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COLLECTION Identifier: Mss:783 1912-1936

Felix M. Warburg papers

Overview

A segment of Felix M. Warburg's office files relating especially to his family and outside interests. Includes letters from Herbert Hoover, A. S. W. Rosenbach, and William Howard Taft.

Dates

  • Creation: 1912-1936

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research. Materials stored onsite. Please contact specialcollectionsref@hbs.edu for more information.

Extent

.75 linear feet (2 boxes)

The office files of Felix Moritz Warburg (1871-1937), a German born investment banker and philanthropist who came to the United States in 1894, contain material on secretarial work, payroll records of Warburg's domestic staff in 1919 and 1932, and personal correspondence with various women.

A considerable part of this collection is the work of Warburg's secretary, Miss Alice R. Emmanuel, who also served as secretary of the Executive Board of The American Friends of Hebrew University, Inc. Miss Emmanuel's work evidently gave her a substantial degree of authority and independence since she wrote and sent many letters under her own name. This was also true of two other secretaries represented in the collection, Julietta B. Kahn, Corresponding Secretary of The American Friends of Hebrew University, Inc. in 1932, and Frances A. Kellor, Secretary to the Executive Committee of the Inter-Racial Council in 1919.

The collection includes payrolls for Warburg's domestic staff at his residences in White Plains, New York for 1913, 1932 and 1935, and 1109 Fifth Avenue, New York City for 1913. There is also correspondence between Warburg and a number of his female relatives concerning their investments and charitable contributions, as well as a letter from a woman who appears to be a social worker, screening friends of Warburg's as prospective adoptive parents.

Biographical / Historical

Felix M. Warburg was a prominent investment banker and philanthropist. Born in Hamburg, Germany, Warburg came to the United States in 1894. From 1896 he was with the firm of Kuhn, Loeb & Company, New York. Warburg was an active supporter of various charities, including the New York Foundation, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee the Jewish Welfare Board, Institute of Musical Art, Teachers College, and the Jewish Theological Seminary. Warburg founded the American Friends of the Hebrew University in 1925 and served as its first president. Warburg married Frieda Schiff (1876–1958) on 19 March 1895 in New York, and they had four sons and one daughter.

Physical Location

MANU

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The Felix M. Warburg papers were transferred to Baker Library Special Collections from Widener Library, Harvard University in 1967.

Related Materials

Felix Moritz Warburg Papers, 1910-1937 at the American Jewish Archives at Hebrew Union Colege.

Processing Information

Processed: February 2018 By: Baker Library Special Collections Staff

Author
Baker Library
Description rules
dacs
Language of description
und
EAD ID
bak00429

Repository Details

Part of the Baker Library Special Collections and Archives, Harvard Business School Repository

Baker Library Special Collections and Archives holds unique resources that focus on the evolution of business and industry, as well as the records of the Harvard Business School, documenting the institution's development over the last century. These rich and varied collections support research in a diverse range of fields such as business, economic, social and cultural history as well as the history of science and technology.

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