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Thomas Hart papers
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Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]3420 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6206
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts. 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
Thomas Hart was a Philadelphia lawyer and "civic figure" (Inquirer, 1975) born on November 24, 1894 to Charles Byerley Hart (1846-1918) and Virginia Hill Hart (1863-1936). He had three siblings, Charles Byerley Hart, Jr. (1877-1877), Ethel Hill Hart Heckscher (1879-1936), and William Bryan Hart (1884-1925).
The Hart family was one of notable Philadelphia lawyers and social figures. Thomas Hart's father, was described as having been, "prominent in business and social affairs in this city. He was a great favorite with men." (Ledger, 1918) His uncle, Byerley Hart (1846-1918), was described as, "a prominent lawyer and widely known in club circles...He was assistant counsel to the Lehigh Valley Railroad…His brother, Thomas…was for years one of the leading counsel for the Philadelphia and Reading Railway…" (Inquirer, 1904)
Thomas Hart attended Episcopal Academy, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor's Degree in 1916 and from University of Pennsylvania's Law School in 1929. While at Penn, Hart was a member of the Mask & Wig Club, St. Anthony Hall (Delta Psi Fraternity), and Houston Club, Penn's student union for which he served as director from 1924 to 1929.
During the First World War, Hart was a Major in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He additionally served as a member of the First City Troop, the Pennsylvania National Guard; was a Cadet Major at the School of Military Aeronautics in Princeton; and a Private 1st Class US Army Air Force until honorable discharge in 1918. In World War II, he served in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve and was an honorary member of the 1st Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry, Pennsylvania National Guard.
Thomas Hart was, notably, the senior partner of Hart, Childs, Hepburn, Ross & Putnam and general counsel for the National Football League for fifteen years, until 1959. He remained at the same firm, though it existed in different iterations over his tenure, including: Hepburn & Norris (1933); Norris, Lex, Hart & Eldredge (1944); Norris, Bell, Lex, Hart, & Eldredge (1946); Norris, Lex, Hart & Ross (1956); Norris, Hart, Hepburn & Putnam (1961); and Hart, Childs, Hepburn, Ross & Putnam (1962). Hart retired in 1968.
Before his law career, Hart worked at several companies, including J.B. Lippincott Co., publishers, 1916-1917; Philadelphia Trust Co., 1920-1922; Cadbury, Ellis & Haines, investment firm, 1922-1924; and University of Pennsylvania, advisory staff and first director of Houston Hall student organization, 1924-1929.
Hart additionally served as either the president of, chairman of, or a member of the Board of Directors of Charles F. Kellom & Co., Silvray Lighting, Inc., Hyde-Rakestraw Co., Cedartown Yarn Mills, and Neely Yarn Mills, Inc.
Hart was active in numerous Philadelphia-area and national organizations. A near-comprehensive list is as follows: Episcopal Academy, trustee, 1927-1975, president 1940-1944; Lankenau Hospital, trustee, vice president, and acting president, 1924-1962; Magee Memorial Hospital for Convalescents, trustee and chairman, 1931-1972; American Oncologic Hospital, general counsel, trustee, vice president of board of trustees; Preston Retreat, board member and president; Institute for Cancer Research, Inc., trustee; Philadelphia City Institute director; Athenaeum, director and president, 1935-1965; American Academy of Music, director; Philadelphia Charity Ball, Inc., director and president; Independence Hall Association, treasurer and president; Pennsylvania Society of Sons of the Revolution, president; Colonial Society of Pennsylvania, governor; Society of Colonial Wars, governor; Pennsylvania Society of the War of 1812, member; St. Anthony Hall (Delta Psi Fraternity), member; Mask & Wig Club, historian and member; Eagle Island Gunning Club, member; State in Schuylkill (Schuylkill Fishing Company), member; Rittenhouse Club, member; Philadelphia Club, member; Racquet Club, member; Rittenhouse Club, member; Franklin Inn Club, member; Penn Club, member; and The Rabbit, member.
He died in Philadelphia on April 25, 1975.
In 1918, Thomas Hart married Margaret Newbold Smith Hart (1899-1959). Together they had two children, Margaret Hart Clark (1919-1971) and Lieutenant Thomas Hart, Jr. (1922-1945), and lived at 271 Hathaway Lane, Wynnewood, PA. In 1960, Hart married Virginia Dilkes Harrison following the death of his first wife.
Hart's wife and children were also active in Philadelphia organizations and institutions.
Margaret Newbold Smith Hart was the President of the Junior League from 1934 to 1938 and was active in numerous other organizations. She was also noted in her obituary as having been a part of "two old Philadelphia families." (Inquirer, 1959)
Margaret Hart Clark married John Kapp Clark, was a member of the medical faculty at the University of Pennsylvania, was active in the Junior League, and served in American Red Cross Motor Service in World War II. She had five children.
Lieutenant Thomas Hart, Jr. attended Episcopal Academy, St. George's School, and the University of Pennsylvania, where he was in the Mask & Wig Club and St. Anthony Hall (Delta Psi Fraternity). He served in the Army Air Force Reserve and died at Victorville Army Air Field in California. He married Patricia Agatha Guest (1925-1998) in 1944 or 1945.
Hart authored two books, "A Record of the Hart Family of Philadelphia (1735-1920)" in 1920 and "A History of the Schuylkill Fishing Company of the State-In-Schuylkill, 1888-1932" in 1932.
Sources:
"Thomas Hart, 80, Lawyer, Counsel to Football League," The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 28, 1975.
"Mrs. Thomas Hart, Lawyer's Wife, Dies," The Philadelphia Inquirer, September 28, 1959.
"Byerley Hart Dead," The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 8, 1904.
"Death Notice – Charles B. Hart," Philadelphia Evening Public Ledger, November 18, 1918.
The National Cyclopedia of American Biography, Vol. 63 N.
The Thomas Hart papers measure 15.33 linear feet in 16 boxes, date mostly from 1893 to 1971, and primarily consist of correspondence, documents, and ephemera relating to Hart and his family's organizational involvements, specifically with the Eagle Island Gunning Club, Junior League, Lankenau Hospital, Mask & Wig Club, Philadelphia Charity Ball, Inc., Philadelphia Club, Society of Colonial Wars, and State in Schuylkill. There is also Hart's correspondence, material relating to his personal life, and material from various members of the Hart family.
This collection is of value to anyone looking to learn about Philadelphia-area organizations in the early to mid-20th century. Over seventy organizations are represented in this collection, but the Eagle Island Gunning Club, Junior League, Lankenau Hospital, Mask & Wig Club, Philadelphia Charity Ball, Inc., Philadelphia Club, Society of Colonial Wars, and State in Schuylkill comprise the bulk of the material. It also provides insight into the dynamic involvements of a prominent member of Philadelphia society.
One should not expect to find material relating to Thomas Hart's work, including his long tenure as a partner of Hart, Childs, Hepburn, Ross & Putnam and his notable role as general counsel of the National Football League. There are a limited number of letters that touch on his work in general within the dated correspondence, but there is no significant coverage of his work and law career in this collection.
Series 1, Personal papers, dates from 1898 to 1970 and include the following sub-series: a. Correspondence, Thomas Hart's general correspondence, primarily arranged chronologically; b. Education, mostly material from Episcopal Academy and the University of Pennsylvania; c. Events; d. Finances; e. Newspaper clippings; and f. Professional miscellanea.
The correspondence largely consists of personal administratyive correspondence, specifically dealing with Hart's schedule and household finances. There is some limited correspondence that appears to relate to either his professional or organizational work, but is not detailed enough to separate from the original chronology. Hart's World War I correspondence provides a detailed account of daily life during the war, including drills, inspections, meals, and leasure time. Many of the letters reference Tent Number 11 and Augusta, Georgia, possibly referring to Camp Hancock. These letters do not appear to discuss overseas service or active combat.
Material relating to Hart's involvement with the Mask & Wig Club and St. Anthony Hall (Delta Psi Fraternity) will not be found in the University of Pennsylvania sub-series, but rather in Series 2, Organizations, as Hart's involvement with these organizations was not limited to his time and capacity as a student.
Series 2, Organizations, is the largest series, spanning 12 boxes. It dates from 1893 to 1970 and includes the following series: a. Eagle Island Gunning Club, b. Junior League, c. Lankenau Hospital, d. Mask & Wig Club, e. Philadelphia Chairty Ball, Inc., f. The Philadelphia Club, g. Society of Colonial Wars, h. State in Schuylkill, and i. Other organizations. This material contains that belonging to several members of the Hart family, in addition to Thomas Hart. For example, both Thomas and Margaret Hart were active in the Junior League and, as such, the material in that sub-series was generated by both of them. Because members of the Hart family overlapped in so many organizations, it is difficult to determine and delineate what material was created by whom.
Series 3, Family papers, dates from 1846 to 1954 and contains the following sub-series: a. Byerley Hart speeches, b. Correspondence, c. Education of Thomas Hart, Jr. and Margaret [Peggy] Hart, and d. Other material. Byerley Hart's speeches cover a broad range of topics, examples of which include: "Indian" rights, poetry, law and civilization, labor organizations, idealism and realism, Bacon and Shakespeare, education, justice, women, CHina and Japan, the future of American art, gambling, and constitutions.
Series 4, Miscellaneous material, is the smallest series, dates from 1801 to 1947, and contains various unrelated documents, clippings, papers, articles, playbills, and writings. It is unclear who created much of this material and for what purpose.
Gift of Carmen Valentino, 2015.
Organization
- Mask and Wig Club
- Junior League of Philadelphia
- Lankenau Hospital
- Society of Colonial Wars in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
- Schuylkill Fishing Company
Place
- Publisher
- University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts
- Finding Aid Author
- Kelin Baldridge Smallwood
- Finding Aid Date
- 2024 January 12
- Access Restrictions
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The bulk of this collection is open for research use, however, Box 6, Folders 13 and 27; Box 7, Folders 2 and 19; Box 9, Folder 21; Box 13, Folder 29; and Box 14, Folders 17 and 21 are restricted while they undergo conservation treatments.
- Use Restrictions
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Copyright restrictions may exist. For most library holdings, the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania do not hold copyright. It is the responsibility of the requester to seek permission from the holder of the copyright to reproduce material from the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts.