Manuscript Register

 

PAPERS OF VERNON RICHARD MARTIN

 

Collection Dates: 1950 -- 1973

(Bulk Dates: 1960s)

1 linear ft.

 

This document describes a collection of materials held by the
Special Collections Department
University of Iowa Libraries
Iowa City, Iowa 52242-1420
Phone: 319-335-5921
Fax: 319-335-5900
e-mail: lib-spec@uiowa.edu

 

Posted to Internet: May 2002

 

 

Acquisition Note: This collection was given to the University of Iowa Libraries by Vernon Martin's daughter, Betty J. Harris, in 1974.

 

Access and Restrictions: This collection is open for research.

 

Photographs: Box 2

 

Ephemera: Box 1

 

Digital Surrogates: Except where indicated, this document describes but does not reproduce the actual text, images and objects which make up this collection. Materials are available only in the Special Collections Department.

 

Copyright:  Please read The University of Iowa Libraries' statement on "Property Rights, Copyright Law, and Permissions to Use Unpublished Materials"

 

Use of Collections:  The University of Iowa Libraries supports access to the materials, published and unpublished, in its collections. Nonetheless, access to some items may be restricted by their fragile condition or by contractual agreement with donors, and it may not be possible at all times to provide appropriate machinery for reading, viewing or accessing non-paper-based materials. Please read our Use of Manuscripts Statement.

 

Biographical Note

 

Vernon Richard Martin was born in Waucoma, Iowa, in 1893. He began his career as a banker in Oelwein and Kellogg, Iowa. In the early 1920s he was a state bank examiner and the deputy superintendent of banking in Iowa. Martin went to work for the Maytag Company in 1924 as a salesman. He went on to serve as regional and divisional manager in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, and Kentucky. During World War II, Martin served as the director of labor procurement in Newton, Iowa. Following the war he worked as the assistant branch manager of Maytag's Kansas City branch, returning to Newton in 1944 as general sales manager in charge of the Maytag Company's national sales organization. He retired from this position in 1954. After his retirement he gave lectures and seminars about sales and public relations. In addition to all of this he was engaged in dairy farming in the Newton area.

Martin was active in Republican Party politics and was chairman of the state Republican Party from 1959 to 1961. He was an alternate delegate to the Republican National Convention in San Francisco. He was also active in the Masonic Lodge, the Newton Chamber of Commerce, the Farm Bureau, and was a past president of the Sales Executives Club of Central Iowa. Vernon R. Martin died in 1973, at the age of eighty.

Scope and Contents

 

The papers of Vernon R. Martin date from 1950 to 1973 and consist of one linear foot of correspondence, clippings, subject folders, and scrapbooks relating to his career. The papers primarily document his work in Iowa's Republican Party organization, specifically as State Chairman. Political correspondence includes letters from Kenneth Benda, Norman A. Erbe, Edward D. Failor, H.R. Gross, Charles B. Hoeven, Evan L. Hultman, L.B. Liddy, Jack Miller, William H. Nicholas, Paul G. Norris, Robert D. Ray, Fred Schwengel, Vincent Starzinger, Melvin D. Synhorst, Lew Warren, and Charles E. Wittenmeyer. There are subject folders on the Iowa Center for Education in Politics and other miscellaneous campaign and political materials. A folder relating to his activities as a sales consultant and two scrapbooks make up the remainder of the collection.

 

Box List

 

Box 1

Campaign buttons, etc.

Clippings

Correspondence, 1950 -- 1960, includes letters from Charles E. Wittenmeyer, Norman A. Erbe, Vincent Starzinger, H. R. Gross, Paul G. Norris, Jr., Charles B. Hoeven, Melvin D. Synhorst, Evan L. Hultman, Fred Schwengel, Lew Warren, and Robert D. Ray

Correspondence, 1961 -- 1973, includes letters from Melvin D. Synhorst, Edward D. Failor, William H. Nicholas, L. B. Liddy, Kenneth Benda, Robert D. Ray, Jack Miller, H. R. Gross, Lew Warren, Evan L. Hultman, Norman A. Erbe, Fred Schwengel, and Charles E. Wittenmeyer

Iowa Center for Education in Politics, Iowa City, Iowa, includes letters from Robert D. Ray

Miscellaneous political materials

Newton city election, 1963

Box 2

Photographs

Political materials for 1960 including a calling card of John D. Ehrlichman, speeches by Paul G. Norris, Jr., Norman A. Erbe, and Verne Martin, form letters, and other material

Sales consultant activities

Two scrapbooks