Herschel Lashkowitz Papers

Collection

Identifier: MSS 343-MSS 1596.16

Staff Only

Dates

1919-1989.

Creator

Lashkowitz, Herschel, 1918-1993. (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

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

Conditions Governing Use

Copyrights to this collection is held by The North Dakota State University Archives.

Biographical sketch

Lawyer, Fargo mayor, 1954-1974, and North Dakota state senator, 1965-1966 and 1975-1989.

Extent

75 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated by Herschel Lashkowitz, 1990 (Acc. 2261), and Lorraine Jeffe and Shelley Lashkowitz, 1995 (Acc. 2403).

Legal Status

The NDSU Archives owns the property rights to this collection.

Scope and content

The Herschel Lashkowitz Papers were accessioned over a number of years and kept at five different storage sites in Fargo, N.D. and Moorhead, Minn. Thus, the papers reflect many different organization systems or no system at all. The best organized files received were those kept at the mayor’s office. There were many photographs scattered throughout the collection and they have been organized into a separate photograph collection Photo 2049. A later accession of photographs was received and processed as Photo 2107 with a finding aid available. The papers represent the political, mayoral and personal activities of Herschel Lashkowitz. The mayoral and City of Fargo files make up the bulk of the collection, and span from 1954 to 1974. They include minutes of various boards and Fargo governmental units, his general correspondence and subject files. There are many files dealing with the Fargo Urban Renewal Agency from the 1950s into the 1970s, and a number of good files related to the 1957 tornado that struck north Fargo. In addition, scrapbooks were compiled for some of his mayoral years. The political/legislative files document his various mayoral and legislative races, as well as Democratic candidates at the state and national level. It includes correspondence, notes, subject files, clippings and a wide variety of other documents. Specifically, there are files documenting his attempt to run for North Dakota governor in 1960 and U.S. Senator. The papers related to his general political involvement are fairly good but the material concerning his terms as a state senator are not as complete. The Sheyenne Diversion files consist of correspondence and reference files concerning the diversion of the Sheyenne River for flood control around West Fargo, N.D. The correspondence spans from 1947 to 1970. The Herschel Lashkowitz Personal Papers Series pulls together a wide variety of documents and other personal papers related to Lashkowitz’ life that are not appropriate for inclusion in other series. Most of them were found as single items scattered throughout his papers. They have been organized in broad topical files. The Personal Correspondence Series contains incoming miscellaneous letters that were found as single items, unorganized and scattered throughout the collection. They cover a wide range of topics and have been organized in general chronological order The General Topical Files Series brings together individual documents and sometimes files that were again scattered among Lashkowitz’ other papers and not appropriate for the other defined series in the papers or are so diverse in subject matter and thus do not lend themselves to be placed within another specific series. The topics covered are both diverse and eclectic. Consult the box/folder listing for the specific subjects documented. The Lashkowitz Family Correspondence Series contains not only letters to and from Herschel, but also letters between his immediate family members. Herschel’s personal correspondence is divided into two categories: incoming letters and outgoing letters. Since there is such a large volume of correspondence to and from certain individuals (such as Herschel’s mother, father, and sisters Jane and Lorraine), these categories have been further subdivided by author or recipient and date. The rest of Herschel’s correspondence is simply subdivided by date. Most of the correspondence in this collection is handwritten. The bulk of Herschel’s incoming correspondence deals with family business. Letters from his father, Harry Lashkowitz, span from 1928 through 1963; letters from his mother, Etta Lashkowitz, span from 1927 through 1969. Correspondence from the earliest years was written while Harry and Etta traveled and while Harry was in Bismarck, ND, serving in the state legislature. Letters from the mid to late 1930s were written while Herschel attended the University of Minnesota. Harry often gave his son advice about study habits and his grades, and also discussed politics and law. Etta’s letters were often filled with family and local news and medical advice. We have a copy of only one letter Herschel received during his service in World War. It is from his father dated November 16, 1943. In this six-page letter, Harry discussed several topics. He was especially concerned about people who were “deliberately or otherwise spreading venom, hate, and suspicion against our allies,” specifically Russia. Harry devoted several paragraphs to describing what he believed was the improved quality of life in Russia after removing the czar. He also addressed segregation in the U.S. Armed Forces. He believed that Americans had “failed in educating our boys to an appreciation of the fundamental principles of our government.” Correspondence from Herschel’s sister, Jane, spans from 1935 through 1972. Herschel and Jane seemed to have an extremely close relationship. Jane led a very interesting life, and often shared her impressions and experiences with Herschel. She was able to say things to Herschel that many other people could not. Jane often offered advice about dating and scolded Herschel if she felt he had been unkind or insensitive to women. The remaining correspondence spans from 1930 through 1980. These letters are from various school friends and business associates. Herschel was the Democratic Party Committee chairman in the early 1950s, and one folder is dedicated to the correspondence resulting from that position. Herschel’s outgoing correspondence is mainly addressed to his family. He kept up regular correspondence with them while attending the University of Minnesota. Letters written during World War II rarely deal with his war experiences. He often refused to answer specific questions about his service. Several times he rebuked his family for not including the information he wanted to know, such as local news, politics, and updates about his friends and family. Herschel seems to lack a sense of why he was involved in the war. This could, perhaps, be attributed to the fact that he was stationed in the Aleutian Islands and then in the Canal Zone for most of the war. The remaining correspondence was written between Herschel’s family members. Included are letters from Harry to Etta during their courtship and early years of marriage. Also included are letters from Jane to her parents, which differ slightly from the kind of letters she wrote to Herschel. These letters are often more descriptive of her surroundings. There are also letters from siblings Lorraine and Shelley. The Family & Friends files are a diverse assortment of personal letters sent to various members of the Harry Lashkowitz family, spanning from 1906 to the 1970s. There are also personal letters intermixed written to Herschel. The letters within the files are only in rough chronological order. The B. Whitman Hall Biographical Manuscript Series (boxes 47-48) contains the unfinished manuscript documenting Herschel Lashkowitz’s life. The author, B. Whitman Hall, sent Chapters I and II to the Doubleday Publishing Company in 1976, but they declined it for publication. The book’s tentative title was The Second Greatest Story Ever Told, which was intended to reflect a connection between Herschel and Jesus. According to Whitman, “both men exhibited extreme empathy for other people… [which was] Herschel’s greatest virtue and his greatest fault.” Whitman described his book as a tragedy, the story of “an exceptional man in a less than exceptional society.” The manuscript begins with Herschel’s speech as he accepts the LaGuardia Award (a national award given to mayors, often of larger cities like Chicago, San Francisco, etc.) at a ceremony in his honor. It documents the explosive relationship between Herschel, as mayor, and the city commission. It also documents Fargo’s participation in Federal programs such as Urban Renewal and Model Cities. Herschel Lashkowitz was elected mayor of Fargo in 1954 and served for 20 years. The research & reference files include notes and clippings concerning the political and personal life of Mr. Lashkowitz. Some of the research includes interviews of Herschel and others who knew him. The Appointment Books Series consists of day planner that show Lashkowitz’ meetings, events and reminders. The Fargo Mayoral Series brings together a wide variety of files accessioned over various years related to Herschel Lashkowitz’s years as Fargo mayor (1954-1974). The original organizational scheme for some of the files when acquired was chronological which has been retained. Within each year two subseries were established: Correspondence and Topical Files. Although the content of all files usually directly relates to City of Fargo business, there are interspersed semi-private letters and other documents of Lashkowitz. To separate these out has not been attempted. Also, researchers might find individual letters in the wrong year, since little attempt was made by the mayor’s or the archives staff to make the chronological order perfect. The original correspondence files, coming in various accessions, have been retained in original file and order when possible. The ‘Miscellaneous’ correspondence files found for some years brings together scattered letters found in other parts of the collection or originally misfiled. The ‘unsorted’ correspondence files were developed by the mayor’s staff. According to the file labels on these original folders, the staff attempted in the early 1970s to organize past correspondence by year, with a note that at some future date they needed to be further organized by topic or chronologically. It is apparent the staff never revisited the files to do any further organizing of these ‘unsorted’ files. Some correspondence grouped by topic has been retained separately in the correspondence subseries, as well as an original file labeled ‘Appreciation, Condolence, Congratulation’ correspondence. The Topical Files is a mix of Fargo departments, commissions, city issues, as well as professional associations in which Lashkowitz was involved. Many of these files are as found in the original accessions. However, it does include file titles created by Institute staff when processing, usually to highlight certain city functions or issues before the City of Fargo. The City of Fargo Series consists primarily of the City of Fargo Budgets Sub-Series budget documents for the city as well as the several for the Board of Education, Park Board and city employee pension documents. This series also includes minutes from various committees with Lashkowitz’s personal notes. The City of Fargo Topical Sub-Series contains a wide variety of documents, studies, reports, etc. on a great variety of city matters. The files have been organized into a single alphabetical series. The Legislative Series contains Correspondence Sub-Series addressed to Senator Lashkowitz; this is organized by year. This set of legislative correspondence also contains outgoing correspondence that was divided by Lashkowitz into topical files for the year of 1975; this organization was retained within this series. In addition to correspondence, the Legislative Series contains files pertaining to House and Senate Bills. The files are organized topically and by year. Finally, there are additional topical files related to Senator Lashkowitz and his involvement in organizations such as the Non-Partisan League, attendance of Democratic National Conventions, and interest in various political campaigns. Included as well in this topical set are his personal, handwritten notes, public statements made by Senator Lashkowitz, and newspapers clippings. The Campaign Sub-Series is a collection of campaign literature (advertising both general North Dakota candidates for office as well as Lashkowitz’s personal campaign), clippings, correspondence, news releases, and public statements made by Lashkowitz during his various campaigns. The series is organized by year. In addition to Lashkowitz’s campaigns for Governor, Mayor and Senator, this series also includes files on campaigns in which Lashkowitz was involved, such as the Presidential Primary of 1952 for Estes Kafauver. The 1957 Fargo Tornado Series brings together a wide variety of documents related to one of the worst natural disasters to hit Fargo. It includes correspondence, meeting minutes, funding, donations, Lashkowitz’ trip to Washington, D.C. for aid, specific cases, surveys, tax abatement and relief efforts. The files have been brought together by archives staff from various files within the Lashkowitz papers and organized in a simple alphabetical order by file title, most developed by archives staff. The Sheyenne Diversion Series documents the involvement of the City of Fargo in the transfer of water from the Missouri River eastward through the Garrison Diversion to the Sheyenne River and to Fargo, ensuring a supply of water for Fargo, particularly during times of drought and low water level of the Red River. The series includes correspondence, meeting minutes, notes of Herschel Lashkowitz and a number of publications related to the project. The Fargo Bus Driver Strike Series is an assortment of documents that deal with the bus driver strike of 1953. The dispute was between the Northern Transit Company and the Amalgamated Association of Street, Electric, Railway, and Motor Coach Employees of America, Division 1150. The NTC cut wages of the bus drivers and the drivers went on strike. There are some ads showing how they cut wages and other conditions that caused them to go on strike. There is correspondence that deals with the strike from 1953 and 1954. This correspondence is between the Union and their lawyers, Hershel and Harry Lashkowitz. This went to the North Dakota Labor Dispute Board in July of 1953 to try and settle this matter. The report of the board is in this series. There are also the agreements that the NTC agreed to during this time to break up the strike. There are several documents that deal with the Fargo City Commission’s involvement in the strike settlement. There are documents from two court cases: W.W. Murrey vs. Board of City Commission and Vernon Brenden vs. The Northern Transit Company. The first case deals with Murrey claiming that the Board of City Commission doesn’t have the right to endorse NTC hiring new drivers during the strike. The second case deals with Brenden claiming that he was in fear of his safety while he was riding on a bus operated by NTC. The final two documents in this series are handwritten notes about the court cases and pay stubs from an employee in 1953. The Edith L. Flewell Series consists of extensive correspondence written by her to Herschel Lashkowitz from 1956 to 1961. In addition, the 1955 letters were addressed to Harry Lashkowitz, Herschel’s father. Many of the letters, all typed, are quite lengthy and discuss The Newspaper Clippings and Scrapbooks Series includes both loose clippings and scrapbooks of clippings documenting both the career of Herschel Lashkowitz and issues before the City of Fargo and state. The clippings cover a wide variety of subjects, with special files devoted to the visit of Pres. Richard Nixon to Fargo in July 1969, 1957 tornado, Sheyenne Diversion, the Fargo City Commission and city elections. The scrapbooks begin with the mayoral campaign of Lashkowitz in 1954 and extend to 1970, with partial ones for 1973 and 1974. One includes letters of congratulations to Lashkowitz on his election in 1954 as Fargo Mayor. There is also a scrapbook documenting his run for North Dakota governor in 1960 as an Independent candidate. The oversize scrapbook for 1957-1959 is mostly devoted to the 1957 tornado while the second half includes clippings documenting Lashkowitz’s re-election campaign for his second term as mayor. The Ephemera Series consists of oversize items that have been separated and made a separate collection in the oversize collections of the Institute. They include political items, personal certificates and cartoons. The Audio-Visual Series consists of a collection of reel-to-reel tapes, cassettes and reel-to-reel motion picture films. The audio recordings document a wide range of events from radio spots and interviews during Lashkowitz’s campaign for governor, speeches, reports and recordings of meetings for committees on Model Cities, Urban Renewal and the Fargo City Commission. While most of the motion picture films in this collection are unknown, there are two of Lashkowitz in Berlin.

Processing Information

The Fargo Model Cities materials consists of the documents and correspondence maintained by Lashkowitz when mayor. The files likely in most cases duplicate the official Metropolitan Fargo Model Cities Agency records deposited by the City of Fargo and organized as Manuscript Collection 142. Currently these records have not been fully processing and are in the original order as received.