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William Burgess Papers
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Held at: Princeton University Library: Public Policy Papers [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: Public Policy Papers. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
William Burgess (1857-1929) was a prominent lobbyist and figure in the United States pottery industry around the turn of the century. Burgess was born in Brooklyn, New York on January 18, 1857. He received a B.S. from Princeton in 1877 after which he enrolled at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York, initially planning on pursuing a career in medicine. He was forced to leave medical school after becoming seriously ill. He then chose to enter the family business of pottery importing and wholesaling, establishing William Burgess and Company in 1879. He moved his operation to Trenton, New Jersey shortly thereafter, establishing the International Pottery Company. The International Pottery Company quickly became one of the leading manufacturers of pottery in the United States. Burgess served as president from 1879-1904. After resigning from the International Pottery Company, Burgess became Chairman of the Executive Committee and confidential representative of the U.S. Potters Association. During this time, Burgess traveled across Europe and Asia studying the international pottery industry. He eventually became the President of the Potters Association. This position required him to make frequent trips to Washington, D.C. to lobby on behalf of the pottery industry. His high profile in the industry and his international experience ultimately resulted in his being appointed to the U.S. Tariff Commission by President Warren G. Harding in 1921. The Commission was responsible for gathering and analyzing data on imports while reporting and making recommendations to the President and Congress. While on the Commission, Burgess earned the reputation as a high tariff advocate. He resigned his post in 1925 after a particularly contentious disagreement within the commission.
Burgess married Clara Dwight Goodmann in 1879. They had four children together. Burgess died on November 20, 1929.
The William Burgess Papers document Burgess' tenure on the U.S. Tariff Commission. Included are correspondence, memoranda, reports, charts, and graphs, all compiled while Burgess was a member of the Tariff Commission. The material includes details on the inter-workings of numerous industries and the establishment of tariffs on imports including butter, china, fabrics, metals, pottery, and sugar, as well as documents related to general tariff legislation.
Please see series descriptions in contents list for additional information about individual series.
Material within the University Archives, most notably William Burgess' alumni file, provided the information for the biography.
The collection was donated by William Burgess, Jr. on March 9, 1942.
This collection was processed by Casey Babcock in November 2007. Finding aid written by Casey Babcock in December 2007.
No material was separated during processing in 2007.
Organization
Subject
- Chemists -- United States -- 20th century -- Correspondence
- Ceramics
- Commodity control -- United States -- 20th century
- Customs administration -- United States -- 20th century
- Limoges porcelain
- Porcelain -- United States -- 20th century
- Pottery industry -- Japan -- 20th century
- Pottery industry -- United States -- 20th century
- Tariff -- United States -- 20th century
- Publisher
- Public Policy Papers
- Finding Aid Author
- Casey Babcock
- Finding Aid Date
- 2007
- Sponsor
- These papers were processed with an operating support grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State.
- Access Restrictions
-
The collection is open for research use.
- Use Restrictions
-
Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. For quotations that are fair use as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission to cite or publish is required. For those few instances beyond fair use, researchers are responsible for determining who may hold the copyright and obtaining approval from them. Researchers do not need anything further from the Mudd Library to move forward with their use.
Collection Inventory
The Correspondence Series consists of letters exchanged by members of the United States Tariff Commission and various captains of industry throughout the world. The letters discuss industry practices and issues related to production, such as costs for materials and overhead, as well as matters related to the sale of goods. While the bulk of the correspondence was either addressed to or written by Burgess, letters addressed to other members of the commission, including Thomas O. Marvin and George Comer, are included.
The Correspondence Series is arranged alphabetically by correspondent.
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The Subject Files Series consists of documents collected by Burgess during the course of the United States Tariff Commission's research into numerous imported goods and raw materials. The commission analyzed the daily practices of industry and the importation of commodities such as butter, china, fabrics, fruits, metals, pottery, spices, stone, and vegetables. Documents included charts and graphs consisting of raw data, commission memoranda, and reports prepared by the commission for the President and members of Congress.
The Subject Files Series is arranged alphabetically by subject.
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