Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Herbert M. Faust Papers
Crocker, Judith A.
Faust, Herbert M. (salesman, manager)
NMAH.AC.0397
Archival Resource Key
1.5 Cubic feet
4 boxes
1918-1949.
Papers relate to Mr. Faust's diverse career, including information on advertising in the 1920s, including two marketing studies from 1920 1922 of Sabetha, Kansas; his War Production Board experience, 1943-1944, which demonstrates the magnitude of that operation, its contribution to the war effort, and the extensive involvement of the American public in the salvage effort; and correspondence relating to his employment with and retirement from the Mutual Broadcasting Company, 1945-1948. These papers constitute a personal record of a successful career which reached its peak with important wartime civilian service.
English
.
Arrangement
Divided into 3 series.
Series 1: Curtis Publishing Company, 1918-1943
Series 2: War Production Board, 1943-1944
Series 3: Mutual Broadcasting Company, 1945-1948
Scope and Contents note
These papers all relate to Mr. Faust's career and readily divide into three series: (1) his years with the Curtis Publishing Company, 1918 1943, which contains information on advertising in the 1920s; (2) his War Production Board experience, 1943 1944, which demonstrates the magnitude of that operation, its contribution to the war effort, and the extensive involvement of the American public in the salvage effort; and (3) correspondence relating to his employment with and subsequent retirement from the Mutual Broadcasting Company, 1945 1948. Some of his other papers undoubtedly became part of the final records of both the Curtis Publishing Company and the War Production Board. Mr. Faust's papers constitute a personal record of a successful career which reached its peak with important wartime civilian service.
Preferred Citation
Herbert M. Faust Papers, 1918-1949, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Terms Governing Use and Reproduction
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Immediate Source of Acquisiton
Collection donated by Judith A. Crocker, July 1, 1991.
Biographical/Historical note
Herbert M. Faust spent more than 24 years with the Curtis Publishing Company, from 1918 to 1943. Starting as a salesman in Chicago for Country Gentleman, a magazine published by Curtis, he later became manager of the Cleveland office of the Saturday Evening Post, manager of Curtis' Detroit Advertising Branch, and then manager of the New York Advertising Branch. His final position with the company was as Advertising Manager.
He left Curtis in September 1943 to join the War Production Board as a "dollar a year" man but was quickly transferred to the Federal payroll. The function of the War Production Board was to exercise general direction over the war procurement and production programs of all Federal departments and agencies. Mr. Faust served as Director of the Salvage Division of the War Production Board. During his tenure, there was a very heavy emphasis on paper salvage and much of the material in his papers relates to it.
In November 1944, Mr. Faust left the War Production Board to assume a position as manager of the central division of the Mutual Broadcasting System in Detroit, Michigan. He was employed there until his resignation in January 1949, following which he and his wife moved to California.
Ownership and Custodial History
Gift of Judith A. Crocker, Mr. Faust's granddaughter.
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Grace M. Angle, Archives Center volunteer.
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Broadcasting -- 1940-1950
advertising
Clippings
Correspondence -- 1930-1950
Market surveys
Kansas
Marketing
Sabetha (Kansas)
Scrapbooks -- 1900-1950
World War, 1939-1945
United States. War Production Board.
Saturday Evening Post.
Curtis Publishing Company.
Mutual Broadcasting Company.
Curtis Publishing Company
Series 1
Archival Resource Key
1918-1943
Scope and Contents
This series consists of records of Mr. Faust's years with Curtis Publishing, include interesting information about advertising in the late 1920s. Of special interest are two marketing studies, from 1920 and 1922, of Sabetha, Kansas, which was selected as being representative of the typical rural American town. The studies consist of a descriptive narrative, charts, maps, photographs, and a profile of the town's businesses and economic life.
Also of interest is a 1929 publication, commemorating the 200th anniversary of the
Saturday Evening Post. In addition to providing some historical information and explaining how the magazine is printed and distributed, this special publication documents the magazine's circulation and advertising revenue for 1928. It compares the total amount of advertising in the Saturday Evening Post with all other U.S. publications; lists the 100 leading companies in the nation that advertised and provides statistics on where they advertised, how much they spent on advertising, and what kind of advertising they did. In addition, it shows the total amount of advertising carried in the Saturday Evening Post compared to other publications, organized by category of firm that advertised (e.g., automotive, cameras, furniture, refrigeration, etc.).
In addition to career related items and a few personal mementoes, this series includes three issues of separate Curtis Publishing employee magazines (
Curtis Folks, September 1923; The Curtis Go Getter, December 1937; and The Curtisman, November 1944). Also included is a December 7, 1929 issue of the magazine advertised as "The Greatest Saturday Evening Post Ever Issued;" evidently, it was printed with new, 45 ton presses that allowed it to be run off in three weeks (whereas one old style flat bed press would have taken 75 years!).
Correspondence
1.1
Archival Resource Key
Employment
Archival Resource Key
August 10, 1918-December 4, 1918
1
1
Industrial Loans
Archival Resource Key
December 5, 1924-March 17, 1925
1
2
Promotions and Salary Increases
Archival Resource Key
January 12, 1925-August 10, 1937
1
3
Resignation and Severance
Archival Resource Key
September 7, 1943-December 23, 1943
1
4
Curtis Publishing Company Employee Magazines
Archival Resource Key
1923, 1937, 1944
1
5
Magazine and Newsclippings
Archival Resource Key
1
6
Sabetha Kansas, A 1920 Study
Archival Resource Key
1
7
Sabetha, Two Years Later
Archival Resource Key
1
8
Sabetha Herald Tribune, News Items
Archival Resource Key
June 10, 1920, July 1, 1920
1
9
Stock and Bond Transactions
Archival Resource Key
1
10
Miscellaneous
Archival Resource Key
1
11
The Saturday Evening Post
Archival Resource Key
December 7, 1929.
2
1
The Saturday Evening Post "The Advertising Department
Archival Resource Key
1929
2
2
War Production Board
Series 2
Archival Resource Key
1943 -1944
Scope and Contents
Series 2 concerns Mr. Faust's service with the War Production Board during World War II. Much of the extensive correspondence in this series relates to expressions of regret and goodwill concerning Mr. Faust's resignation from the War Production Board. Mr. Faust's personal activities in running the salvage effort are illustrated by records of speeches he gave, mementoes of luncheons and dinners at which he spoke, personnel papers, and a scrapbook of photographs and newsclippings of his "Trip to Region IX" in 1944. News clippings, press releases, and magazine articles (many authored by Mr. Faust), document salvage activities, as do a number of photographs of Mr. Faust and others involved with salvage operations, waste papers salvage activities, and scrap drives. Also included are newsletters and other publications produced for the salvage effort by both the War Production Board and the waste industry. There is also some statistical information regarding the salvage effort.
Appointment to War Production Board
Archival Resource Key
September 16, 1943-December 21, 1943
3
1
Personal
Archival Resource Key
September 13, 1943-June 24, 1944
3
2
Resignation, War Production Board
Archival Resource Key
Octobeer 23, 1944-December 7, 1944
3
3
Staff Departures
Archival Resource Key
September 27, 1944-October 27, 1944
3
4
Testimonial Dinner
Archival Resource Key
October 25, 1944-November 24, 1944
3
5
Miscellaneous
Archival Resource Key
February 11, 1944 -November 2, 1944
3
6
Broadway Matinee Radio Program
Archival Resource Key
March 26, 1944
3
7
Speeches, Herbert M. Faust
Archival Resource Key
3
8
Testimonial Dinner Mementoes
Archival Resource Key
November 6, 1944
3
9
Mailing Lists
Archival Resource Key
3
10-11
Personnel Papers, War Production Boar
Archival Resource Key
3
12
War Production Board Administration Items
Archival Resource Key
3
13
War Production Board Award to Curtis Publishing Company
Archival Resource Key
3
14
Miscellaneous
Archival Resource Key
3
15
Press Releases
Archival Resource Key
1944
4
1
Journal and Magazine Articles
Archival Resource Key
1944
4
2
Newsclippings
Series 3
Archival Resource Key
1943-1944
4
3
Herbert M. Faust, Photograph
Archival Resource Key
4
4
Other People, Photographs
Archival Resource Key
4
5
Waste Paper Collection, Photographs
Archival Resource Key
4
6
Memorial of A Trip to Region IX, Scrapbook of Photographs and News clippings
Archival Resource Key
1944
4
7
Salvage: A Manual for Volunteer Workers
Archival Resource Key
1943
4
8
Salvage News Letter
Archival Resource Key
1943
4
9
Democracy in Action: A Report of the American Industries Salvage Committee
Archival Resource Key
1945
4
10
Trade Journals
Archival Resource Key
4
11
Scrap Iron and Steel Statistics
Archival Resource Key
4
12
Waste Paper Statistics
Archival Resource Key
4
13
Mutual Broadcasting Company
Series 3
Archival Resource Key
1945-1948
Scope and Contents
This series consists of personal correspondence, 1945 1949, from Mr. Faust's employment with the Mutual Broadcasting System; most relates to his retirement and subsequent move to California.
Correspondence
Archival Resource Key
1945-1949
4
18