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Anti-defamation League correspondence-

 Sub-Series

Scope and Content

From the Collection: The Harry Lashkowitz Papers span the years 1912, when Harry began his law practice, until his death in 1963. The collection is a good documentation of Harry's legal, political, and religious involvement in the community and on the national level. The collection is strongest from the mid-1930s to the mid-1940s. The legal files and records are the best organized. The correspondence, both legal and personal, is not well organized, although it is in a general chronological order. The Papers have been divided into four series: Legal, Political, Jewish, and Personal Correspondence. The bulk of the collection is found in the Legal Series.



The Legal Series has six subseries: Case Files, Large Files, Small Files, Levitz Legal Matters, General Legal Correspondence, and Financial Records.



The Case File Subseries consists of legal files from the year 1919 until 1955. These files are concerned with divorce, recovery of money, bankruptcy, criminals, accounts, foreclosures, estates, guardianships, and paternity cases. Within the files there are legal documents, evidence, correspondence, and personal notes concerning the cases. These files are very detailed and cover the legal life of many of Cass County's better known citizens, business people, and businesses as well as a representation of legal matters from the general population. The collection probably represents a typical case load for a lawyer on the 1920s through the 1950s in Fargo. The subseries is organized in the case number order which Harry set up. No index was available. The first party listed is who Harry Lashkowitz represented. The abbreviations in parentheses following the first party are D for defendant, P for Plaintiff and RE for Respondent. The second name is the other named party in the case. The abbreviation in parentheses at the end of each entry indicates the type of case. The abbreviations are: A (Agreement), AC (Accounts), B (Bankruptcy), C (Criminal), D (Divorce), E (Estate), EV (Eviction), F (Foreclosure), G (Guardianship), I (Personal injury), IN (Incorporation), M (Mortgage), P (Paternity), R (Breach of Contract), RM (Recovery of money), and W (Working file).



The Large File Subseries is a collection of legal documents and correspondence spanning the years 1913 to the mid-1930s. They document the early years of Harry's law practice and are organized in the original number system Harry created. For some of the file numbers the name of the case has been added in the box listing. The subseries is fairly detailed and includes some political correspondence and politically related litigation. Included is information on The Equity Cooperative and Packing Company, Scandinavian American Bank, the Nonpartisan League, Smith Robinson Club (1928), correspondence and notes concerning the Attorney General campaign of 1930 and the Cass County State’s Attorney Campaign of 1932, as well as correspondence and legal documents concerning many individuals and businesses. The original index is available. Some large files of interest include Scandinavian American Bank legal matters (file nos. 20, 21, & 24), N. Papermaster (50), Dave Naflatin (17, 29), Nonpartisan League (15, 39, & 40), Equity Cooperative and Packing Co. and various cases involving workmen's compensation.



The Small File Subseries consists primarily of legal information, correspondence, and documents from approximately 1918 to 1942. These files are incomplete because many of the files were destroyed by Mr. Lashkowitz. These files supplement the Case File Subseries. The original index is also available. Some small files of interest include Equity Cooperative and Packing Co., Minot Bottling Works, and Dave Naflatin matters.

The Levitz Legal Matters Subseries is a fairly complete collection of the Levitz family legal affairs. It includes information on the Levitz family estates (Mandel and Albert), Levitz family account and property management, and legal affairs of the Levitz family. The bulk of the collection covers the period 1928-1964.



The General Legal Correspondence Subseries consists of correspondence from 1915 through 1963, with 1935 until 1942 being complete. Some files of note are Green vs. Fraiser, Kindred Bank Matter (1932), USA vs. Langer et al, and Harry's stock investment portfolio correspondence.



The Financial Records Subseries consists of material from the beginning of Harry's law practice in 1912 until 1953. There are four main categories of records in this subseries: accounts ledgers (1912 to 1953), lawyers collection dockets, (1914 to 1918), daily journals (1914 to June 1916 and 1921-1950), and the dockets (1912 to 1930). There are original indexes available for the ledgers and dockets.



The Political Series consists of the Democratic Party, Governmental, and the Milton R. Young subseries. The Democratic Party Subseries consists of correspondence beginning with Harry's states attorney campaign in 1918 until the time of his death in 1963. The years 1928 through 1938 have a fairly complete run of correspondence. Some of the subjects of note in the files are Fargo, Cass County, and North Dakota Democratic party correspondence, membership lists, platforms, proxies, and meeting minutes (primarily from the 1932 and 1934 election years). Also, anti-Langer pamphlets, Roosevelt-Garner Club (1932), and pamphlets supporting Cap E. Miller for U.S. Secretary of Agriculture in 1932.

The Governmental Subseries consists of general Federal correspondence, Indian Affairs correspondence and legal matters, Federal Emergency Relief Administration monthly summaries for Cass County, N.D. and material related to his position as Assistant District Attorney. This material is not complete, but the Federal Relief monthly summaries cover the period June, August-November 1934 and January-May, July-September 1935.



The Milton R. Young Subseries is material concerning Senator Young's voting record from 1947 to 1967, newspaper clippings concerning Young, information on the Food and Agriculture Act of 1962, and political pamphlets.



The Jewish Series covers Harry's involvement in local and national Jewish matters from 1924 until 1957. The material consists of legal work for Jewish organizations, fund drives for Zionist organizations, B’nai B’rith and Anti-Defamation League correspondence, and files on local Jewish projects and prominent local Jewish people. The most complete run of material concerns the B'nai B'rith General Committee (1930-1956) and the financial records and correspondence for the Fargo chapter of the Jewish Welfare Association (1927-1946). Other items of note is the Fargo Hebrew Congregation Articles of Incorporation (1902), an article written about Jewish settlement in North Dakota, plans for the Herbst Jewish Community Center in Fargo, and information on the immigration of German Jews in 1933.



The Personal Correspondence Series consists of a complete run of material from October 1934 to 1943 and 1951 to 1957. The correspondence is primarily letters to friends and associates, and on legal, political, professional, and religious topics. Specifically, the series also includes information on the Fargo Elks, remodeling contracts and plans for his home, and various speeches Harry made though out his life. Correspondents include Sam Stern, and James Farley as well as state and local political figures.

The Scrapbook Series contains five scrapbooks kept by the Lashkowitz family. The scrapbooks contain newspaper clippings, invitations, programs, and other ephemora from the B'nai B'rith, Elks Club, Boy Scouts, Democratic political activities, and Mr. Lashkowitz's law career. The final scrapbook was compiled by Harry Lashkowitz's daughter, Jane and cover the years 1923 to 1939.

Dates

  • 1912-1963

Access

The collection is open under the rules and regulations of the NDSU Archives.

Extent

From the Collection: 48.5 Linear Feet (48.5 linear feet)

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Creator

Repository Details

Part of the Institute for Regional Studies Repository

Contact:
West Building N
3551 7th Avenue North
Fargo North Dakota 58102 United States