Henry S. Dennison papers

Henry Sturgis Dennison (1877-1952) was a prominent businessman, president of Dennison Manufacturing Company, a manufacturer of paper products such as greeting cards, tags, crepe paper, and gummed labels. The company was started in 1844 by Dennison's grandfather, Andrew Dennison. Henry S. Dennison joined the family company in 1899 after graduating from Harvard College. In 1906, he was promoted to works manager and by 1917 he was president of the company, an office he held for 35 years until his death in 1952. The company grew under Henry S. Dennison's direction, experiencing a decline only from 1931 to 1932 as a result of the Great Depression.

Henry S. Dennison was interested in scientific management theories and initiated several reforms during his years as president of Dennison Manufacturing Company. These included an unemployment fund, a reduction in working hours, non-managerial profit-sharing and the establishment of health and personnel services. His interest in such issues, as well as industrial reform and relations, led him be an active member on advisory boards and councils like the Taylor Society, the American Management Association, the Boston Chamber of Commerce, the National Resources Planning Board, and the Business Research Council. He was a political participant as industrial advisor to the Woodrow Wilson and Franklin D. Roosevelt administrations. Dennison wrote dozens of articles for newspapers, as well as business journals and co-authored several books. Dennison was a lecturer at Harvard Business School. He was engaged to speak at places meetings of organizations and committees such as the University of Chicago, the Taylor Society, the New England Council, and the American Economic Association.