Scope and Content Note
The papers of Lewis Baxter Schwellenbach (1894-1948) span the years 1916-1958, with the bulk of the material concentrated in 1934-1948. The collection is composed primarily of speeches, writings, and newspaper and magazine clippings, supplemented by correspondence and miscellaneous material. The papers are arranged in five series: General Correspondence , Correspondence of Ann Duffy Schwellenbach , Speeches and Writings File , Scrapbooks , and Miscellany .
The General Correspondence is small and fragmentary as much of Schwellenbach’s personal correspondence was destroyed. However, the Speeches and Writings File , the Scrapbooks series, and the clippings file in Miscellany bridge many of the gaps in the collection.
The General Correspondence series highlights Schwellenbach’s career as a federal official. As a United States senator from Washington state, he served constituents by his involvement with legislation affecting the fishing and lumber industries. Letters from the 1930s also outline his views on the survival of democracy in Spain and the prevention of the rise of fascism as espoused by Adolph Hitler and Benito Mussolini. The correspondence includes numerous letters from President Franklin D. Roosevelt during Schwellenbach’s years in the Senate and reflects Roosevelt’s consideration of Schwellenbach for a Supreme Court justiceship and his appointment of Schwellenbach as a federal district court judge. The General Correspondence also documents Schwellenbach’s relationship with Harry S. Truman, both in the period when he served as a district judge in Washington state and during his tenure as Truman’s secretary of labor.
The Correspondence of Anne Duffy Schwellenbach consists almost entirely of condolences on the death of her husband. One folder does include a few personal letters, as well as information concerning the disposition of some of her husband’s personal papers. The Speeches and Writings File treats Schwellenbach’s federal career and diverse political and social concerns. His 1935 role as a member of the “Young Turks” in the Senate, where his friendship with Harry S. Truman first blossomed, is demonstrated by his opposition to Huey Long for his disruptions of Senate operations by use of the filibuster. Also in the Senate, Schwellenbach expounded his views on the Spanish Civil War and, as late as 1939, he pleaded for American neutrality in any future European war. He predicted problems with Japan, particularly because of American policies with respect to the sale of scrap iron.
In his speeches and writings during his years as a federal judge, Schwellenback expressed warnings over the damaging effects of anti-alien legislation on civil liberties and democracy. As secretary of labor, he focused on the transition from a war-based to a peacetime economy. The rights of the handicapped and veterans were also a topic of importance, and the Scrapbooks series and clippings in the Miscellany touch on his opposition to the U. S. Labor Management Relations Act (Taft-Hartley Act) of 1947.
The scrapbooks and clippings in the collection relate mainly to Schwellenbach’s senate career and as secretary of labor, but treat other parts of his career as well. Material in these files concerning his tenure as a judge is sparse. Of particular interest in the labor files are his confrontation with labor strikes, his campaign to outlaw the Communist Party, and effectiveness and influence in relation to White House adviser John R. Steelman.
Also in the clippings file of the Miscellany series is biographical information, including a copy of Schwellenbach’s Senate voting record and eulogies and other material relating to this death.
In addition to Presidents Roosevelt and Truman, prominent correspondents include Frank T. Bell, John Nance Garner, and Cordell Hull.