Overview
Clothing manufacturer and labor arbitrator. Correspondence and other papers, relating to Copelof's personal and business affairs, and to his career in labor arbitration, chiefly as Commissioner of Conciliation in the U.S. Dept. of Labor, 1940-1947, and as arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association; and records of arbitration proceedings in which Copelof was involved. Correspondents include J.R. Steelman, head of the Conciliation Division of the Dept. of Labor.
Dates
- Creation: 1940 - 1954
Conditions Governing Access
Access to these papers is governed by the rules and regulations of the Harvard Law School Library. This collection is open to the public, but is housed off-site at Harvard Depository and requires 2 business-day advance notice for retrieval. Consult the Special Collections staff for further information.
Conditions Governing Use
The Harvard Law School Library holds copyright on some, but not all, of the material in our collections. Requests for permission to publish material from this collection should be directed to the Special Collections staff. Researchers who obtain permission to publish from the Harvard Law School Library are also responsible for identifying and contacting the persons or organizations who hold copyright.
Extent
59 boxesMaxwell Copelof was a clothing manufacturer and labor arbitrator. His papers include correspondence and other papers, relating to Copelof's personal and business affairs, and to his career in labor arbitration, chiefly as Commissioner of Conciliation in the U.S. Dept. of Labor, 1940-1947, and as arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association; and records of arbitration proceedings in which Copelof was involved. Correspondents include J.R. Steelman, head of the Conciliation Division of the Dept. of Labor.
Historical/Biographical Information
Copelof, Maxwell, businessman; manufacturer; labor arbitrator; expert in industrial relations.
b. 10 June 1879, Kaunas, Lithuania.
s. Herman and Sarah Carnopsky Copelof.
ed. Public and private schools in the United States.
m. Ada B. Costigan, 23 July 1903; two children.
U.S. citizen.
1920's and 1930's owned and managed his own business which was a manufacturer of women's garments, in Boston; also engaged in wholesale business.
President and Executive Director, Merchants Ladies' Garment Association of New York (7 years).
Executive Director of Infants' and Children's Wear Code Authority, N.R.A. (during the life of the N.R.A.).
Member of Executive Committee of Trade Association Executives of New York City.
Member of arbitration panel of New York State Board of Mediation.
Impartial Chairman, Corset and Brassiere Industry of New York City (International Ladies Garment Workers Union).
1940-1947 Commissioner of Conciliation in the U.S. Department of Labor.
August 22, 1947 to August 21, 1948 employed by Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, U.S. Government, Washington, D.C.
Arbitrator for American Arbitration Association.
d. possibly in middle or late 1950's.
Author: Management - Union Arbitration, A Record of Cases, Methods and Decisions. New York: Harper and Row, 1948.
[source: Who's Who in Labor, 1946.]
Series List
- Series I. Minor Arbitration Proceedings and Related Documents (22 boxes)The material in this series consists of a large number of disputes between labor and management in which Maxwell Copelof served as arbitrator. The material in the folders includes memoranda, formal complaints by unions and formal responses by management, some correspondence and holographic notes taken during the arbitration proceedings. The material covers the years between 1940 and 1954.
- Series II. Major Arbitration Proceedings and Related Documents (25 boxes)The material in this series consists primarily of records of major arbitration proceedings in which Maxwell Copelof served as arbitrator. The material includes typed transcripts of arbitration proceedings and briefs submitted both by management and by labor. The material covers the period roughly between 1940 and 1954.
- Series III. Correspondence and Miscellaneous Papers (10 boxes)The material in this series consists mostly of correspondence between Maxwell Copelof and leaders of labor and management. This professional correspondence relates primarily to disputes in which Copelof served as arbitrator. Important correspondents include Dr. J.R. Steelman, head of Conciliation Division of the Department of Labor in the late 1940's and early 1950's. The correspondence spans the period from 1940 to 1954.
- Series IV. Biographical and Other Miscellany (2 boxes)
The material in this series consists primarily of biographical and other miscellany of Maxwell Copelof, business and personal invoices and records of their payment, holographic notes, deeds, memoranda, and reports prepared for Copelof, some personal correspondence such as letter of recommendation, and a dittoed arbitration handbook. The material spans the years between 1920 and 1950; most of it dates from the 1940's and 1950's.
Physical Location
Harvard Depository
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Contact Curator of Modern Manuscripts and Archives.
Processing Information
Prepared by John J. Feeney, Jr. in February, 1975.
- Title
- Copelof, Maxwell. Papers, 1940-1954: Finding Aid.
- Author
- Harvard Law School LibraryCambridge, MA 02138
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- law00098
Repository Details
Part of the Harvard Law School Library, Historical & Special Collections Repository
Harvard Law School Library's Historical & Special Collections (HSC) collects, preserves, and makes available research materials for the study of the law and legal history. HSC holds over 8,000 linear feet of manuscripts, over 100,000 rare books, and more than 70,000 visual images.
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