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Guide to the Papers of Henry Wise, 1941-2010
 
*P-944

Processed by Kelsey Sawyer

American Jewish Historical Society

Center for Jewish History

15 West 16th Street

New York, N.Y. 10011

Phone: (212) 294-6160

Fax: (212) 294-6161

Email: reference@ajhs.org

URL: http://www.ajhs.org

© 2013, American Jewish Historical Society, Boston, MA and New York, NY. All Rights Reserved.
Machine-readable finding aid created by Kelsey Sawyer as MS Word document, August 2, 2012. Finding aid was encoded by Christine McEvilly on October 4, 2012. Description is in English.

Descriptive Summary

Creator: Wise, Henry
Title: Henry Wise, Papers
Dates: 1941-2010
Abstract: Henry Wise was a Boston-area lawyer whose practice focused mainly on housing, fishing, and labor, three areas in which he crafted important local legislation. In 1942 he wrote to the Institute of Jewish Affairs, a research branch created by the American and World Jewish Congresses, inquiring after membership. The Institute of Jewish Affairs was made up primarily of scholars, who took a scientific approach towards researching Jewish life from the previous 25 years. They hoped to better understand the current situation for Jews by looking at how the events in Nazi Europe were able to occur, as well as create policies that would protect Jews in a post-war environment. When Wise became a member of the Board of Trustees for the Institute he received a number of materials pertaining to its activities.
Languages: The collection is in English.
Quantity: .25 linear feet (1 Manuscript Box)
Identification: P-944
Repository: American Jewish Historical Society
Location: Located in AJHS Boston, MA
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Biographical Note 1

Henry Wise was born in the South End of Boston on July 14, 1896. He attended Boston Latin and went on to graduate from both Harvard College and Harvard Law School. Following his graduation from law school in 1921, he practiced in the Greater Boston area for 30 years. In 1927, he married Pearl Katz. Throughout his career, he specialized mainly in the areas of housing, fisheries, and labor law. In the 1930s and 1940s, he served as vice chairman and chairman of the Cambridge Housing Authority, as well as vice chairman of the Cambridge Committee for Plan E, which played a key role in the adoption of the city manager form of government. Wise also represented the Atlantic Fisherman’s Union of Boston for 25 years, and in the 1950s, as their lawyer, he helped draft legislation for a tariff on the importation of fish products with the revenue in turn being used towards research on fish resources and conservation. He also served as general counsel for the Cambridge Police Association from 1967 until his death, during which time he drafted and lobbied into legislation a law that gave Massachusetts police officers the right to bargain.

In 1942, Wise contacted the Institute of Jewish Affairs expressing an interest in becoming a member and provide any services he might be able to render them. The Institute was established in New York on February 1, 1941 as a co-operative effort between the American Jewish Congress and the World Jewish Congress. Its purpose was to examine Jewish life during the preceding 25 years, with the hope that it would give a better understanding to the situation of Jews at that time. Made up of scholars, the Institute of Jewish Affairs conducted scientific investigations geared toward explaining recent events surrounding Jews and to form a policy to protect Jewish rights post-war. Wise became a member of the Board of Trustees of the Institute of Jewish Affairs and worked to help the Institute further their reach beyond New York through his own connections in Boston, Ohio, and Texas.

Henry Wise also became an instructor and professor of law at numerous colleges in the Boston area, including law at Suffolk University, labor law at Wellesley College, and economics at the New York School for Social Research in New York City. He died on January 1, 1989 at the age of 92 at his home in Cambridge.

Chronology
1896 Born in Boston’s South End on July 14th.
1918 Graduates from Harvard College.
1921 Graduates from Harvard Law School and subsequently begins practicing law in the Greater Boston area.
1927 Marries Pearl Katz.
1936-1941 Serves as vice chairman and chairman of the Cambridge Housing Authority.
1938 Serves as vice chairman of the Cambridge Committee for Plan E.
1942 Becomes involved with Institute of Jewish Affairs, serving as a member for the Board of Trustees.
1950s Works as a lawyer for the Atlantic Fisherman’s Union of Boston for 25 years.
1967 Serves as general counsel for the Cambridge Police Association until his death.
1989 Dies at his Cambridge home on January 1st.
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Scope and Content Note

The materials in this collection primarily date from 1941-1942 and relate to Henry Wise in his role as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Institute of Jewish Affairs. It contains correspondence between Wise and a number of prominent figures within the organization, as well as minutes, reports, and publications pertaining to the activities of the Institute. It also includes biographical information about Wise and obituaries.

Of note is correspondence including signed letters from Beryl Harold Levy, Horace Kallen, Dewey D. Stone, Lincoln Filene, and Charles E. Wyzgarski, Jr. Also of note are the minutes for the first meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Institute of Jewish Affairs, and pamphlets produced by the Institute on their program and issues from the Jewish Affairs monthly magazine. It is arranged alphabetically.

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Arrangement

The collection is arranged into a single series as follows:

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

The collection is open to all researchers by permission of the Director of Library and Archives of the American Jewish Historical Society, except items that are restricted due to their fragility.

Use Restrictions

Information concerning the literary rights may be obtained from the Director of Library and Archives of the American Jewish Historical Society. Users must apply in writing for permission to quote, reproduce or otherwise publish manuscript materials found in this collection. For more information contact:
American Jewish Historical Society, Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY, 10011
email: reference@ajhs.org

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Related Material

Papers of Dewey D. Stone, P-529, P-529A (AJHS Boston)

Records of the American Jewish Congress, I-77 (AJHS NY)

University of Southampton Libraries Special Collections, Records of the Institute of Jewish Affairs, GB 738 MS 237-41

American Jewish Archives, Records of the World Jewish Congress, No. 361

Yeshiva University Libraries, Institute of Jewish Affairs Report Collection, 1986.049

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Preferred Citation

Published citations should take the following form:
Identification of item, date (if known); Henry Wise, Papers; P-944; box number; folder number; American Jewish Historical Society, Boston, MA and New York, NY.

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Acquisition Information

Donated by Rebekah Sachs in 2012.

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Access Points

This collection is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.

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Container List

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

 

Series I: Henry Wise, 1941-2010.
English.
Box 1, Folders 1-5.
Arrangement:

Arranged by type of material.
Scope and Content:

See Collection Scope and Content Note.
Box Folder Title Date
1 1 Biographical Data 1989-2010
1 2 Correspondence 1942
1 3 Governance 1941-1942
1 4 Publications - Institute of Jewish Affairs Pamphlets 1941-1942
1 5 Publications - Jewish Affairs 1941-1942
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