Carl B. Hess Papers
Call Number
Date
Creator
Extent
Language of Materials
Abstract
Carl B. Hess (1912-2011) graduated from Dartmouth College in 1934 and was the founder and Chairman Emeritus of AEA Investors, working primarily with private equities. This collection contains research and staff interview transcripts related to the 1993 AEA Investors corporate history book Profit with Honor, written by Hess' brother John D. Hess. Business and personal correspondence in this collection dates from the 1920s to 2010s, and includes appointment books from the 1940s to 2011, as well as alphabetical office Rolodex cards. Files and interview transcripts related to the 2005 book Dilworth Here, a tribute to Hess' friend J. Richardson Dilworth, are in this collection. Personal files include Hess' artwork in the form of drawings, ink sketches, and cartoons, as well as documentation from experiences in high school and Dartmouth College the 1920s and 1930s, including class papers, ephemera, and publications.
Biographical Note
Carl B. Hess (1912-2011) graduated from Dartmouth College in 1934. He became the director of development at Cresap, McCormick, and Paget, a management consultant firm, until he moved on to the American Securities Corporation. In 1968 he co-founded the private investment firm, AEA Investors. Hess remained as chairman and president AEA until 1989. From 1989 until his retirement in 2000 he served as chairman of AEA's executive committee.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in three series:
Series I. Correspondence
Series II. Personal
Series III. Professional
The files within the series are arranged chronologically, with materials grouped by subject and arranged chronologically within.
Scope and Contents
This collection contains the personal and business files accumulated by Carl B. Hess from the 1920s to 2011. The collection includes his personal and business correspondence dating from the 1920s to the 2010s, and his datebooks and contact Rolodex cards dating from the 1950s to the 2010s. Material specifically documenting Hess's work in the private equity sector includes a small amount of files on the founding of AEA Investors, as well as his brother John D. Hess' work files and executive interview transcripts for the AEA corporate history book, Profit with Honor. Files on some of his earlier positions at other companies in the 1950s and 1960s are also in this collection. Hess' artwork was created during the 1920s and 1930s for his high school's publications and event posters, and later for Dartmouth College publications and sports event programs. Dartmouth College ephemera from the early 1930s and work files and interview transcripts related to the book Dilworth Here are also in this collection.
Subjects
Organizations
People
Topics
Donors
Conditions Governing Access
Access to Box 49 is restricted until 2036. The remaining materials in the collection are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Any rights (including copyright and related rights to publicity and privacy) held by Carl B. Hess were transferred to New York University in 2011 by Ludmila Hess. Permission to publish or reproduce materials in this collection must be secured from the New York University Archives. Please contact the University Archives, special.collections@nyu.edu, 212-998-2596.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date; Carl B. Hess Papers; MC 229; box number; folder number or item identifier; New York University Archives, New York University.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Material was donated by Ludmila Hess, 2011.
Appraisal
In 2021 four manuscript boxes of material belonging in other collections were reviewed by the University Archivist, removed, and either shredded or added to the appropriate collection.
Material related to existing company records, personal financial information, and some personal correspondence were removed from the collection.
About this Guide
Processing Information note
Previous to 2021, the collection was partially processed by several different staff members over a period of several years. As such, the original order has been lost. Folder titles are not original, as Hess did not supply titles for many of the folders. A large amount of materials were not foldered but placed into boxes when transferred to University Archives. Folder titles were created based on contents of the folders.
In 2021, materials were placed in new acid-free folders when necessary, removed from their record cartons, and placed in manuscript boxes. Oversized material was unfolded and placed in appropriately sized folders and flat boxes.