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Addition 2

 Series
Identifier: Series 9

Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

The Harry G. Guthmann Papers, comprising ten boxes, are arranged in seven main subseries: biographical material; business investments files; correspondence; teaching material; research material; speeches; and writings. Arrangement within each subseries is basically chronological.

The biographical material includes curricula vitae, research reports, several partial bibliographies, and newspaper clippings.

The business investments files consist primarily of material documenting Guthmann's dealings with a small company named Snap Products (1946-1950) and with a Mexican gold mining concern, Yecorato (1932-1941). The latter material includes detailed descriptions of the mine and its activities and a good portrait of the entrepreneur William N. Albee.

The correspondence deals mainly with Guthmann's work as a consultant, writer, and teacher. The correspondence with Bion Howard reflects some of Guthmann's views on touring Europe in 1962. The two folders relating to the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association include letters in which Guthmann makes detailed recommendations regarding TIAA's investment programs and procedures.

The teaching material includes reading lists, exams, notes, and a few student papers. Some of the materials, including the four folders pertaining to the Regulatory Commission Development, concern Guthmann's teaching at the continuing education level.

The research material relates to Guthmann's activities as a consultant and as an expert witness before various courts and congressional committees. The material should prove useful for students of tax determination and valuation procedures. The cases dealing with American Telephone and Telegraph, the Chicago Traction Companies, Consumers Power Company (Michigan), various cooperatives, Kohler, the Leschen Rope Company, the Pennsylvania and New York Central Railroad merger, and the Alexander J. Shamberg Estate are especially important.

The writings include, for the most part, manuscript drafts and correspondence. Most concern articles by Guthmann; there is little relating to his books. The folder on plagiarism deals with O. Paul Decker's Corporation Finance and Investments, published in 1941 by the American Institute of Banking, and Guthmann and Dougall's Corporate Financial Policy. The case was settled out of court in favor of Guthmann and Dougall.

Dates

  • 1909-1981

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

There are no restrictions on use of the materials in the department for research; all patrons must comply with federal copyright regulations.

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is stored at a remote campus location and requires two business days advance notice for retrieval. Please contact the McCormick Library at specialcollections@northwestern.edu or 847-491-3635 for more information or to schedule an appointment to view the collection.

Extent

From the Collection: 15.00 Boxes

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Processor

William K. Beatty, October-November, 1983.

Conditions governing access

None.

Separated materials

A folder of charts from the fourth edition of Financial Analysis has been placed with the oversized materials. An 8x10 photograph of the teachers and students at the Public Utilities Executive Course in 1957 has been placed in Guthmann's file in the photograph collection.

Acquisition information

This addition is composed of materials donated to the University Archives by Mrs. Harry G. Guthmann on January 28 and July 8, 1983, as accession nos. 83-8 and 83-108.

Description of the addition

The materials in this addition have been arranged in four categories: correspondence, teaching files, publications, and general files. The correspondence pertains primarily to articles and books written by Guthmann. Some letters concern his teaching, consulting, and research. The teaching files contain small amounts of notes and problems for some of his courses at the University of California as well as at Northwestern. There are also notes, problems, supporting materials, and programs for Guthmann's popular seminars for the National Association of Regulatory and Utility Commissioners, Public Utility Executives, and the University of Windsor. Most of the addition (3 1/2 boxes) comes from his publications, primarily the revising and additions for the fifth edition of Guthmann and Herbert Dougall's Corporate Fiscal Policy. The fifth edition was written by Guthmann, Sidney Jones, and Peter Dietz but was not published. A typical folder for a chapter includes some of the following: notes, pages from the previous editions pasted onto 8 1/2 x 11″ sheets and edited, one or more revisions by Guthmann, new material (either in longhand or typewritten), and a draft from one of the other authors. The general files include one of Guthmann's student papers, “Effect of the Unstable Dollar on Accounting Reports,” and a bound carbon copy of his doctoral dissertation, “The Relation of the Maturity Factor to Yield Differences Among Investment Securities.” The final folder contains his consulting report, “An Analysis of Financing Possibilities for Transcontinental & Western Air, Inc., for the period 1944-1954.”

Library Details

Part of the Northwestern University Archives Repository

Contact:
Deering Library, Level 3
1970 Campus Dr.
Evanston IL 60208-2300 US
847-491-3635