Finding aid for the Peter Witt Papers

Biography of Peter Witt

Peter Witt (1869-1948) was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on July 24, 1869 to Christopher Witt and Anna Probeck Witt. He received only five years of formal schooling. He began working as a printer's devil in 1882, and then he entered the metal trades as a moulder, became involved in union activities, and after a strike, was blacklisted in his trade.

He soon became interested in politics and was active in the Populist Party when he first met Tom L. Johnson in 1894. The two men became good friends and Witt was closely allied with Johnson when the latter was may of Cleveland from 1901-1910. Witt first ran a tax school for the city and then became city clerk, serving in this capacity from 1903-1910. During the mayoral administration of Newton D. Baker, he was the traction commissioner from 1912-1915 where he worked closely with the Van Sweringen brothers. He ran for mayor of Cleveland in 1915 and 1932, and for governor of Ohio in 1928, but was unsuccessful in each case. He served on Cleveland city council from 1924-1927. On the national level, Witt actively campaigned for William Jennings Bryan, Robert A. LaFollette, and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

In Cleveland he played the role of gadfly, and his outspoken nature kept him in the public eye. He was a staunch defender of labor unions, engaged in frequent public appearances, where he often spoke on issues concerning public transportation, and he was involved in the controversy over the location of Cleveland's Union Terminal. Witt also served as a transit consultant for several major cities in the United States. Researchers should note that Witt delivered a speech entitled "Abraham Lincoln, the Man of Sorrow" at the Cleveland City Club in 1932 that was published in 1938. In 1939, he was active in the formation of the Lincoln Memorial Garden. Peter Witt died in Cleveland, Ohio, on October 20, 1948.

Scope and Content

The Peter Witt Papers, 1888-1948 and undated, consist of correspondence, speeches, articles, reports, campaign literature, notes, scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, caricatures, and phonograph records.

This collection will be useful to researchers studying the history of Cleveland, Ohio, and the public and political careers of Peter Witt in the first half of the twentieth century. The collection is not complete since Witt destroyed many of his papers before his death. The papers include much material from the period 1902-1910, however, relating to Witt's career as traction commissioner, as a public transportation consultant, and as a political figure. These papers also touch on Witt's labor union sympathies, the single-tax issue, Alfred E. Smith's 1928 campaign, the Cleveland Railway company, and the Cleveland Union Terminal. Also included are notes made by Louis Plost during interviews with Witt in the 1940s. Correspondents include a wide range of local and national political figures including Eugene V. Debs, Elizabeth J. Hauser, Tom L. Johnson, Brand Whitlock, and A. F. Whitney.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Access

None.

All photographs have been removed to the WRHS photograph and print collection.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects:

Preferred Citation

[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 3281 Peter Witt Papers, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio

Acquisition Information

Gift of Mrs. Stuart V. Cummins (daughter of Peter Witt) in 1967 and 1968.

Processing Information

Processed by Dennis I. Harrison in 1968.

Other Finding Aid

A list of major correspondents represented in this collection is available at the Reference Desk of the WRHS Research Library.

Detailed Description of The Collection