence can be found at the end of the series. For family correspondence, see Series 4.
subseries
Subseries: General
Subseries: Letter books
Series 2: SPEECHES, 1918-1944
Addresses delivered by Joseph B. Eastman mostly as member of the Interstate Commerce Commission. Some of the speeches are bound in volumes and tagged by Eastman; others appear as loose sheets.
Speeches by Joseph Eastman - bound volumes 1918-1941
Speeches by Joseph Eastman - unbound transcripts 1919-1944
Series 3: PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES, 1837-1944
The majority of the records concerns Eastman's work in the Interstate Commerce Commission. Included are hearing transcripts, bills, memoranda, notes, and extensive sets of ICC reports (1920-1941) and Opinions written by Eastman (1919-1941).
Sub-series A: General, 1901-1919
Public Franchise League - correspondence, notes, administrative documents, hearings, bills, cost assessments, and essays. 1901-1914
Massachusetts Public Service Commission 1909-1919
Pamphlet: "Peccavimus [We have sinned]: The Confessions of an Electric Railway Operator" by John A. Beeler (reprinted from Electric Railway Journal) 1918 Oct 26
Pamphlet: "Non-Partisan Subway Primer for Voters, Homes, Clubs and Classes." Institute for Public Service, New York, N.Y. 1925
Sub-series B: Boston Elevated Railroad, 1837-1933
Western Railroad Report 1837
Award of Board of Arbitration 1913 Jul 8
Brief: Boston Elevated vs. Boston Carmen's Union (file 1 of 3) 1913 Dec 6
Brief: Boston Elevated vs. Boston Carmen's Union (file 2 of 3) 1913 Dec 6
Argument of Fred Fray on behalf of Boston Carmen's Union (file 3 of 3) 1913 Dec 11-12-15
Middlesex/Boston St Railway Co. vs. Association of St. and Elec. Railway Employees of America - Argument of Joseph Eastman (file 1 of 3) 1914 May 23
Middlesex/Boston St Railway Co. vs. Association of St. and Elec. Railway Employees of America - Argument of Fred Fay (file 2 of 3) 1914 May 23
Brief: Middlesex/Boston St Railway Co. vs. Association of St. and Elec. Railway Employees of America (file 3 of 3) 1914 May 23
Printed statements 1927
Boston Elevated - Printed statements 1927
New England Railroad System 1905-1913
Eastern Electric Railroad Co. 1908-1909
Boston tunnel between North and South Stations 1910-1912
Boston Elevated - Hearings 1910-1911
Grand Trunk Railway 1912
Reports 1914-1926
Correspondence with the Massachusetts House of Representatives 1928-1930
Annual report 1929
Boston Elevated Railroad Bills 1913-1919
Boston Elevated Railroad Bills 1920-1923
Boston Elevated Railroad Bills 1924-1927
Boston Elevated Railroad Bills 1928
Boston Elevated Railroad Bills 1928-1929
Boston Elevated Railroad Bills 1931-1933
Sub-series C: Interstate Commerce Commission, 1901-1944
Interstate Commerce Commission (file 1 of 2) 1912-1944
Interstate Commerce Commission (file 2 of 2) 1919-1944
ICC Railroads - materials about federal control and proposals for the consolidation of New England railroads 1919-1941
U.S. Supreme Court decisions (I) 1918-1932
U.S. Supreme Court decisions (II) 1933-1941
Office of Defense Transportation 1941-1944
ICC miscellaneous statements 1933-1936
Reports 1920-1932
Reports 1933-1934
Reports 1934-1935
Reports (I) 1935
Reports (II) 1935
Reports (III) 1935
Reports 1935-1936
Labor reports 1935-1936
Labor reports 1936
Reports 1936-1941
Reports (JBE as Federal Commissioner of Transportation) 1932-1936
Reports (JBE as Federal Commissioner of Transportation), oversize railroad maps and statistics 1932-1936
Opinions by Joseph B. Eastman - vols.1-4 1919 Mar-1923 Jun
Opinions by Joseph B. Eastman - vols. 5-8 1923 Jul-1926 Dec
Opinions by Joseph B. Eastman - vols. 9-12 1926 Dec-1929 May
Opinions by Joseph B. Eastman - vols. 13-16 1929 Apr-1931 Jun
Opinions by Joseph B. Eastman - vols. 17-18 1929 Apr-1931 Jun
Opinions by Joseph B. Eastman - vol. 19 1929 Feb-Nov
Separate opinions by Joseph B. Eastman 1919-1941
Series 4: BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL, 1898-1960
Records which belonged to both Joseph Eastman and his sister Elizabeth. Here is filed the early correspondence between Joseph Eastman and his family; records about his time at Amherst College, diaries, photographs, and memorabilia. All of the materials collected by Elizabeth after his brother's death can be found in subseries A and F, including obituaries, eulogies, condolence letters sent to her, photographs of the Liberty Ship Joseph Eastman (WWII), and seven copies of a scrapbook with news clippings about Joseph Eastman's death and legacy. The sources used by Claude Fuess (AC 1905) to write the biography Joseph B. Eastman: Servant of the People were kept separately in subseries D. Among the newspaper clippings in subseries E, there is a copy of a cartoon indicating Wall Street's reaction to Justice Brandeis nomination for the Supreme Court which used to hang in Joseph Eastman's home. Subseries F contains various oversize materials, including diplomas, railroad maps, portraits, and an inscribed photo of Justice Brandeis given to Eastman in 1916.
Subseries A: Family correspondence and documents, 1898-1960
Correspondence with Rev. John H. Eastman (father) 1898-1947
Family correspondence 1899-1941
Correspondence with Elizabeth Eastman 1900-1954
Correspondence with Margaret I. King (cousin) 1902-1933
Correspondence with Elizabeth Smith (cousin) 1925-1943
Correspondence with Francis Smith Dugan (cousin) 1925-1942
Correspondence with Margaret Smith (cousin) 1932-1943
Correspondence with Lucy King (front page of a bible from 1859) n.d.
Miscellaneous documents 1916-1943
Personal finances 1920s
The Social List of Washington D.C. 1940-1941
Elizabeth Eastman's miscellaneous photographs n.d.
Joseph Eastman's estate papers 1944-1960
Dartmouth College 1941
Liberty Ship Joseph B. Eastman - photographs 1944
Draft of a biography of Joseph Eastman by the American Historical Company 1944
Memorial pamphlets 1940s
Obituaries 1944
Condolence letters to Elizabeth Eastman 1944-1954
Silver Anniversary Dinner (ICC) 1944 Feb
"A Token of friendship and Esteem to Joseph Eastman" - bound volume of letters compiled by the Associated Traffic Clubs of America 1944 Feb 24
Memorial service for Joseph Eastman adopted by the Traffic Club of Chicago 1944 Apr 10
ICC Practitioners Journal, n. 7, vol. 11 (4 copies) 1944 Apr
ICC minutes - Memorial service for Joseph B.Eastman 1944 Jul 11
Portrait bust of Joseph B. Eastman at the ICC 1945
Objects - 2 amber types, one-dollar coin and a Medal for Merit n.d.
Subseries B: Diaries, 1905-1944
Diary 1905-1914
Diary 1910-1914
Diary 1915-1917
Notepads I, II, III n.d.
Personal records book 1943
Personal records book 1944
Subseries C: Amherst College, 1900-1945
Room expenses record - Joseph Eastman's freshman year 1900-1901
Alumni Biographical Record - forms and clippings from local newspapers 1920-1945
Correspondence with Amherst College 1922-1945
Certificates and degrees 1926-1944
25th Reunion of the Class of 1904 1929
"The Amherst Illustrious," essay by Fayette B. Dow 1933
"Joseph Bartlett Eastman'04," essay by Stanley King n.d.
Amherst College Trustees (file 1 of 2) 1940
Amherst College Trustees (file 2of 2) 1941-1943
Joseph B. Eastman Foundation 1945
Subseries D: Biography by Claude Fuess, 1905-1953
Miscellaneous material organized by Elizabeth Eastman, including a bibliographical card file, ICC records, interviews, and correspondence related to Claude Fuess' book (letters to Eastman's AC classmates) 1905-1950
Miscellaneous photographs (file 1 of 2) n.d.
Miscellaneous photographs (file 2 of 2) n.d.
Calvin Coolidge - His first Biography, popular edition by R. M. Washburn 1924
Essays 1938-1952
Claude Fuess - General correspondence 1943-1953
Correspondence between Claude Fuess and Elizabeth Eastman 1948-1952
"J. B. Eastman - A Study in Public Service," essay by Claude Fuess 1948
Book draft n.d.
Subseries E: News clippings, 1910-1960
Cartoons n.d.
News clippings 1910-1929
News clippings 1930-1939
News clippings 1940-1960
Miscellaneous newspapers' photocopies 1910-1960
Subseries F: Objects and oversized items, 1915-1944
Joseph B. Eastman, 1886-1944 - scrapbook (4 copies) 1944
Joseph B. Eastman, 1886-1944 (3 copies) 1944
Diplomas and certificates 1915-1945
"Council on Candy as Food in the War Effort," talk given by Joseph Eastman to NBC (2 vinyl LPs);1944 Feb 1943 May 2
Framed portrait and photos n.d.
Pictures and portraits 1916-1944