Edwin P. Kilroe papers
Call Number
Date
Creator
Extent
Language of Materials
Abstract
The collection holds the papers of Edwin P. Kilroe (1882-1953) representing his academic career (especially at Columbia University); athletics (especially wrestling at Columbia); family history and connections to Wayne County, Pennsylvania; involvement with a broad range of organizations, such as the Catholic Writers Guild, New York City Democratic Party clubs (i.e., Tammany Hall), historical societies, lawyer bar associations, and others; cattle breeding at the Kilroe Farm in Tanners Falls, Pennsylvania; and work in the Office of New York County District Attorney Edward Swann from 1916-24; and more. There are a small number of documents related to Kilroe's work as an attorney for Twentieth Century-Fox Films in the 1930s-40s, but with a rich set of scripts, photographs, posters, and publicity material for four of the studio's films: "Greenwich Village," "Sweet Rosie O'Grady," "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling," and "Wilson."
Biographical / Historical
Edwin Patrick Kilroe was born April 19, 1882, in Tanners Falls, Wayne County, Pennsylvania. (His birth year seems to be in some dispute. Columbia University uses 1880 for his collection there. Some newspaper accounts from the early 20th century refer to 1883. A biographical note written by Kilroe himself in 1911 in connection with his application for admission to the Pennsylvania bar refers to 1882.) Edwin's mother was Sarah Doherty Kilroe (1859-1928), who was born in County Sligo in Ireland and emigrated to the United States as an infant with her parents in 1861. Her parents settled at Tanners Falls, establishing a farm there (an online map from the time shows the family name as "Dougherty") that would remain in the family through Edwin's lifetime (it is now the site of a Himalayan Institute). Edwin's father was John Charles Kilroe (1853-1902), also an Irish immigrant. Sarah and John married in the late 1870s. They were both, apparently, Catholic, as was Edwin, who retained his connections to Catholicism and Catholic institutions throughout his life, including (to name just one example) as a member of the Catholic Writers Guild from the 1920s and an officer in the 1930s-1940s. Sarah and John had twelve children and Edwin seems to have been the eldest.
Edwin attended schools in Wayne County, graduating from Honesdale High School. In the late 1890s, Kilroe moved to Jersey City to live with his uncle while attending schools in New York, which included Packards Business College, Paine's Business College, New York Preparatory School, and Dwight School for Boys. Graduating from Dwight in 1900, he then entered Columbia College, receiving his A.B. degree in 1904. Continuing at Columbia, he earned a Masters in 1905 and his law degree in 1906. He received his Ph.D. in 1913 from Columbia for which he wrote a thesis on Tammany Hall ("Saint Tammany and the origin of the Society of Tammany, or Columbian order in the city of New York"). Kilroe was athletic, playing football in high school and wrestling (among other sports) at Columbia. Among many interests, Kilroe maintained connections throughout his life as an alumni of Columbia and its wrestling team, of which he was an organizer and coach during his student years.
Kilroe was admitted to the New York bar in 1906 and formed the partnership Kilroe & Swarts (likely Louis E. Swarts) in 1907, located at 5 Beekman Steet in New York City. During these years he became an active member of the Democratic Party, holding a seat on the New York County Committee and various offices for the Minnetonkah and Monangahela Democratic clubs. In 1911, it appears he considered relocating to Scranton, Pennsylvania, and applied for admission to that state's bar. Kilroe was eventually admitted in 1915 but he did not relocate, continuing to practice law from the Beekman Street address, though no longer in partnership with Swarts. In late 1915, he applied to Edward Swann, the New York County's Attorney General-elect, for a position, and he was hired as Deputy Assistant District Attorney. He held that position from January 1916 through 1917, when he was promoted to Assistant District Attorney.
In the D.A.'s Office, Kilroe was involved in the prosecution of many cases. Among them were investigations in 1918 into charities fraud, which would lead to hearings before the U.S. Senate, and into theatre ticket speculation. In late 1920, he faced charges of corruption for conspiring with Louis Swarts and others to decline to bring Napoleon Arthur Bourassa up on bigamy charges. Kilroe retained the support of his boss, Swann, in the matter and seems eventually to have been found not guilty of the charges. Kilroe's compiled list of cases show a gap for 1921-22, while he was on trial, but back on the job in 1923. He resigned from the District Attorney's Office in 1924, returning to private practice. At that time he assisted in the compilation of "A History of Tammany," published by the New York County Democratic Committee.
By 1929, Kilroe was hired into the legal department of Fox Film Corporation. In a 1935 merger, the company became known as Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation. Kilroe was briefly a director of the company in the early 1940s, but his overall role in the company seems to have been as an intellectual property rights attorney. He may have left the company in the mid-late 1940s, but remained at least an advisor to it.
In 1942, Kilroe donated over 100,000 documents he had amassed concerning Tammany to Columbia University. In 1944 and at various times afterward, he also donated much of his personal papers (the present collection) to New-York Historical Society (he was a member). Some of the documents in this collection bear Kilroe's "Tammaniana" collection label. (See box 15 for a list compiled by Kilroe of the institutions he donated material to, through 1948.) He retained his connections to the family farm and his youth in Honesdale, collecting historical materials about it, forming a Wayne County Society in New York City, and being engaged in cattle breeding. At least some of the related material is in the N-YHS collection. Edwin Kilroe died in 1953.
(The above note was based primarily on documents in the collection, and some on-line documents.)
Arrangement
The collection was inventoried in December 2021-January 2022 as it was removed from shelves and packed for offsite storage. Accordingly, the container list is presented as a list of contents by box. During the inventory and packing, an attempt was made to keep related materials together but this was not always possible because of the varying sizes of the content and difficulty in identifying related materials across the shelves in a compressed timeframe. Generally, bound volumes of documents appear first in the container list with accordion folders of documents later, but this was not consistently adhered to when the collection was inventoried and packed.
Scope and Contents
The Edwin P. Kilroe papers hold a sprawling array of scrapbooks, original correpondence, photostat copies of historical and family documents, ephemera, clippings, publications, photographs, and other materials related to the diverse career, life and interests of Kilroe. Several members of his family are also well-represented in the collection, perhaps especially his mother, Sarah Doherty Kilroe, and his brothers, who served in the military in World War I and World War II.
Edwin's student years and alumni connections, especially with Columbia College and University, are reflected in publications, school notes, photographs of his wrestling team, alumni support, and more. Kilroe's lifelong connection with his birthplace in Wayne County, Pennsylvania is found throughout the collection, in volumes of historical documents, letters with religious figures from the area, the maintenance of the family farm, cattlebreeding later in life, and more.
The collection holds several volumes of scrapbooks of Kilroe's mother, Sarah, labeled as holding "postcards." In addition to postcards, these often hold greeting cards and other ephemera and memorabilia. Edwin similarly maintained such scrapbooks or accordion folders of cards, ephemera, programs, and the like. Kilroe was a member of a large number of organizations (a list he compiled in 1944, found in box 43, goes on for 12 pages), and the collection includes ephemera, cards, programs, correspondence, etc., related to many of these organizations. These range from political to literary, from religious to legal, from historical societies to athletic, and more. A descendant of Irish immigrants, many documents reflect Kilroe's interest in Irish-American history.
Kilroe's career in the 1910s leading to his appointment as Assistant District Attorney for New York County is documented in a volume of letters and other material (see box 28). His career in the D.A's Office seems to be represented here mostly though scrapbooks and clippings of particular cases, such as the war charities investigation and a so-called "poison pen" matter. His trial on charges of conspiracy not to prosecute a bigamy case is well-documented, as is his resignation in 1924 as Assistant District Attorney.
Kilroe's later career as counsel for 20th Century Fox Film Corporation is only lightly represented. But there is a rich set of scripts, photographs, posters, and publicity material for four of the studio's films of the 1940s: Greenwich Village (featuring Carmen Miranda and Don Ameche), Sweet Rosie O'Grady (featuring Betty Grable and Robert Young), When Irish Eyes Are Smiling, and [Woodrow] Wilson.
The collection has not been processed and the above note and container list is based principally on the labels on the volumes and folders placed by the donor, with some direct observation by the archivist. Container list entries in "quotations" are taken from the labels. The volumes sometimes hold original documents, sometimes photostats, and sometimes a mix; which was present was noted at points by the archivist, but no comprehensive attempt was made to determine and document that here for the entirety of the collection.
Subjects
Organizations
Families
Genres
Topics
Access Restrictions
Materials in this collection are stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.
Use Restrictions
Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff. Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.
Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions
Preferred Citation
The collection should be cited as: Edwin P. Kilroe papers, MS 3125, New-York Historical Society.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Edwin P. Kilroe in at least two accessions, 1944 and 1950. A small accession of certificates and bookplates given by Kilroe in 1940 to the Wayne County Historical Association was donated by that organization to N-YHS in August 2022 and added to this collection.
About this Guide
Processing Information
The collection was inventoried and a finding aid prepared by archivist Larry Weimer in December 2021-January 2022. The documents in the collection are housed in large part within bound volumes or original accordion folders, all of which were labeled or inscribed with their subject content and, often, dates by the donor. The container list relies principally on these outer labels, with limited direct observation by the archivist. Minimal physical processing was done with the collection. This is most noticeable in the accordion folders, which seem well-organized by subject by the donor but remain as received, often crammed thickly with correspondence and other documents. Several framed items in the collection were unframed and a few fragile artifacts were bubble-wrapped.
Repository
View Inventory
Sarah Doherty Kilroe postcards (5 volumes), 1908-1925, inclusive
Sarah Doherty Kilroe postcards and snapshots (4 volumes); Edwin Kilroe postcards (3 volumes), 1905-1926, inclusive
Scope and Contents
The box holds:
* Sarah Kilroe "postcards, 1908-25" (1 volume), and "snapshots, 1905-26" (3 volumes)
* Edwin Kilroe "postcards, 1906-20" (3 volumes)
Sarah Doherty Kilroe postcards, etc. (3 volumes), 1904-1928, inclusive
Scope and Contents
The box holds:
* "Postcards, 1926-28" (1 volume)
* "Receipts and miscellaneous, 1904-17" (1 volume)
* Condolences re: Sarah's death on December 16, 1928 (1 volume)
Various (6 volumes), 1918-1940, inclusive
Scope and Contents
The box holds:
* Sarah Doherty Kilroe scrapbook of "general/clippings, 1918-28" (1 volume)
* Edwin Kilroe "snapshots, 1919-26" (1 volume), and "postcards, 1920-29" (2 volumes)
* "Mary E. Kilroe condolences," died October 3, 1927 (1 volume)
* "Maude V. Kilroe condolences," died december 23, 1940 (1 volume)
Cards (2 volumes), 1910-1917, 1939-1944, inclusive
Cards and scrapbook (2 volumes), 1905-1934, inclusive
Scope and Contents
The box holds:
* Scrapbook of "miscellaneous and personal and family, 1905-23" (1 volume)
* Cards, 1929-34 (1 volume)
Cards and scrapbook (2 volumes), 1929-1940, inclusive
Scope and Contents
The box holds:
* Scrapbook "personal & professional" 1929-40" (1 volume)
* Cards, 1934-37 (1 volume)
Various (6 volumes), 1867-1950, inclusive
Scope and Contents
The box holds:
* "Kilroe Farms, Tanners Falls, Penn, Deeds to Patrick H. Doherty, 123 acres," 1867, 1872 (1 volume)
* "Kilroe Farm (pictures, correspondence, news items, advertisements), 1939-50" (this is the first of a two volume set; the second volume is in box 9)
* "Mansfield family clips, 1890-1942, and McCabe execution clips, 1887" (2 volumes, relates to families in Pennsylvania)
* Scrapbook "personal & professional, 1938-40" (1 volume)
* Folder of "reproductions of noted paintings." This holds an assortment of pictorial works, some of artworks, but all generally featuring women, especially of cartoons with sexual innuendo and of other images typically associated with so-called men's magazines, such as Esquire. Similar material is also found in box 46.
Various (3 volumes), 1921-1950, inclusive
Scope and Contents
This box holds:
* "Kilroe Farm (pictures, correspondence, news items, advertisements), 1939-50" (this is the second of a two volume set; the first volume is in box 8)
* Scrapbook of "menus, programs, miscellaneous (personal)," 1921-1930s (1 volume)
* Cards, 1937-39 (1 volume)
Scrapbooks (3 volumes), 1910-1924, 1936-1940, inclusive
Scope and Contents
This box holds 3 scrapbooks of:
* "Personal & Miscellaneous, 1910-24"
* "Family & local, 1936-37"
* "Political poetry, 1936-40"
Prayer books; Artifacts, 1880s-1920, inclusive
Scope and Contents
This box holds:
* Many small prayer books from various family members, including Sarah and Edwin Kilroe, circa 1880s-1920s
* 2 woodcuts of Edwin Kilroe's bookplates by L.J. Bray, 1905-06
* Medals, lapel pins, and similar small items, generally related to various organizations. One medal dates from 1920 and reads "The Giants bid you welcome to the Polo Grounds."
Various (9 volumes), 1867-1944, inclusive
Scope and Contents
This box holds:
* Scrapbook of "miscellaneous personal, 1918-26" (1 volume)
* "Scrapbook of Mrs. Elizabeth Kehoe, 1899-1944" (1 volume, photostats)
* "Kilroe -- Correspondence 1916-March 1, 1944 re: Origin of the name -- family history," (2 volumes)
* "The Bennett Farm, Dyberry Township, Wayne County, Pennsylvania," 1940s (1 volume)
* "Michael Norton (1839-1889)" (2 volumes of photostats re: Norton, a New York politician connected to Tammany Hall). See also box 29.
* "A History of Ireland," circa 1867 (2 volumes), purchased by Patrick H. Doherty (Sarah Kilroe's father)
Various (7 volumes), 1899-1944, inclusive
Scope and Contents
This box holds:
* Scrapbook re: "Wayne County, Pennsylvania, Society in New York City," 1906-13 (2 volumes)
* Scrapbook of Mrs. Elizabeth Kehoe, 1899-1944 (1 volume)
* "Kilroe Farm; Mary Doherty vs. Sarah Kilroe, pleadings, testimony (1913)," (1 volume)
* "Correspondence: Family genealogy, District Attorney's office, personal, 1919-24" (1 volume)
* "Horace G. Young prizes -- announcements, papers, etc. 1910-17" (1 volume)
* Scrapbook,"The Night of the Big Wind in Ireland, January 6, 1839" (1 volume of photostat clippings)
Correspondence (6 volumes), 1897-1941, inclusive
Scope and Contents
This box holds:
* Edwin's "personal correspondence and memoranda, 1897-1941" (4 volumes)
* "McCarthy -- Doherty -- Kilroe families correspondence, 1898-1919" (2 volumes)
Various (9 volumes), 1800s-1946, inclusive
Scope and Contents
This box holds:
* "Correspondence re: Richard Knight, attorney, December 10, 1940-October 31, 1941" (1 volume)
* "Commendations (letters, resolutions, editorials), 1904-46" (1 volume)
* Edwin's lists of "Donations to libraries, 1931-48" (1 volume)
* "Scrapbook of Sarah Doherty Kilroe," 1800s-1928 (1 volume)
* "Mary McCarthy -- Patrick H. Doherty family -- history & anecdotes, 1811-1941" (1 volume)
* Kilroe correspondence. This is a copy of one of the 4 volumes found in box 14.
* Scrapbook "crime wave" clippings, 1926-28 (1 volume)
* Listings in city directories of 1814-1938 re: Kilroe family history (1 volume)
* "Doherty vs. Catskill Cement Co., 1907-18, pleadings, decisions, correspondence" (1 volume)
Various (6 volumes), 1917-1930s, inclusive
Scope and Contents
This box holds:
* "Farm items (general)," 1930s (1 volume)
* "Kilroe Farm. Tanners Fall, Pennsylvania, History of title to the lands, deeds & assignments" (1 volume)
* "District Attorney's Office clippings, 1917" (2 volumes)
* "District Attorney's Office correspondence: Mitchell slush fund, war charities frauds, theatre ticket speculation, 1917-19" (1 volume)
* "Wall Street investigation, 1919-20" (1 volume)
District Attorney's office clippings (4 volumes), 1917-1920, inclusive
Various (3 volumes), 1881-1929, inclusive
Scope and Contents
This box holds:
* "District Attorney's Office scrapbook, 1921-29 (1 volume)
* "Bookplates & clippings, 1881-1917" (1 volume)
* Scrapbook re "general clippings, 1908-1920s" (1 volume)
"The Kilroe Case" (6 volumes), 1920-1921, inclusive
Scope and Contents
This box holds 6 volumes of clippings, correspondence, exhibits, and other documents related to the 1920 indictment of Kilroe on charges that he conspired to not prosecute Napoleon Bourassa on bigamy charges.
Various (7 volumes), 1901-1930s, inclusive
Scope and Contents
This box holds:
* "People vs. Kilroe. Printed papers on appeal, 1921" (4 volumes)
* "Activities of the Almirall Grand Jury, 1919-21" (1 volume)
* "Kilroe resignation as Assistant District Attorney, December 31, 1923" (1 volume)
* Scrapbook "legal humor, poetry, 1908-1930s" (1 volume)
Various (5 volumes), 1909-1924, inclusive
Scope and Contents
This box holds:
* Scrapbook re: "legal opinions, letterhead, miscellaneous, 1901-1930s" (1 volume)
* "Claim of Edwin P. Kilroe against City of New York, 1923-24" (1 volume)
* "The Matter of EPK (Poison Pen Case), 1924" (1 volume)
* "People vs. George Maxwell ('Poison Pen' letters, minutes, etc.), 1923" (1 volume)
* "Monongahela Democratic Club, 19th Assembly District, NY. Campaign literature, forms, circulars, 1909-17" (1 volume)
"Almirall Grand Jury" clippings (1 volume), 1919-1921, inclusive
Columbia University publications, 1893-1948, inclusive
Scope and Contents
This box holds:
* "The Morningside," Volumes 1-8 dating 1896-1903 (in 5 bound volumes)
* "Columbia Literary Monthly," Volumes 1-12 dating 1893-1903 (in 7 bound volumes)
* Bulletin re: residence halls (1911-12)
* List of student organizations, athletics (1903-04)
* "History of Columbia College Class of 1920, Senior Year Book"
* Columbia University club booklet, 1947
* Columbia football season program, 1948
Columbia University publications, 1904-1916, inclusive
Scope and Contents
This box holds:
* "Columbia Monthly" Volumes 1-7 dating 1904-09 (in 6 bound volumes)
* "The Dorms" volumes 1-10 dating from 1906-16
* "Dynamite" 1 issue from March 1916
* "Challenge" 2 issues from 1916
The last three bulleted items together in 4 bound volumes.
Columbia University publications; Kilroe school notes, 1893-1910, inclusive
Scope and Contents
This box holds:
* Columbia publication "The Columbian Jester" Volumes 1-8 dating from 1901-08 (in 3 bound volumes)
* Columbia publication "Alumni News" Volume 1 only dating from 1909-10 (in 1 bound volume)
* "Notes. Scholastic--Academic. Bookkeeping, Civics, History, Geometry, 1895-96, 1897-98" (1 volume)
* "Notes. Scholastic. Chemistry. Dwight School, NYC, 1899-1900" (1 volume)
Kilroe school notes, 1895-1906, inclusive
Scope and Contents
This box holds:
* "Notes. Scholastic. Bookkeeping, 1893-94, 1897-98" (1 volume)
* "Notes. Academic. Literature, Civics, Physics, Chemistry, 1895-96, 1899-1901" (1 volume)
* "Notes. College. History A & History I, 1900-02" (2 volumes)
* "Notes. Columbia College. Essays, English, Miscellaneous Notes, History I, 1900-03" (1 volume)
* "Notes. College-Law. Economics, Diplomacy, Criminal Law, 1903-04" (1 volume)
* "Notes. Law School. Property, Contracts, Criminal Law, Taxation, 1903-06" (1 volume)
* "Notes. Law School, 1904-06 (1 volume)
Scrapbooks (6 volumes), 1907-1920, inclusive
Scope and Contents
This box holds 6 scrapbooks:
* "Programs, souvenirs, menus, 1907-13"
* "Menus, programs, souvenirs, 1908-18"
* "Menus, programs, souvenirs, 1918-20"
* "Menus & correspondence, 1918-24. L.L. [Lora Lieb]." This volume holds memorabilia, etc. from events attended with actress Lora Lieb.
* "Menus [& programs] C.E.P. [C. Ethel Peckham], 1917-23." This volume holds memorabilia, etc. from events attended with Ethel Peckham. See also box 55.
* "My First Voyage [to Europe]" and "Execution of the Gun-Man" 1914. Different topics in 1 volume. "Voyage" relates to Kilroe's business trip to England, and the volume includes his summary for context. "Execution" includes clippings related to the execution of Francesco Cirofici (a/k/a "Dago Frank"), which Kilroe attended as a witness.
Various, 1832-1948, inclusive
Scope and Contents
This box holds:
* Scrapbook "My Second Voyage. France and the Battlefields, 1919" (2 volumes). Along with various memorabilia/ephemera, the volumes hold some photographs, especially of post-World War I Verdun.
* "Pennsylvania Bar (1915); District Attorney's Office (1916)," 1912-16 (2 volumes). Original documents tracing Kilroe's progress at joining the bar and then his early career as Assistant District Attorney under New York County District Attorney Edward Swann.
* Booklet "Charter of Society of Friendly Sons of St. Patrick in New York" (1832)
* Booklet "By-laws of St. Patrick's Society of Portland" (1860)
* 3 books by John H. Dooley, inscribed: "Good living," "Verses concerning the American and Irish Republics," and "Songs of a priest." (1926)
* Book "God's little acre" by Erskine Caldwell (1934)
* Book "American armies & battlefields in Europe" (1938)
* Book "Focus" by Arthur Miller (1945)
* Book "Raintree County" by Ross Lockridge (1948)
* Book "The Gilded Hearse" by Charles O. Gorham (1948)
* Book "Delaware & Hudson Canal History" (1950)
Various, 1922-1938, inclusive
Scope and Contents
This box holds:
* "Michael Norton (1839-1889). Biography, clippings, miscellaneous items, research" (5 volumes, compiled 1938). See also box 12.
* "Book of the bench and the bar," undated (circa 1913?) with biographies of New York State lawyers and judges, including Kilroe on page 189
* "References to opinions, January 14, 1907-July 1, 1933." List of opinions rendered in cases Kilroe was involved with in his career as private attorney, in public office and with Fox Film Corporation. Compiled by Kilroe and seems intended as an index to volumes with underlying documents but, if so, those are not in the collection.
* Notebook with alphabetical list by name of country houses. 1922. It is not clear how this fits with the collection, and there is no explicit reference to Kilroe in it, so it may have gotten mixed in by mistake over time.
World War I era scrapbooks, 1900-1919, inclusive
Scope and Contents
This box holds scrapbooks with "War records" of Thomas Francis Kilroe and James Vincent Kilroe (Edwin's brothers). Holds cards, menus, orders, correspondence (including letters home to their mother). 3 volumes + an envelope of documents.
World War I era books and other documents, 1914-1920, inclusive
Scope and Contents
This box holds:
* World War I sheet music and ephemera, circa 1917-20
* Serial publication "Deeds that thrill the empire," Parts 1-7, circa 1916-18, published in London by Hutchinson & Co.
* Issue of magazine "La rire," circa 1914 (in French)
* Issue of "Comoedia illustre," December 1913 (in French)
* 6 issues of "Book News Monthly," (1915)
* Book "History of the 77th Division" (1919)
* "The Plattsburger" [military training camp yearbook-like publication], circa 1917
* Packet of photographs labeled on envelope as "German war pictures seized July 18, 1918". Most are not captioned. Some taken by International Press Exchange. Photos of troops, officers, hospitals, etc.
* Memorandum book of Thomas Kilroe re: World War I service
* Notebook of Thomas Kilroe. This pertains to his work as electrician for Edison Company.
* 9 small military instruction manuals, 1914-17
* Carbon copy of "registration list of all males registered on June 5, 1917 between the ages of 21-30 inclusive" [in Wayne County, Pennsylvania]
Documents re: 20th Century Fox Film Corp., 1930-1940s, inclusive
Scope and Contents
This box holds:
* Photographs: many still shots and publicity shots from 4 movies: "Wilson," "When Irish eyes are smiling," "Greenwich Village," and "Sweet Rosie O'Grady"
* Scripts for "Greenwich Village": "Shooting final" (10/19/43) and "Continuity & dialogue taken from the screen" (8/21/44)
* Scripts for "When Irish eyes are smiling": "Revised temporary," stamped "final" (2/3/44) and "Continuity & dialogue taken from the screen" (10/18/44)
* Scripts for "Sweet Rosie O'Grady": "Shooting final" (2/19/43) and "Continuity & dialogue taken from the screen" (10/1/43)
* Scripts for "Wilson": "4th revised shooting final" (11/13/43) and "Continuity & dialogue taken from the screen" (9/11/44)
* Correspondence re: copyright of the title "The Arizona Kid" (1930)
* Correspondence re: degree of fact and fiction in E.E. Hale's "A man without a country" (1943)
* Miscellaneous letters, press releases, news items, etc. re: 20th Century Fox (1940s)
Accordion folders. Letters A-E, 1941-1948, inclusive
Scope and Contents
This box holds:
* Folder A: "Greeting cards--holiday cards, menus and programs, 1944, 1945"
* Folder B: "Greeting cards--holiday cards, 1946-October 15, 1948"
* Folder C: "Correspondence: Mr. Everly (1941); Mabel Walker Willebrandt (1941); Backus; Prices at Sale (July 22, 1944); Holstein-Friesian World (August 1, 1942); Price slips of purchases made by Edwin P. Kilroe; Carnation herd, catalogue, correspondence, statements of Mabel Walker Willebrandt (1941-1947)" Generally, this appears to relate to Wayne County, the farm, and cattle breeding.
* Folder D: "Clergy-masses; Reverend Peter S. Kane; 40th anniversary of Kane (June 22, 1948); Order of the Cenacle (1948); Bishop's Committee of the Laity (1942-48)"
* Folder E: "Trip to Chicago-American Bar Association (September 1944); Lenox Hill Hospital (1946); Trip to Cuba (February 9-26, 1947); Trip to Sarasota, Florida (January 2-February 5, 1948)" The Cuba trip likely refers to his interview with Ernest Hemingway on a 20th Century Fox legal matter, but there appears to be no relevant documents here except for trip vouchers and the like.
Accordion folders. Letters F-J, 1941-1950, inclusive
Scope and Contents
This box holds:
* Folder F: "Reverend James M. Kilroe Papers--Correspondence." This folder relates to farm history.
* Folder G: "Sister Sylvia, Marywood College (1941-[1950])"
* Folder H: "American Irish Historical Society; Society of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick; United States Catholic Historical Society; Newman Club; Catholic Press Association; Catholic Club of the City of New York. (1944-October 15, 1948)"
* Folder I: "American Bar Association; New York State Bar Association; New York County Lawyers Association; Association of the Bar of the City of New York; Pennsylvania Bar Association; Wayne County, Pennsylvania, Bar Association" (1944-October 15, 1948)"
Accordion folders. Letters K-N, Q, 1930s-1948, inclusive
Scope and Contents
This box holds:
* Folder K: "Knights of Columbus" 1944-October 15, 1948
* Folder L: "The Grand Street Boys Association" 1944-October 15, 1948
* Folder M: "New York Athletic Club" 1944-October 15, 1948
* Folder N: "Columbia Law News, April 1947-September 1948; Grand Jury panel, Volume 23, No. 1, January 1945; William A. Hildebrand's Jenny Lind collection, correspondence [1930s]." This last concerns Kilroe's attempt to help acquire the Lind collection for a Swedish-American Historical Society.
* Folder Q: "Columbia University, Columbia U. Club, Alumni Associations" (1944-October 15, 1948)
Accordion folders. Letters O, P, U, 1938-1948, inclusive
Scope and Contents
This box holds 3 thick folders with documentation concerning farms and cattle breeding.
Accordion folders. Letters R-T and various other subjects, 1937-1948, inclusive
Scope and Contents
This box holds:
* Folder R: "Clippings, family and local (1937-October 1948)
* Folder S: "James V. Kilroe" (1946-48). Concerns James's candidacy for judicial positions, etc.
* Folder T: "Newspaper clippings, magazine articles, decisions re: Hines case, Moskowitz and Schenck trial" (1939-October 8, 1944)
* Files from 1948-1950: "Columbia Law; Grand Jury Panel; New York Athletic Club; Knights of Columbus; and Grand Street Boys Association"
Accordion folders. Various subjects, 1927-1928, 1940s, inclusive
Scope and Contents
This box holds:
* "Catholic Writers Guild" (1940s)
* 4 folders re: World War II: Lieutenant Colonel Dr. John C. Kilroe "correspondence from war theatres"; "Colonel Robert H. Kilroe [Edwin's brother] correspondence, cards, souvenirs from battlefronts, North Africa, Sicily, Italy"; leather billfold from Italy, gift from Robert to Edwin, with letter about economic conditions in Italy (1944); "Correspondence from the camps and battlefields of World War II: Dr. Abeloff, Dr. Handelman, Bob Brock, Arnold J. Bernstein, Bill Bratter, William T. Powers"
* Sarah Doherty Kilroe (died 12/16/1928) and Mary E. Kilroe (died 10/3/1927) "newspaper clipping and receipts"; carbon copy of condolence letters re: Sarah
Accordion folders. Various subjects, 1866-1950, inclusive
Scope and Contents
This box holds:
* "The Bennett farm, costs, sales, 1941-1947"
* "The Great Flood in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, May 22-23, 1942, newspaper clippings"
* "40th anniversary of Rev. Peter S. Kane, June 22, 1948"
* "Honesdale, Bethany, Wayne Co: Newspapers, clippings, maps, miscellaneous items, Dyberry School #3, McCabe execution"
* "E.A. De Laney, obituary, July 1947"
* "Fire loss on the McCormick-Deering International combine and threshing machine" (1946)
* "Farms on road leading to Kilroe Farm, acreage, owners, description"
* "Religious prejudice in school system, Wayne County, Pennsylvania. Dispute with Superintendent Koehler. Gravity School--Protestant or Catholic" (1915-17)
* "United Nations report on traffic in women and children, 1948"
* "The Fenian attack on Canada." This includes an original copy of an August 29, 1866 Canadian newspaper
* "Wayne County, Pennsylvania, Society of New York, Horace G. Young Prize, Letter from Robert G. Hone" (1910-14)
* "Wayne County, Pennsylvania, Society of New York" (1911-12)
* Columbia University Alumni Association and Wrestling, 1948-1950
Accordion folders. Columbia University, 1902-1940s, inclusive
Scope and Contents
This box holds:
* Columbia calendars, circa 1902-14
* Other Columbia subjects include wrestling, alumni associations, Democratic Club, Hall committees (1910-11), University Club
Accordion folders. Numbered I-XI, 1900s-1940s, inclusive
Scope and Contents
This box holds:
* Folder I: "Book-plates (1915-29); Brothers of the Book (1916-23); American Book-Plate Society (1916-23); Bibliophile Society (1916-23)"
* Folder II: "New York Law Institute (1909-14); Pacific Athletic Club (1897); St. Peter's Sodality Lyceum (1899); St. Bridget's Catholic Club (1902); West Side Democratic Club (1912-29); Sherry Democratic Club (1911); Direct Primary League (1910); Napper Tandy Club (1909); Erigena Society (1915); American Commission on Irish Independence (1920); Loyal Order of Moose (1909); Ancient Order of Hibernians (1911); Veteran Corps 69th Regiment (1919)"
* Folder III: "Speakers Bureau, Tammany Hall (1908-29); New York Young Democratic Club (1915-29); National Democratic Club (1019-29)"
* Folder IV: "City Club (1916-29); Academy of Political Science (1912-29); Penn. Society; Modern Woodmen of America"
* Folder V: "Society of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick" (1930s-40s)
* Folder VI: "Newman Club; Marquette Club; Catholic Press Association; Catholic Club of the City of New York; United States Catholic Historical Society; American Irish Historical Society" (1900s-40s)
* Folder VII: "New York Athletic Club" (1920s-30s)
* Folder VIII: "National Geographic Society; New York State Historical Society: New York Historical Society; Honesdale Golf Club"
* Folder IX: Four lawyer/bar associations (1920s-40s)
* Folder X: "Knights of Columbus, 1902-29"
* Folder XI: "Catholic Writers Guild" (1930s-40s)
* "Dwight School" (1930s-40s)
Theatre programs and greeting cards, 1919-1944, inclusive
Scope and Contents
This box holds unbound theatre programs (1919-30s) and greeting cards, valentine's, etc. (1940-44).
Various, 1910-1949, inclusive
Scope and Contents
This box holds:
* Greeting cards, 1948-49
* Membership cards, 1930s-40s, and Kilroe's compiled, lengthy list of memberships, 1894-1944
* Ephemera, 1910-20s
* Photostats of letters and copies of table of contents of various bound volumes in the collection
* Booklet of Kilroe's lecture on copyright legislation, 1944
* Correspondence, personal (District Attorney's Office), 1920-23
* Kilroe case documents/Almirall grand jury, 1922
* Tammany collection documents, 1920s
Scrapbooks, 1894-1940s, inclusive
Scope and Contents
One scrapbook that holds mostly clippings, with some correspondence and ephemera (1920s-40s) and one that holds extensive clippings of political parodies and satires (poems, songs, cartoons) and articles about political parodies performed by the Inner Circle, Gridiron Club, and other groups (1894-1936).
Various, 1918-1920, inclusive
Scope and Contents
This box holds documents related to the investigations into the war charities frauds and theatre ticket speculation, and pins, ribbons, and other similar small objects.
Pictorial works and cartoons re: women, 1930s-1940s, inclusive
Scope and Contents
This box holds an assortment of pictorial works, some of artworks, but all generally featuring women, especially of cartoons with sexual innuendo and of other images typically associated with so-called men's magazines, such as Esquire. Similar material is also found in box 8. There are also a number of books of photographs along the same lines: "Model beautiful"; "--Model poses"; "--Schonheit des korpers"; "Highlights & shadows"; "Enchanting beauty"; "Nus"; "French models."
Columbia University publication "Spectator", 1903 May-1906 June, inclusive
Columbia University publication "Spectator", 1906 September-1908 May, inclusive
Columbia University publication "Spectator", 1908 September-1910 January, inclusive
Columbia University publication "Spectator", 1910 January-1911 June, inclusive
Columbia University publication "Spectator", 1911 September-1913 June, inclusive
Columbia University publication "Spectator", 1912 September-1914 May, inclusive
Columbia University publication "Spectator", 1914 September-1915 May, inclusive
Photograph album. Oversize, circa 1890s-1920s, inclusive
Scope and Contents
The album holds cabinet cards, group portraits, and other photographic formats of Kilroe as a child, on Columbia wrestling teams, at organizational formal dinners, etc. The album is very large and heavy, requiring two people to handle.
Artifacts, 1907-1923, inclusive
Scope and Contents
This box holds:
* Golden Rule Alliance collection box, with some coins and related placard (in connection with war charities frauds)
* Cripples' Welfare Society collection box, with related placard (in connection with war charities frauds)
* Cased portrait drawing of an unidentified man
* Pin cushion
* Wooden bank
* "Four mementoes" re: expressions of friendship, 1907-23, at least two from "Ethel" (probably Ethel Peckham, see box 27)
Movie posters and publicity (Oversize), 1943-1944, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Oversize publicity pieces for "Wilson," "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling," "Greenwich Village," and "Sweet Rosie O'Grady"
Other oversize items, circa 1904-1925, inclusive
Scope and Contents
This box holds photographs and other oversize items. Most of these items were framed, but were unfraned for conservation. Frames were deteriorated and discarded.
* 3 photographs re: Columbia University: Class of 1904, Wrestling team (2), and a drawing and certificate re: basketball.
* Portait photographs of Lora Lieb (1914), Etta Mylotte(?) (1917), Eleanor Shaw (1919), Kathryn Breslin (1919), children from the Hull family (1925), August Mayer (inscribed), and several of Kilroe, likely from 1930s-40s. Also a panorama photo of the 11th annual banquet of the Wayne County Pennsylvania Society of New York at the Hotel McAlpin, February 8, 1917.
* 2 photos of a Buick car apparently damaged in an accident (1917).
* 4 photos of Kilroe's library at 408 Manhattan Ave. (undated)
* Letter complimenting Kilroe on success in getting a bill regulating speculation in theatre tickets (1918)
* 3 letters re: Kilroe's appointments to Deputy Assistant District Attorney and Assistant District Attorney (1916, 1918, 1923)
* 4 boards of mounted newspaper articles: Page from the New York Times of July 20, 1913, re: the history of Tammany Hall; clips re: Kilroe's book on Tammany, 1913; and 2 boards of clips of Kilroe accomplishments, 1913-1919
Certificates and acknowledgements, 1912-1930, inclusive
Scope and Contents
In August 2022, the Wayne County (Penn.) Historical Society (WCHS) donated the following items to N-YHS, which were added to the Kilroe papers. These items, at least in part, had been donated to WCHS by Edwin Kilroe in 1940.
* Certificate, King's Crown, Columbia College, undated. Signed by Kilroe as Secretary
* Certificate, National Minute Men Committee of the Democratic National Committee, member, 1912
* Certificates of election to Democratic Party county committee, 1912, 1919
* Certificate of admission to bar of U.S. District Court at New Haven, Conn., 1914
* Certificate, New York County Lawyers Association membership, 1915
* Notice of membership, New York State Historical Association, 1917
* Certificate, National Geographic Society membership, 1918
* Certificate, Mayor's Committee of Welcome to Home-coming Troops, member, 1918-19
* Certificate, Knights of Columbus life membership, 1925
* Certificate of admission to the bar of U.S. District Court for Southern District of New York, 1930
* Two bookplates designed by Kilroe for his library, 1915, 1920