Additional papers of Clara M. Beyer, ca.1900-1991

The additional papers of Clara Mortenson Beyer largely cover Beyer's professional activities, including as a consultant, advisor, and volunteer in the United States Department of Labor and other international development and political organizations. This collection also includes personal correspondence with colleagues and friends, and Beyer's children and grandchildren. In addition to correspondence, the collections contains reports, writings, statements, addresses, draft resolutions, speeches, clippings, photographs, and audiocassettes of interviews of Beyer and her colleagues and family. Any original folder titles appear in quotation marks; remaining titles were created by the archivist.

In 1979, a preliminary inventory was created for additional papers of Clara Beyer (accession #75-192--81-M133). In 2019, the archivist reorganized this early collection and incorporated materials from later accessions, creating a new finding aid which supersedes the original 1979 inventory. Prior to depositing her papers at the Schlesinger Library, Beyer sorted and organized some of her correspondence into envelopes, often with informational annotations. She may have done this work partially to assist University of Mississippi professor Meg Murray in her research. In the early 1980s, Beyer was the subject of a biography being prepared by Meg Murray under a grant by Radcliffe College.

Series I, BIOGRAPHICAL AND PERSONAL, ca.1900-1991 (#1.1-14.2, F+D.1, OD.1), contains extensive correspondence with family members, friends, colleagues, and acquaintances, scholars doing research on Beyer's life and work, organizations valued by Beyer, former employees and employers, and politicians Beyer supported. Many of Beyer's friends were from the world of government, politics, activism, and civil and women's rights. The correspondence is comprised of letters, holiday and birthday cards, invitations, postcards, as well as clippings and printed materials. Letters from Beyer's family include from her three sons: Donald Beyer Sr., who was an army officer and eventually owned and operated a chain of car dealerships in Virginia; Richard Beyer who was a sculptor who lived in Washington state and created public art installations; and commercial aviation consultant Morten Beyer who lived with his family in Saudi Arabia in the mid-1960s and worked for Trans World Airlines, Inc. (TWA). Correspondence topics include acknowledgments for gifts; family updates and life events; health updates; invitations to baby showers and weddings; general daily activities related to family and work; and professional and volunteer interests. Richard Beyer's letters also include updates related to his artwork and commissions.

Beyer had originally sorted and arranged some of her personal correspondence into envelopes by year. The archivist re-sorted much of the correspondence by last name to create an alphabetical list. In the archivist's effort to identify individuals, some names may have been missed or misfiled. Folders of letters from Beyer's children and grandchildren also include communication with spouses. Correspondence from family, friends, and colleagues, with no last names (#12.13-13.2) may include individuals also found in the alphabetical listing.

This series also includes publicity materials about Beyer; biographical writings; University of California commencement booklet (1915); Beyer's account of surviving an earthquake while on vacation in Guatemala in 1976; testimonials, letters, clippings, and photographs given to Beyer upon her retirement from government in August 1958; transcript of Beyer's memorial service (November 16, 1990); and Neighbors for a Better Community by-laws and statement of purpose. Beyer founded and directed Neighbors for a Better Community in the 1960s in order to help foster community building between the African-American and white residents in her neighborhood in McLean, Virginia. Series is arranged alphabetically.

Series II, PROFESSIONAL, 1925-1985 (#14.3-34.2), contains materials related to Beyer's advising, consulting, and volunteer work in international labor, foreign aid, and related work. Materials in this series include writings, reports, statements, addresses, draft resolutions, project files, correspondence and memos, speeches, material on foreign trips and conferences, as well as printed material, such as booklets and pamphlets related to women and/or labor in United States foreign aid.

The bulk of the files in this series relate to her role as a consultant in the United States Agency for International Development Office of Labor Affairs (1960s-1970s). Of particular note are Beyer's papers, such as memos, reports, and printed materials, related to her international travel. Beyer and Dr. Margaret F. Ackroyd were members of the women's affairs team of the United States Department of Labor. Together they traveled to several countries, including Japan, Korea, Thailand, and Iran under United States Agency for International Development funds. These were mostly study tours concerning the status of women and the role of women in social and economic development. Beyer and Ackroyd were particularly interested in the operation of women's bureaus or commissions, the development of labor laws to help eliminate discrimination based on sex, and in assessing the need for programs to improve the status of women. Ackroyd also served as consultant to the United States Department of Labor coordinating women's programs and advising developing countries on establishing programs for women in labor ministries. For additional correspondence with Ackroyd, see Series I (#7.4). This series also contains correspondence, directives, and reports related to Beyer's work proposing and supporting the Percy Amendment to the Foreign Assistance Act of 1973.

Other work documented in this series include Beyer's tenure as director of the Industrial Division of the Children's Bureau and as chair of the Federal Committee on Apprenticeship (1934-1941); as a member of the board of directors of the National Consumers League and the National Consumers Committee for Research and Education; her active planning and advising for International Women's Year, where Beyer was also one of the founders of the United States Center for International Women's Year; as a delegate for both the International Labour Organisation and the Organization of American States Inter-American Conference of Labor Ministers; as a technical assistance program advisor for the International Cooperation Administration; as a board member of the League of Women Voters Overseas Education Fund; and as a board member and chair of special committees for the Woman's National Democratic Club. Series is arranged alphabetically.

Series III, PHOTOGRAPHS, 1901-1974 (#PD.1-PD.7), includes images of Beyer at government events, including with Senator Charles H. Percy and family members at an Agency for International Development awards ceremony honoring Beyer. Also included is a photograph of Beyer at the Organization of American States regional seminar in Argentina on women's bureaus that Beyer coordinated. Series is arranged chronologically.

Series IV, AUDIOCASSETTES, 1979-1982 (#T-79.1; T-251.1-T-251.28), contains audiocassettes of events honoring Beyer and interviews conducted in the 1980s with Beyer, former colleagues, and family members. The interviews cover broad areas of Beyer's life including her career, education, marriage and family, relationships with other officials and colleagues, views on social and political issues, and her extensive career working for equitable labor laws and women workers. The bulk of the interviews were conducted by scholar and researcher Meg Murray. Also included is an interview by scholar Kathryn Kish Sklar. Series is arranged loosely chronologically. For additional interviews of Clara Beyer see also Schlesinger Library's Women in the Federal Government Oral History Project (OH-40).

A selection of photographs in this collection are or will be digitized and available online.