The Business and Professional Women's Club of Morristown was formed from the State and National Federations of Business and Professional Women. The National Federation was the first organization in the world created by and for business and professional women. It was established on July 16, 1919 as a nonprofit, nonpartisan, and nonsectarian organization, but its roots go back to World War I.
While gearing up for the conflict the U.S. Government realized that it was ill prepared to coordinate women's skills and experience for the benefit of the war effort. A Women's War Council was established for this purpose, administered principally by executives of the YWCA and financed through a $65,000 federal grant.
All the major participants had no wish to see this organization disbanded after the cessation of hostilities, rather it was actively encouraged by the Secretary of War Newton Diehl Baker. The continued operation of the Club was made easier by the substantial amount of money remaining from the grant. From this Council the National Business Women's Committee was formed at the July 1919 national convention. Lena Madesin Phillips, a Kentucky lawyer, was elected Executive Secretary. The Committee represented women from many fields- law, medicine, journalism, education, insurance, advertising, and social work.
With the National Committee established, Lena Madesin Phillips came to New Jersey in 1919 and helped organize the New Jersey Federation which was composed of five clubs - Trenton, Newark, Peterson, Plainfield, and Westerfield. These clubs in turn were responsible for assisting the set up of the local groups
Elizabeth York, a Morristown businesswoman, was instrumental in organizing the Morristown Club. The organizational meeting was held in the Director's Room of the First National Bank on April 6, 1927. Eleven prospective members were present as well as several officers from the State Federation including Mary L. Johnston, State President. The records terminate in 1957. There is no date available for the club's disestablishment, but it is believed that in the years following, new members became difficult to recruit and the charter was discontinued. There is evidence that a cohesive group existed during the 1960's, though little is known of the group at this time. A new charter was issued in 1976 and a Business and Professional Women's Club called the Morristown Area Business and Professional Women, functions today as a service organization.
Throughout the years, three major issues shaped the Business and Professional Women's Club legislative agenda: elimination of sex discrimination in employment, the principle of equal pay, and the need for a comprehensive equal rights amendment.
The records of the Business and Professional Women's Club of Morristown date from 1927-1957. They document the history and development of the club as a service organization for women in business and the professions. The records reflect the Club's administrative, social, educational, service and financial activities as well as their ties to the State and National Federations of Business and Professional Women's Clubs.
The nature of the records included in this collection is primarily administrative, with the secretary's reports providing a picture of the structure and function of the organization from 1927-1957. Financial records, publications, scrapbooks and clippings, and memorabilia complement these administrative records and clarify the club's ties to the State and National Federations and the Morristown community.
This series includes those records that document the admisistrative functions of the organization. These records are the constitutions and bylaws from the national, state, and Morristown organizations, as well as proposed amendment changes and revisions; material relating to the organization's emblem including an interpretation statement, a benediction, and words to an emblem song; Secretary's Reports; correspondence mainly composed of resignations from members; there are also some letters of thanks for donations and financial assistance, and acknowledgments from the National Federation; annual reports which include committee reports, statements of proposed budgets, and reports of officers; attendance records for luncheon meetings and committee meetings; statements of club membership to the National Federation and dated and undated lists of names and addresses of members and officers; a Red Cross Register detailing service to the Red Cross by members; and documents from the twentieth anniversary celebration. The documents reflect the development of the organization, its interests in the community and its activities. Of interest are the reports for the years 1941-1945 which indicate the club's response to the War effort.
The organization's financial activities are represented in this series through monthly Treasurers' reports detailing account balances and itemized income and disbursements; an account book reflecting income and disbursements of the club; two Receipt books that recorded the payment of dues to the club; and a checkbook used by the club from 1934-1939. Its stubs indicate dates, amounts, and purposes of expenditures. These include expenses to members, payments of bills and contributions.
This series consists of handwritten or typed speeches given by the club, primarily about their businesses or professions. The earliest, dated June 4, 1927 is by Adelaide F. Hannas describing the millinery business. (Also included is a presentation dated 1930 by the same speaker describing each club member in poetic form.) A speech dated June 21, 1927 with no speaker indicated , is about work in a tax office. A speech dated 1927 is about banking. An undated speech by M. Ellen Ball is about working in the office of C.W. Ennis and Company, a Morristown Lumberyard. These presentations document some of the representative businesses and professions of club members.
This series contains material from the national, state, and town organizations and it includes journals, newsletters, directories, yearbooks, convention programs, monthly program announcements, and miscellaneous publications. Present are proceedings for the convention of the National Federation, 1933; a convention program, 1937; and a program book, 1940-1941 which describes in yearbook format the activities of the national organization; the New Jersey Federation's monthly newsletter "CHAT" describing state organization activities, legislative and social issues of interest to members, as well as some news of local clubs; this collection also has special newsletter issues called "CHAT and PROGRAM"; the program for the New Jersey Federation's Atlantic City conventions; a schedule of activities for the 1934 State club convention and a delegate's ribbon; directories of the New Jersey Federation that includes names and addresses of state and local officers and committee chairwomen; yearbooks from the state federation titled "The New Jersey Business and Professional Woman"; Morristown chapter monthly program announcements stating meeting times, dates, and special programs; miscellaneous publications of the Morristown chapter including dinner programs, yearbooks, a Christmas newsletter, directories, and a song book.
This series includes five unbound publicity scrapbooks dated 1928-1933, 1933-1934, 1937-1938, 1940-1944, and 1952-1954. Also included are two folders of unarranged newspaper clippings dated 1947-1954 and 1954-1955. Material concerns Club activities, special programs and mention of guest speakers. Publicity was measured in inches per month or year and was frequently documented by the publicity committees and reported in monthly or annual reports.
Black and white photograph, approx. 8"x10". Photograph of the Club float in the Morristown Independence Day parade, July 5, 1941. Theme of the float was "My Sister and I." Float participants included two club members, Grace Harquail and Mary E. McWhinney, as well as a junior sister and a junior brother: Kathleen Harquail and Raymond Harquail.
Series consists of two items associated with the Club of Morristown. Objects include a plaque with the inscription "In appreciation of services rendered. Business and Professional Women's Club. December 1957" from the Salvation Army; and a Club banner.
This material is open for research without restriction under the conditions of the North Jersey History Center archives access policy. Records may be copied for use in individual scholarly or personal research, however, as with all materials in the History Center, researchers are responsible for obtaining copyright permission to use material from the collection. Material in the Business and Professional Women's Club of Morristown collection may be photocopied, but because this material is a permanent part of the History Center's collections, researchers are advised to photocopy with care, using only the edge copier for bound material.
The records were donated to the Morristown and Morris Township Library by a former member sometime after 1957. The club apparently became inactive at about this time. However no record of donor or date of accession is available. Subsequent material donated by Ruth Grimm.
Business and Professional Women's Club of Morristown Records. North Jersey History Center, The Morristown and Morris Township Library.
Arranged by Alice H. Swenson, May 1987. Additional processing by Mary McMahon Dawson, March 2007.