| Repository: | Western Reserve Historical Society |
| Creator: | Scott, Frank A. |
| Title: | Frank A. Scott Papers, Series II |
| Dates: | 1894-1950 |
| Extent: | 3.00 linear feet (6 containers) |
| Abstract: | Frank A. Scott (1873-1949) was a Cleveland, Ohio, businessman and civic leader who was chairman of the Munitions Standards Board of the Council of National Defense and first chairman of the War Industries Board during World War I, as well as chairman of the board of Warner & Swasey Company. The collection consists of correspondence, biographical materials, diaries, personal mementos, speech texts, scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, manuscripts, and the diaries of his second wife, Faith Alice Fraser Scott, and her sister, Grace Fraser Waugh. The collection is useful for understanding Scott's personal and business life, including his activities at Warner and Swasey and his work as an administrator at the War Dept. during World War I. Included among the correspondents are Samuel Mather, Theodore Burton, Newton D. Baker, Francis F. Prentiss, and Ambrose Swasey. |
| MS Number | MS 4307 |
| Location: | closed stacks |
| Language: | The records are in English |
Frank Augustus Scott (1873-1949) was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of Robert and Sarah (Warr) Scott. He attended Cleveland Public Schools and received additional private tutoring from John H. Dynes of Western Reserve University. He began working at the age of eighteen as a stenographer for a railroad company. Through the years he moved into increasingly responsible positions and was Presidetn and Chairman of the Board at Warner and Swasey from 1920-1928. He also served on the board of directors for the Ohio Bell Telephone Company and for the Cleveland Trust Bank.
In addition to a successful business career, Scott was especially active in local civic, cultural, charitable, and educational institutions. He served as vice president of the Associated Charities and as treasurer and vice president of Lakeside Hospital. Scott played a leading role in the building fund drive for University Hospitals, and in 1928 became president of that institution. As a trustee of Western Reserve University and as a member of the Corporation of Case Institute of Technology, he attempted to achieve a merger of the two institutions. Scott was also active in the Cleveland Engineering Society, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and served as a trustee of the Central Armory. He was active in numerous Cleveland clubs. Scott was a receiver for both the Cleveland Municipal Traction Company and the Standard Parts Company.
Prior to the involvement of the United States in World War I, Scott had advocated a policy of military preparedness. In 1916 he became a member of the Naval Consulting Board of the United States. After America entered the war he served as chairman of the Munitions Standards Board of the General Munitions Board, and as first chairman of the War Industries Board. After the war Scott served as the chief of the Cleveland Ordinance District and was appointed an honorary adviser to the Army Industrial College. He maintained his rank of Colonel in the O. R. C. of the United States Army.
After his retirement in 1928, Scott continued to serve his community. He remained a trustee of the Western Reserve Historical Society and fellow for life of the Cleveland Museum of Art. During the depression he served as a financial director for Western Reserve University. He was also an avid collector of guns and retained a strong interest in the history of the American Civil War.
click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for Frank A. Scott
click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for the Warner and Swasey Company
The Frank A. Scott Papers, Series II, 1894-1950 and undated consist of correspondence, biographical materials, diaries, personal mementoes, speech texts, scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, manuscripts, and the diaries of his second wife, Faith Alice (Fraser) Scott.
This collection is useful for further understanding of the history of Cleveland, Ohio, and Scott's personal and business life, including his position as chairman of the board with Warner and Swasey and his World War I administrative duties under Newton D. Baker. The business associates represented in this collection include Sam Mather, Theodore Burton, Newton D. Baker, Francis F. Prentiss, and Ambrose Swasey. The friendships with Prentiss and Swasey is evident in much of their correspondence, as they discuss travel, family, and other personal topics.
None.
Related MaterialThe researcher should also consult MS 3284 Frank A. Scott Papers; PG 66 Frank A. Scott Photographs; and PG 203 Frank A. Scott Photographs, Series II.
Separated MaterialAll photographs have been removed to the photograph and print collection.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 4307 Frank A. Scott Papers, Series II, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio
Mrs. Frank A. Scott (Grace Shifflett), 1979.
Processed by Daniel J. Linke in 1988.
Series I: Frank A. Scott Papers 1894-1950 undated |
|||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 1 | 1 | Biographical material including letters, press releases, and speeches 1909-1927 | |||||||||
| 1 | 2 | Biography of Scott, chapters 1-7; and We Go To War, as told by Col. Frank A. Scott to Frederick A. Van Fleet undated | |||||||||
| 1 | 3-4 | Diaries ca. 1899-1915 | |||||||||
| 1 | 5 | Correspondence with Newton D. Baker 1920-1935 | |||||||||
| 1 | 6 | Correspondence with Francis F. Prentiss 1907-1932 undated | |||||||||
| 1 | 7 | Correspondence (postcards) from Prentiss ca. 1915-1936 | |||||||||
| 1 | 8 | Correspondence with Ambrose Swasey 1909-1928 undated | |||||||||
| 1 | 8 | Correspondence with Worcester R. Warner 1913-1920 undated | |||||||||
| 1 | 9 | Correspondence (postcards) from Swasey ca. 1912-1917 | |||||||||
| 1 | 10-13 | Correspondence, A-Z and miscellaneous 1909-1934 undated | |||||||||
| 1 | 13 | Correspondence via postcards ca. 1907-1915 | |||||||||
| 1 | 14 | Wedding announcements, congratulations, etc., relating to Scott's 1938 marriage to Duclina Shifflett 1938 | |||||||||
| 1 | 14 | Lectures by Scott, bound 1936 | |||||||||
| 1 | 15 | Scott's graduation address to the Army Industrial College 1935 | |||||||||
| 1 | 15 | Miscellaneous, including notes and clippings dates vary | |||||||||
| 1 | 16 | Worchester Warner's death, includes clippings, correspondence, and memorial statements 1929 | |||||||||
| 1 | 17 | Proof copy of Bertha Scott's A Motor Jaunt Through England ca. 1913 | |||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 2 | 18-20 | Scrapbook 1894-1931 | |||||||||
| 2 | 21 | Miscellaneous from scrapbooks 1926 1950 | |||||||||
| Box | |||||||||||
| 4-6 | Scrapbooks 1919-1949 | ||||||||||
Series II: Family Papers 1906-1935 |
|||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 2 | 22 | Faith Alice Fraser (Scott) Diaries, eight volumes 1906-1911 | |||||||||
| 2 | 23 | Faith Alice Scott Diaries, four volumes 1912-1914 | |||||||||
| 2 | 24-28 | Faith Alice Scott Diaries 1915 1917 1919-1927 | |||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 3 | 29-31 | Faith Alice Scott Diaries 1928-1935 | |||||||||
| 3 | 32 | Grace Fraser Waugh Diary 1935 | |||||||||