Liggett Family Papers
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Abstract
Walter William Liggett (1886-1935), American author, journalist and political activist from Minnesota, worked at several newspapers in New York City before becoming a free-lance writer. In New York, he worked for a succession of papers, including the Times, Sun, Post, News, and the Socialist publication, The Call. His writing career began during World War I at local papers-the Pioneer Press, Minneapolis Journal , and St. Paul Dispatch. In 1932 he returned to his home in Minnesota. A large portion of his time was spent promoting the Minnesota-based populist reform movement of the 1920s known as the Farmer-Labor Party, and working on publications for a Farmer-Labor newspaper, the Midwest American. On December 9, 1935, Liggett was gunned down in front of his wife and daughter in Minneapolis after exposing a connection between local organized crime and Floyd B. Olson, the progressive Farmer-Labor governor of Minnesota. In 1998, Marda Liggett Woodbury published an account of Liggett's life and assassination in a book titled Stopping the Presses: The Murder of Walter W. Liggett. The bulk of the collection includes material related to Marda Liggett Woodbury's research on the life and assassination of her father, Walter Liggett. The material consists of newspaper clippings, research files, and interviews. The collection also includes some family papers and photographs and published writings of Liggett's mother, Edith Fleischer Liggett.
Historical/Biographical Note
Walter William Liggett (1886-1935), American author, journalist and political activist from Minnesota, worked at several newspapers in New York City, including the New York Times, Sun, New York Post, Daily News, and the Socialist publication, The Call, before becoming a free-lance writer. His writing career began during World War I at local papers: the Pioneer Press, Minneapolis Journal, and St. Paul Dispatch. In 1932 he returned to his home in Minnesota. A large portion of his time was spent promoting the Minnesota-based populist reform movement of the 1920s known as the Farmer-Labor Party, and working on publications for a Farmer-Labor newspaper, the Midwest American. On December 9, 1935, Liggett was gunned down in front of his wife and daughter in Minneapolis after exposing a connection between local organized crime and Floyd B. Olson, the progressive Farmer-Labor governor of Minnesota. In 1938, his widow, Edith Fleischer Liggett, sued Comprodaily Inc., the holding company that published the Communist Party newspaper, the Daily Worker, for libel. The prosecuting Attorney was Thomas E. Dewey, the district attorney of New York. After five years Edith Liggett won a judgment of $2500. In 1998, Marda Liggett Woodbury published an account of Liggett's life and assassination in a book titled Stopping the Presses: The Murder of Walter W. Liggett.
Scope and Contents note
The bulk of the collection includes material related to Marda Liggett Woodbury's research on the life and assassination of her father, Walter Liggett. The material consists of newspaper clippings, research files, and interviews. The collection also includes some family papers and photographs and published writings of Liggett's mother, Edith Fleischer Liggett.
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Donors
Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Any rights (including copyright and related rights to publicity and privacy) held by the Liggett family were transferred to New York University in 2008 by Mark Walter Evans. Permission to publish or reproduce materials in this collection must be secured from the Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archive. Please contact tamiment.wagner@nyu.edu.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by Mark Walter Evans in 2008. The accession number associated with this gift is 2008.054.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Much of the collection is in poor condition and in need of re-housing, and thus may not be available for use.
Audiovisual Access Policies and Procedures
Audiovisual materials have not been preserved and may not be available to researchers. Materials not yet digitized will need to have access copies made before they can be used. To request an access copy, or if you are unsure if an item has been digitized, please contact tamiment.wagner@nyu.edu with the collection name, collection number, and a description of the item(s) requested. A staff member will respond to you with further information.
