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Henry Walter papers

Call Number

MS 3016

Date

1950-2017, inclusive

Creator

Walter, Henry, 1927-2016

Extent

40.67 Linear feet in 35 record cartons, 8 document boxes and 1 oversize folder

Language of Materials

The documents in the collection are in English.

Abstract

The Henry Walter papers primarily include Walter's files as a speechwriter for New York City Comptroller (1970-1973) and Mayor (1974-1977) Abraham D. Beame. The files include drafts and final versions of speeches, messages to constituent groups, press releases, correspondence and memos, Beame's daily public schedules, event invitations and related background briefing notes, and other documents concerning public relations activities in Beame's office. The papers also include files related to Walter's work as Press Secretary for Robert Morgenthau's 1962 campaign for New York State governor and as the first Director of Public Information for the newly-formed New York City Department of Highways in 1963-1964. The papers also hold a broad range of New York City-oriented print matter, such as city government reports and local newsletters. Among these is a rich set of programs, seating charts and other documents ranging from 1956 to 2017 from the annual political parody show presented by the Inner Circle, an organization of New York City journalists and reporters.

Biographical/Historical Note

Henry (Hank) Walter (1927-2016) joined New York City Comptroller Abraham D. Beame's staff in September 1970 as Assistant to the Comptroller for Public Relations. In this capacity he wrote speeches for Beame, as well as press releases and messages to groups, and handled select correspondence on public relations matters.

After attending St. Joseph's College and Fordham University, and a stint in the Army, Walter's professional career began in 1953 as a copy boy with the New York World-Telegram. He became a reporter for the newspaper, first on civil service issues, then covering City Hall. He left the World-Telegram in August 1962 to become Press Secretary for gubernatorial candidate Robert Morgenthau. In January 1963, Walter became the first Director of Public Information for the newly-formed New York City Department of Highways. He left the Department in March 1964, joining WMCA Radio as Director of Editorial Research, and was later promoted to Director of Public Affairs for Straus Broadcasting Group, of which WMCA was a part.

Walter left WMCA in mid-1970 and was hired on to Beame's staff by his Executive Assistant, Dominick R. Peluso, who was a former reporter himself and knew Walter from their years on the City Hall beat for rival papers. Peluso left Beame's staff in January 1972 for a job with the Queens Public Administrator, and he was replaced by Ed Katcher, another former reporter. In November 1973, Beame won New York's mayoral election, and Walter stayed on as a speechwriter for Mayor Beame with the title of Special Assistant to the Mayor. In this position, Walter reported to Press Secretary Sidney J. Frigand and worked with other speechwriters and public relations staff, including the future Lincoln scholar, Harold Holzer.

Abraham D. Beame (1906-2001) was a graduate of the City College of New York and a Certified Public Accountant who began working for the city's budget bureau in 1946. Beame was first elected Comptroller in 1962. He left the office in 1965 to run for mayor on the Democratic Party ticket. He lost that election to John V. Lindsay, but returned to public service four years later in January 1970 upon his re-election as Comptroller. In the next election cycle, Beame again ran for mayor, winning this time. He was inaugurated on January 1, 1974. Although his mayoralty had moments of celebration, such as the events surrounding the 1976 Bicentennial of the United States' Declaration of Independence, Beame's tenure was marked more by fiscal crises (including the threat of bankruptcy), crime (including the Son of Sam serial murders), the failure to deliver basic services (including the power black-out of 1977), and other troubles. Beame ran for re-election in the mayoral campaign of 1977, but lost in the Democratic Party primary.

As Beame's days in office came to a close, Walter transferred in November 1977 to work as a speechwriter for Comptroller Harrison J. Goldin, a position he held until 1989 when Goldin left the Comptrollership after a failed effort to win that year's mayoral election.

Arrangement Note

The collection is organized in five series:

Series I. Public Relations Files. Abraham D. Beame (1961-2000s, bulk 1969-1977)

Series II. Currently restricted

Series III. Public Relations Files. Other (1951-1993, bulk 1960s)

Series IV. Inner Circle Show (1956-2014)

Series V. Print Matter (1950-2001)

Scope and Contents Note

The Henry Walter papers primarily include Walter's working files from his years as an assistant for public relations matters, especially in connection with speechwriting, for New York City Comptroller (1970-1973) and Mayor (1974-1977) Abraham (Abe) D. Beame. The files include press releases, drafts and final versions of speeches/remarks, mayoral messages/greetings to constituent and other groups, daily press schedules, briefing memos on appearances (e.g., other attendees, important background information, logistics), invitations for Beame to attend events and programs or other documents related to those events, internal memos, city government agency reports, and other materials related to Beame's public appearances and communications. The collection also holds the public relations work Walter did for Robert Morgenthau during his campaign for New York Governor in 1962, the press releases Walter prepared for the newly-formed Department on Highways in 1963-1964, and other work Walter did in the 1990s.

The collection holds a rich set of documents related to the Inner Circle annual political parody show. These include programs for all years from 1956 to 1999 and many from 2001-2017, along with seating charts, invitations, tickets, and other documents. Finally, the collection holds an idiosyncratic mix of newsletters, newspapers, commemorative booklets, and other print material on economic, political and cultural matters from the 1950s to 2001.

The collection also holds Walter's files from his work from November 1977 to 1989 for Comptroller Harrison J. Goldin, but those files are not currently open to research in accordance with the conditions of the collection's donation.

Access Restrictions

Open to qualified researchers, with the exception of Series II. In accordance with the conditions of the donation, Walter's files concerning his work for Comptroller Harrison Goldin (Series II) are restricted at the present time.

Materials are stored offsite and advance notice is required for use. Please contact manuscripts@nyhistory.org prior to your research visit to coordinate access. Keep in mind that it will take between two (2) and five (5) business days for collections to arrive, and you should plan your research accordingly.

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 Note

This collection should be cited as the Henry Walter Papers, MS 3016, The New-York Historical Society.

Location of Materials

Materials are stored offsite and advance notice is required for use. Please contact manuscripts@nyhistory.org prior to your research visit to coordinate access. Keep in mind that it will take between two (2) and five (5) business days for collections to arrive, and you should plan your research accordingly.

Immediate Source of Acquisition Note

The collection was donated by Henry Walter's son, Paul A. Walter, in November 2015.

Collection processed by

Larry Weimer

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 15:51:06 -0400.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: English

Processing Information Note

The collection was processed by archivist Larry Weimer in 2017.

Repository

New-York Historical Society
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024