Finding aid for the Joseph William Shiffman Papers

Biography of Joseph William Shiffman

Joseph William Shiffman (1891-1967) was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on December 18, 1891. He graduated from Central High School in 1909, and then worked for three years as a telephone line installer and trouble-shooter for the Ohio Bell Telephone company before entering the Case School of Applied Science in 1912. While a student at Case, Shiffman was employed by the Cleveland Telephone Company as an instructor in electricity and telephone engineering. After graduating in 1916 with a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering, he was appointed city electrician by Cleveland Mayor Harry Davis, a position he held for two and a half years.

In 1924 Shiffman established the Telephone Construction Company which became the Bell Electric Company several years later. Although he was a founder of the company, he chose to draw a wage and remain part of the company's labor force rather than become a management officer. In 1935 Shiffman purchased the outstanding interest in the company, becoming sole owner. Although the owner of this firm, Shiffman was an active member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). He joined the union in 1916 and served as its president from 1927-1931. Shiffman retired in 1956 and moved to Vista, California, where he had maintained a second home for several years.

Beginning in 1942, Shiffman petitioned each branch of the United States military in an attempt to enlist. In each case he was turned down because of his age. In 1943 he was sent to Hawaii as a civilian electrician with the Civil Service, and in May of that year he was unexpectedly commissioned as a lieutenant in the United States Navy at the age of fifty-one. He served for two and a half years and was discharged in October 1945. Despite several physical problems stemming from an injury incurred while in the Navy, Shiffman remained an officer in the Naval Reserve. He died in Vista, California, on January 3, 1967.

Scope and Content

The Joseph William Shiffman Papers, 1923-1975 and undated, consist of correspondence, military service applications, medical records, discharge affidavits, agreements and arbitrator's decision relating to the IBEW and Bell Electric Company, legal briefs for Bell Electric Company vs. Ohio Bell Telephone Company, time books of Telephone Consultation Company, newspaper clippings, transcripts, birth certificate, receipts, commencement program, amendment to wills, death notices, and other miscellany.

The bulk of the records relate to Shiffman's attempts to enlist in the military during World War II and his ultimate separation from active duty in the service. The papers include applications, letters of recommendation, medical reports, and discharge affidavits and documents. One folder contains family correspondence, primarily between Shiffman and his children while he was living in California. Included is a National War Labor Board arbitrators decision in favor of the Ohio Federation of Telephone Workers and the Ohio Bell Telephone Company in a dispute with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers over exclusive telephone installation privileges in Cleveland. The dispute stemmed from a 1924 verbal agreement between Ohio Bell and IBEW that allegedly granted the union this right. This collection will be useful to researchers studying the history of business and organized labor in Cleveland, Ohio, particularly in the telecommunications industry. It will also be useful to researchers studying the history of World War II.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Access

None.

The researcher should also consult MS 4502 International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 1377 Records.

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 3939 Joseph William Shiffman Papers, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio

Acquisition Information

Gift of Mrs. Ruth Gardocki in 1982.

Processing Information

Processed by Scott Cline in 1983.

Detailed Description of The Collection