ma197 Joseph B. Eastman (AC 1904) Papers, 1837-1960 (bulk 1904-1944) Finding Aid Finding aid prepared by Isadora Mota. Amherst College Archives and Special Collections
Amherst, MA
2010 Finding aid encoded in NoteTab Pro. Encoded by Peter A. Nelson. 2010-02-17 Finding aid written in English Collection Overview Eastman, Joseph B. (Joseph Bartlett), 1882-1944 Joseph B. Eastman (AC 1904) Papers 1837-1960 1904-1944 34 records storage boxes; 62 archives boxes; 2 half archives boxes; 8 oversize boxes, and 2 tape boxes (84 linear ft.) English Amherst College Archives and Special Collections
Amherst, MA
Correspondence, diaries, diplomas, newspaper clippings, photographs, speeches, reports, miscellaneous printed matter and memorabilia chiefly documenting Eastman's 25-year career in the U.S. Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC), 1919-1944, as well as memorabilia and other materials related to Eastman's personal life. Biographical Note

Born at Katonah, N.Y., on June 26, 1882, Joseph Bartlett Eastman was the son of a Presbyterian minister, Rev. John Huse Eastman, and Lucy (King) Eastman. He received a B.A. from Amherst College in 1904 and was then accepted as a fellow at the South End House in Boston, position that would launch him on a lifelong career as a public servant. In 1905, Eastman was appointed by later U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis the secretary of the Public Franchise League. While in that position, he fought against attempts by the Boston Elevated Railway to gain control of the city's subway system. In 1907, Eastman enrolled in the Boston University Law School, but dropped out after two years. He worked for the Public Franchise League until 1913, when he resigned in order to act as counselor for various Street Railway employees' organizations.

Two years later, Eastman became a member of the Massachusetts Public Service Commission where he worked until President Woodrow Wilson nominated him to the Interstate Commerce Commission in late 1918. The ICC was an independent agency of the U.S. government which regulated the operation of railroads, trucking companies, bus lines, freight forwarders, water carriers, oil pipelines, transportation brokers, and express agencies engaged in transportation between states. By appointment of President Franklin Roosevelt, Eastman also served the office of Federal Coordinator of Transportation from 1933 to 1936 and was Director of Defense Transportation from 1942 to 1944.

Joseph B. Eastman earned the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from Amherst (1926) and Dartmouth (1941). He was elected a trustee of Amherst College in 1940. He never married and lived with his sister Elizabeth Eastman until his death in 1944.

JOSEPH B. EASTMAN: CHRONOLOGY June 26, 1882 Joseph B. Eastman is born at Katonah, NY 1904 Graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Amherst College 1904-1905 South End House fellowship, Boston, MA 1905 Appointed Secretary of the Public Franchise League, Boston, MA 1907-1908 Studied at Boston University Law School 1912-1913 Responsible for the Boston Elevated Railway Report 1913 Serves on the Massachusetts Public Service Commission Dec. 19, 1918 Nominated by Pres. Wilson to the Interstate Commerce Commission 1926 Appointed Chairman of the ICC 1926 Awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws by Amherst College 1930 Appointed Chairman of the ICC Legislative Committee 1933 Nominated by Pres. Roosevelt Federal Coordinator of Transportation 1934 Delivered the address to the Senior Class of Amherst College at Commencement 1940 Elected Amherst College Trustee 1941 Appointed by Pres. Roosevelt Director of Defense Transportation March 15, 1944 Dies at the age of 62 June 1944 Liberty Ship named in Eastman's honor by the Maritime Commission March 1945 Bronze portrait bust of Eastman presented to the ICC by the Association of ICC Practitioners of Washington 1945 Joseph B. Eastman Foundation is created 1952 Joseph B. Eastman: Servant of the People, a biography by Claude Fuess, is published in New York Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Joseph B. Eastman (AC 1904) Papers cover chiefly the period 1898-1944 and offer a valuable picture of Eastman's 25-year career in the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC). His professional papers include extensive correspondence, speeches, transcripts of hearings and extensive sets of ICC reports. It also includes family correspondence, diaries, photographs, clippings and memorabilia related to Eastman's personal life. The collection also includes letters, notes and manuscript drafts related to Claude Moore Fuess's biography of Eastman.

 Organization of the Collection

This collection is organized into four series:

1. CORRESPONDENCE, 1917-1944 2. SPEECHES, 1918-1944 3. PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES, 1837-1944 4. BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL, 1898-1960

There is no restriction on access to the Joseph B. Eastman (AC 1904) Papers for research use. Particularly fragile items may be restricted for preservation purposes.

Requests for permission to publish material from Joseph B. Eastman (AC 1904) Papers should be directed to the Archives and Special Collections. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights.

Please use the following format when citing materials from this collection:

[Identification of item], in Joseph B. Eastman (AC 1904) Papers [Box #, Folder #], Amherst College Archives and Special Collections, Amherst College Library.

The materials in this collection came from a wide variety of sources over time. The first records seem to have been provided by the Joseph Eastman Foundation not long after Eastman's death in 1944. A significant amount of correspondence, personal files and printed matter was subsequently sent by his sister Elizabeth Eastman to Amherst College in 1953. Additional materials have come from donations made by Frances S. Shine (whose mother was Eastman's first cousin) in 1958, and by Mr. Rufus Lisle in 1994.

The records donated by Elizabeth Eastman were previously organized by subject and accompanied by an index card file prepared by her. In this case, the original order of the records was maintained, but all of the remaining materials in the collection were rearranged during processing.

Eastman, Joseph B. (Joseph Bartlett), 1882-1944. Boston Elevated Railway Company. United States. Office of Defense Transportation. United States. Interstate Commerce Commission. United States. Office of Defense Transportation. World War, 1939-1945 -- Transportation. Railroads, Elevated -- Massachusetts -- Boston. Transportation -- United States. Fuess, Claude Moore, 1885-1963

Alumni Biographical Files -- 1904 -- Eastman, Joseph B. Alumni Biographical Files -- 1905 -- Fuess, Claude Moore

Interstate Commerce Commission records, 1887-1995. National Archives and Records Administration (www.archives.gov)

Series 1: CORRESPONDENCE, 1917-1944

Incoming and outgoing correspondence, chiefly professional, by or about Joseph B. Eastman. The letters were filed as loose sheets or bound volumes according to their original format, and arranged in chronological order. Unidentified correspondence can be found at the end of the series. For family correspondence, see Series 4.

 Subseries: General 1 1917 Oct 24 -1920 Jun 30 2 1920 Jul 1 - 1922 Jul 31 3 1922 Aug 1 - 1924 Oct 14 4 1924 Oct 15 - 1926 Sep 20 5 1926 Sep 21 - 1928 Jan 31 6 1928 Feb 1 - 1929 Jan 29 7 1929 Jul 1 - 1931 Jan 27 8 1931 Feb 2 - 1932 Jul 14 9 1932 Jul 14 - 1933 Jul 20 10 1933 Jul 21 - 1933 Sep 30 11 1933 Oct 1 - 1934 Jan 3 12 1934 Jan 4 - 1934 Mar 14 13 1934 Mar 15 - 1934 Jun 18 14 1934 Jun 19 - 1935 Jan 11 15 1935 Jan 11 - 1935 Jul 5 16 1935 Mar 14 - 1935 Dec 15 17 1935 Dec 17 - 1936 Sep 30 18 1936 Oct 1 - 1937 Jul 22 19 1937 Jul 22 - 1938 May 31 20 1938 Jun 1 - 1939 May 15 21 1939 May 15 - 1940 Feb 23 22 1940 Feb 26 - 1940 Dec 31 23 1941 Jan 2 - 1941 Oct 31 24 1941 Nov 1 - 1944 Apr 29 Subseries: Letter books 25 1918 Apr 3 - 1920 Apr 23 26 1920 Apr 23 - 1921 Apr 6 27 1921 Apr 6 - 1922 Feb 2 28 1922 Feb 4 - 1923 Mar 31 29 1923 Mar 31 - 1923 Nov 28 30 1923 Nov 28 - 1924 Dec 4 31 1924 Dec 4 - 1926 Aug 23 32 1926 Aug 24 - 1926 Dec 21 33 1927 Sep 26 - 1928 Jan 10 34 1929 Mar 23 - 1930 Dec 11 35 1930 Dec 12 - 1931 May 18 36 1931 Oct 10 - 1933 Jan 23 37 1933 Jan 24 - 1933 Apr 27 38 1933 Jun 26 - 1933 Aug 12 39 1933 Aug 12 - 1933 Nov 13 40 1933 Nov 13 - 1934 Feb 24 41 1934 Feb 24 - 1934 Mar 21 42 1934 Mar 28 - 1934 Oct 29 43 1934 Oct 19 - 1935 Jan 23 44 1935 Jan 18 - 1935 May 24 45 1935 May 24 - 1935 Dec 30 46 1935 Oct 4 - 1936 Feb 27 47 1936 Feb 29 - 1936 Jul 20 48 1935 Dec 30 - 1936 Oct 6 49 1936 Oct 7 - 1937 Jul 15 50 1937 Jul 14 - 1937 Oct 15 51 1937 Oct 15 - 1938 Jan 23 52 1938 Jan 31 - 1938 Apr 15 53 1938 Apr 15 - 1938 Jul 9 54 1938 Jul 9 - 1939 Mar 9 55 1939 Mar 9 - 1939 Jul 4 56 1939 Jul 15 - 1939 Dec 15 57 1939 Dec 15 - 1940 Apr 23 58 1940 Apr 23 - 1940 Oct 9 59 1940 Oct 9 - 1941 Jan 24 60 1941 Jan 24 - 1941 Apr 23 61 1941 Apr 23 - 1941 Jul 18 62 1941 Jul 18 - 1941 Nov 14 Series 2: SPEECHES, 1918-1944

Addresses delivered by Joseph B. Eastman mostly as member of the Interstate Commerce Commission. Some of the speeches are bound in volumes and tagged by Eastman; others appear as loose sheets.

Series arranged in chronological order.

 63 Speeches by Joseph Eastman - bound volumes 1918-1941 64 Speeches by Joseph Eastman - unbound transcripts 1919-1944 Series 3: PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES, 1837-1944

The majority of the records concerns Eastman's work in the Interstate Commerce Commission. Included are hearing transcripts, bills, memoranda, notes, and extensive sets of ICC reports (1920-1941) and Opinions written by Eastman (1919-1941).

The series is organized according to the various positions held by him since graduation from Amherst College (see Chronology).

 Sub-series A: General, 1901-1919 65 Public Franchise League - correspondence, notes, administrative documents, hearings, bills, cost assessments, and essays. 1901-1914 66 Massachusetts Public Service Commission 1909-1919 66 Pamphlet: "Peccavimus [We have sinned]: The Confessions of an Electric Railway Operator" by John A. Beeler (reprinted from Electric Railway Journal) 1918 Oct 26 66 Pamphlet: "Non-Partisan Subway Primer for Voters, Homes, Clubs and Classes." Institute for Public Service, New York, N.Y. 1925 Sub-series B: Boston Elevated Railroad, 1837-1933 67 1 Western Railroad Report 1837 67 2 Award of Board of Arbitration 1913 Jul 8 67 3 Brief: Boston Elevated vs. Boston Carmen's Union (file 1 of 3) 1913 Dec 6 67 4 Brief: Boston Elevated vs. Boston Carmen's Union (file 2 of 3) 1913 Dec 6 67 5 Argument of Fred Fray on behalf of Boston Carmen's Union (file 3 of 3) 1913 Dec 11-12-15 67 6 Middlesex/Boston St Railway Co. vs. Association of St. and Elec. Railway Employees of America - Argument of Joseph Eastman (file 1 of 3) 1914 May 23 67 7 Middlesex/Boston St Railway Co. vs. Association of St. and Elec. Railway Employees of America - Argument of Fred Fay (file 2 of 3) 1914 May 23 67 8 Brief: Middlesex/Boston St Railway Co. vs. Association of St. and Elec. Railway Employees of America (file 3 of 3) 1914 May 23 67 9 Printed statements 1927 67 10 Boston Elevated - Printed statements 1927 67 11 New England Railroad System 1905-1913 67 12 Eastern Electric Railroad Co. 1908-1909 67 13 Boston tunnel between North and South Stations 1910-1912 67 14 Boston Elevated - Hearings 1910-1911 67 15 Grand Trunk Railway 1912 67 16 Reports 1914-1926 67 17 Correspondence with the Massachusetts House of Representatives 1928-1930 67 18 Annual report 1929 67 19 Boston Elevated Railroad Bills 1913-1919 67 20 Boston Elevated Railroad Bills 1920-1923 67 21 Boston Elevated Railroad Bills 1924-1927 67 22 Boston Elevated Railroad Bills 1928 67 23 Boston Elevated Railroad Bills 1928-1929 67 24 Boston Elevated Railroad Bills 1931-1933 Sub-series C: Interstate Commerce Commission, 1901-1944 68 Interstate Commerce Commission (file 1 of 2) 1912-1944 69 Interstate Commerce Commission (file 2 of 2) 1919-1944 70 ICC Railroads - materials about federal control and proposals for the consolidation of New England railroads 1919-1941 71 U.S. Supreme Court decisions (I) 1918-1932 72 U.S. Supreme Court decisions (II) 1933-1941 73 Office of Defense Transportation 1941-1944 74 ICC miscellaneous statements 1933-1936 75 Reports 1920-1932 76 Reports 1933-1934 77 Reports 1934-1935 78 Reports (I) 1935 79 Reports (II) 1935 80 Reports (III) 1935 81 Reports 1935-1936 82 Labor reports 1935-1936 83 Labor reports 1936 84 Reports 1936-1941 OS-85 Reports (JBE as Federal Commissioner of Transportation) 1932-1936 OS-86 Reports (JBE as Federal Commissioner of Transportation), oversize railroad maps and statistics 1932-1936 87 Opinions by Joseph B. Eastman - vols.1-4 1919 Mar-1923 Jun 88 Opinions by Joseph B. Eastman - vols. 5-8 1923 Jul-1926 Dec 89 Opinions by Joseph B. Eastman - vols. 9-12 1926 Dec-1929 May 90 Opinions by Joseph B. Eastman - vols. 13-16 1929 Apr-1931 Jun 91 Opinions by Joseph B. Eastman - vols. 17-18 1929 Apr-1931 Jun 92 Opinions by Joseph B. Eastman - vol. 19 1929 Feb-Nov 93 Separate opinions by Joseph B. Eastman 1919-1941 Series 4: BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL, 1898-1960

Records which belonged to both Joseph Eastman and his sister Elizabeth. Here is filed the early correspondence between Joseph Eastman and his family; records about his time at Amherst College, diaries, photographs, and memorabilia. All of the materials collected by Elizabeth after his brother's death can be found in subseries A and F, including obituaries, eulogies, condolence letters sent to her, photographs of the Liberty Ship Joseph Eastman (WWII), and seven copies of a scrapbook with news clippings about Joseph Eastman's death and legacy. The sources used by Claude Fuess (AC 1905) to write the biography Joseph B. Eastman: Servant of the People were kept separately in subseries D. Among the newspaper clippings in subseries E, there is a copy of a cartoon indicating Wall Street's reaction to Justice Brandeis nomination for the Supreme Court which used to hang in Joseph Eastman's home. Subseries F contains various oversize materials, including diplomas, railroad maps, portraits, and an inscribed photo of Justice Brandeis given to Eastman in 1916.

 Subseries A: Family correspondence and documents, 1898-1960 94 1 Correspondence with Rev. John H. Eastman (father) 1898-1947 94 2 Family correspondence 1899-1941 94 3 Correspondence with Elizabeth Eastman 1900-1954 94 4 Correspondence with Margaret I. King (cousin) 1902-1933 94 5 Correspondence with Elizabeth Smith (cousin) 1925-1943 94 6 Correspondence with Francis Smith Dugan (cousin) 1925-1942 94 7 Correspondence with Margaret Smith (cousin) 1932-1943 94 8 Correspondence with Lucy King (front page of a bible from 1859) n.d. 94 9 Miscellaneous documents 1916-1943 94 10 Personal finances 1920s 94 11 The Social List of Washington D.C. 1940-1941 94 12 Elizabeth Eastman's miscellaneous photographs n.d. 94 13 Joseph Eastman's estate papers 1944-1960 94 14 Dartmouth College 1941 94 15 Liberty Ship Joseph B. Eastman - photographs 1944 94 16 Draft of a biography of Joseph Eastman by the American Historical Company 1944 94 17 Memorial pamphlets 1940s 94 18 Obituaries 1944 94 19 Condolence letters to Elizabeth Eastman 1944-1954 94 20 Silver Anniversary Dinner (ICC) 1944 Feb 94 21 "A Token of friendship and Esteem to Joseph Eastman" - bound volume of letters compiled by the Associated Traffic Clubs of America 1944 Feb 24 94 22 Memorial service for Joseph Eastman adopted by the Traffic Club of Chicago 1944 Apr 10 94 23 ICC Practitioners Journal, n. 7, vol. 11 (4 copies) 1944 Apr 94 24 ICC minutes - Memorial service for Joseph B.Eastman 1944 Jul 11 94 25 Portrait bust of Joseph B. Eastman at the ICC 1945 94b Objects - 2 amber types, one-dollar coin and a Medal for Merit n.d. Subseries B: Diaries, 1905-1944 95 1 Diary 1905-1914 95 2 Diary 1910-1914 95 3 Diary 1915-1917 95 4 Notepads I, II, III n.d. 95a 1 Personal records book 1943 95a 2 Personal records book 1944 Subseries C: Amherst College, 1900-1945 96 1 Room expenses record - Joseph Eastman's freshman year 1900-1901 96 2 Alumni Biographical Record - forms and clippings from local newspapers 1920-1945 96 3 Correspondence with Amherst College 1922-1945 96 4 Certificates and degrees 1926-1944 96 5 25th Reunion of the Class of 1904 1929 96 6 "The Amherst Illustrious," essay by Fayette B. Dow 1933 96 7 "Joseph Bartlett Eastman'04," essay by Stanley King n.d. 96 8 Amherst College Trustees (file 1 of 2) 1940 96 9 Amherst College Trustees (file 2of 2) 1941-1943 96 10 Joseph B. Eastman Foundation 1945 Subseries D: Biography by Claude Fuess, 1905-1953 97 Miscellaneous material organized by Elizabeth Eastman, including a bibliographical card file, ICC records, interviews, and correspondence related to Claude Fuess' book (letters to Eastman's AC classmates) 1905-1950 98 1 Miscellaneous photographs (file 1 of 2) n.d. 98 2 Miscellaneous photographs (file 2 of 2) n.d. 98 3 Calvin Coolidge - His first Biography, popular edition by R. M. Washburn 1924 98 4 Essays 1938-1952 98 5 Claude Fuess - General correspondence 1943-1953 98 6 Correspondence between Claude Fuess and Elizabeth Eastman 1948-1952 98 7 "J. B. Eastman - A Study in Public Service," essay by Claude Fuess 1948 98 8 Book draft n.d. Subseries E: News clippings, 1910-1960 99 1 Cartoons n.d. 99 2 News clippings 1910-1929 99 3 News clippings 1930-1939 99 4 News clippings 1940-1960 99 5 Miscellaneous newspapers' photocopies 1910-1960 Subseries F: Objects and oversized items, 1915-1944 OS-100 Joseph B. Eastman, 1886-1944 - scrapbook (4 copies) 1944 OS-101 Joseph B. Eastman, 1886-1944 (3 copies) 1944 OS-102 Diplomas and certificates 1915-1945 OS-103 "Council on Candy as Food in the War Effort," talk given by Joseph Eastman to NBC (2 vinyl LPs);1944 Feb 1943 May 2 OS-104 Framed portrait and photos n.d. OS-105 Pictures and portraits 1916-1944