Philadelphia County Board of Assistance records on employees dismissed for alleged Communist affiliations
Collection 1361
1940-1942(1.2 Linear feet ; 4 boxes)
Table of Contents
Summary Information
- Repository
- The Historical Society of Pennsylvania
- Creator
- Gibson, James. E.
- Creator
- Philadelphia County Board of Assistance.
- Title
- Philadelphia County Board of Assistance records on employees dismissed for alleged Communist affiliations
- ID
- 1361
- Date
- 1940-1942
- Extent
- 1.2 Linear feet ; 4 boxes
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Cary Majewicz
- Language
- English
- Abstract
- The Philadelphia County Board of Assistance (PCBA) was created in 1937 under policies established by Pennsylvania’s Board of Public Assistance and Department of Public Welfare. These two entities supervised and regulated the county boards, which attended to the social welfare and financial needs of their respective populations. In October and November 1941, the PCBA dismissed some of its employees due to their alleged connections to and affiliations with the Communist Party. Several dozen discharged employees subsequently filed appeals—transcripts from these hearings make up the bulk of this collection. Between November 1941 and April 1942, these hearings were held before a reviewing board of the PCBA, which was chaired by W. W. Montgomery and whose members included Charles M. B. Cadwalader, Joseph E. Beck, Boyd L. Spahr, and James Edgar Gibson. Also present were William C. Ferguson, special counsel for the Department of Public Assistance, and other lawyers for various appellants. In addition to chronologically arranged hearing transcripts, there is a 1940 Report of Assembly Relief Investigating Committee [California] (Box 1), an early finding of facts report (Box 1), and a similar report of findings with conclusions (Box 4).
Preferred Citation note
Cite as: [Indicate cited item or series here], Philadelphia County Board of Assistance records (Collection 1361), The Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
Administrative Information
Publication Information
The Historical Society of Pennsylvania , July 2009
1300 Locust StreetPhiladelphia, PA, 19107
215-732-6200
Conditions Governing Use note
The collection is open for research.
Immediate Source of Acquisition note
Gift of James E. Gibson, 1943.
Collection Inventory
| Box | Folder | |||
|
Report of Assembly Relief Investigating Committee [California] (1940) |
1 | 1 | ||
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Pennsylvania County Board of Assistance findings of fact report (circa 1941) |
1 | 1 | ||
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Letter to James E. Gibson (3 Dec. 1941) |
1 | 2 | ||
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Hearing transcript, pages 1-745a (20 November-20 December 1941) |
1 | 2-8 | ||
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Hearing transcript, pages 746-1600 (7 January-3 February 1942) |
2 | 1-8 | ||
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Hearing transcript, pages 1601-2814 (5 February-18 March 1942) |
3 | 1-14 | ||
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Hearing transcript, pages 2815-3340 (20 March-30 April 1942) |
4 | 1-7 | ||
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“Findings of fact and conclusions of law with briefs in support of the same” (1942) |
4 | 8 | ||
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