Bernard Goodman Papers
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Abstract
Bernard Goodman (1910-2003), was a tenants' rights activist in New York City and a Congressional candidate of the Tenants Party. This collection contains papers related to 206-212 East 17th Street, Goodman's residence, and the successful struggle he waged to retain rent stabilization and to turn the building into a tenant cooperative letters to the editor, papers from the Lower Manhattan East Tenants Association, material on the Tenants Party, the tenants' movement rent strike of 1976, and various other social justice and tenant organizations. The collection also includes material from groups addressing the issue of peace and Vietnam. The collection includes organizational and legal records, clippings, correspondence, printed ephemera, several photographs and a large Tenants Party ballot poster.
Historical/Biographical Note
Bernard Goodman (1910-2003) was a Trotskyist, a merchant seaman in his early twenties and an assistant to the president of the Seafarers International Union of North America before he became involved in NYC tenant issues at the end of the 1960s. In the early 1970s he mounted a campaign as the candidate of the newly organized Tenants Party for the Congressional seat held by Ed Koch. He did work on behalf of tenants for the Legal Aid Society and as a volunteer at the Chelsea Action Center, a housing action group.
Arrangement
Papers in this collection have been arranged alphabetically and by subject.
Scope and Contents
This collection contains papers related to 206-212 East 17th Street, Goodman's residence (where he also maintained his painting studio), and the successful struggle he waged to retain rent stabilization and to turn the building into a tenant cooperative (court documents, correspondence, press releases, hearings before the House Development Association), letters to the editor, papers from the Lower Manhattan East Tenants Association, material on the Tenants Party, the tenants' movement rent strike of 1976, and various other social justice and tenant organizations. The collection also includes printed ephmera from groups addressing the issue of peace and the Vietnam War. The collection includes organizational and legal records, clippings, correspondence, hearings, printed ephemera, several photographs and a large Tenants Party ballot poster.
The collection also contains materials related to a 1946 seamen's strike including minutes from a Seafarers International Union strike committee meeting, minutes from a National Maritime Workers' general membership meeting, strike bulletins, and newspaper clippings.
Subjects
Organizations
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Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright to materials in this collection created by Bernard Goodman was not transferred to New York University. Permission to use materials must be secured from the copyright holder.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date; Bernard Goodman Papers; TAM 201; box number; folder number; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by Bernard and Pauline Goodman in 1990 and 1997. The accession number associated with these gifts is 1997.074.
Appraisal
No materials were separated from this collection.
About this Guide
Processing Information
One box of Bernard Goodman's papers were processed in 2009. These materials have been arranged alphabetically. Two additional unprocessed boxes were included in the collection in 2014. These materials have been grouped by subject.
