© The contents of this finding aid are the copyright of the University of Chicago Library
© 2007 University of Chicago Library
Series IX contains administrative records that are restricted for 30 years and financial records that are restricted for 50 years.
When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: Blum, Walter J. Papers, [Box #, Folder #], Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library
Walter J. Blum (1918-1994) completed the majority of his education with the University of Chicago. Having attended the University’s Lab School, he went on to receive both his A.B. (1939) and J.D.(1941) from the University of Chicago and its Law School. He left the University only briefly upon graduation, taking a two-year position with the Office of Price Administration and then serving in the military. He returned to the Law School in 1946 to take up the post of Assistant Professor and remained there for the entirety of his academic career. He became a full Professor in 1953 and was named the Wilson-Dickinson Professor in 1975. He was named the Edward H. Levi Distinguished Service Professor in 1985. Three years later, he became Professor Emeritus and continued to teach at the Law School until shortly before his death.
As an expert in tax law, bankruptcy, insurance, and corporate reorganization, Blum acted as a consultant to several institutions of the United States government: the Department of the Treasury, the Department of Transportation, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Administrative Conference of the States. In addition to his various public posts, Blum served as a consultant to the American Law Institute’s Federal Income Tax Project and as legal counsel to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
As a legal scholar, Blum published several important works. The seminal The Uneasy Case for Progressive Taxation, which he co-authored with Harry Kalven, appeared in 1953 and is still widely considered to be the most incisive critique of income taxation in the field of tax policy. Blum’s other works include Public Law Perspectives on a Private Law Problem (1965), also with Harry Kalven, as well as the highly influential casebooks Materials on Reorganization, Recapitalization and Insolvency (1968) and Corporate Readjustments and Reorganization (1976), both co-authored with Stanley Kaplan.
Blum was very active in the administration of the University of Chicago and participated in a variety of administrative projects, from the planning of undergraduate life on campus to the construction of the Law School building.
Blum died in Chicago in 1994 and was survived by his two daughters Wendy Blum Coggins of Minneapolis and Catherine Ann Scott of Burney, California. His wife, Natalie, died in 1987.
The Walter J. Blum Papers contain 20 linear feet of material and roughly cover 1944-1993, though the bulk of the materials were generated between the mid 1950s and late 1970s. The collection spans a number of different aspects of Blum’s professional career. The correspondence is expansive, comprising correspondence with a number of different individuals and organizations. While the breadth of this series, however, is large, there are few instances in which the correspondence with a particular individual or organization is documented over a substantial period of time. The series containing materials related to the University of Chicago is one of the more interesting areas of the collection. Blum was very much involved in various aspects of campus and neighborhood planning and several folders contain materials related to the University’s role in the development of Hyde Park. Tax Research and Tax Conferences is another series of particular interest and houses materials on the annual tax conferences held at the University of Chicago Law School. As the premier tax conference in the United States, its related documentation is of value to both tax and legal scholars. Additionally, the Papers include a series devoted to Blum’s publications. This consists equally of research materials related to his major monographs and copies of published articles and unpublished talks. Lastly, the collection houses a small series of teaching materials, mostly course readings, and of organizations with which Blum was involved, from the Internal Revenue Service to the American Institute of Legal Jurimetrics.
This series houses correspondence with a variety of individuals and organizations, from colleagues and friends to the Standard Oil Company. While no single correspondent is represented with substantial depth, the breadth of the series provides an overview of Blum's many professional activities.
This series consists largely of correspondence regarding the publication of Blum's various articles and books. Additionally, this series includes extensive materials related to Blum's Materials on Reorganization, Recapitalization and Insolvency. Please note- It is difficult to determine which book or course is being referred to when Blum uses "Reorganization" as a title for his files. Blum published two books on the theme of reorganization- Materials on Reorganization, Recapitalization and Insolvency (1968) and Corporate Readjustments and Reorganization (1976). He also taught classes on both topics. Should this be an area of particular interest, researchers are advised to look at both Series II: Writings and Series IV: Teaching.
Blum was very active in campus life and served on a number of committees and commissions. This series houses extensive documentation of these activities. Of special interest are the folders related to university and neighborhood development. These contain information related to the social and economic priorities of the University of Chicago as well as its position within the Hyde Park community.
The first subseries within this series is organized according to the classes that Blum taught at the University of Chicago. It contains course syllabi, copies of readings, assignment sheets, and notes. The folder headings are taken from Blum's own organizational schema and therefore do not always correspond exactly to course titles. The second subseries consists of student-related materials and general files. Some of this material has been restricted and can be found in Series IX; Restricted Materials. Please note; It is difficult to determine which book or course is being referred to when Blum uses "Reorganization" as a title for his files. Blum published two books on the theme of reorganization; Materials on Reorganization, Recapitalization and Insolvency (1968) and Corporate Readjustments and Reorganization (1976). He also taught classes on both topics. Should this be an area of particular interest, researchers are advised to look at both Series II: Writings and Series IV: Teaching.
Acting as a legal scholar and as both a private and public consultant on all things related to tax law, Blum was involved with a variety of organizations over the course of his career. This series contains materials related to these activities.
The first subseries consists of materials related to the annual tax conference held at the University of Chicago and organized by Blum. Throughout, I have respected Blum's own organization throughout this subseries. As a result, there is a considerable amount of chronological overlap between files. In general, however, each folder or group of folders is devoted to one of the tax conferences, which were held on a yearly basis. The second subseries contains general research files that cover such topics as taxation, bankruptcy, and insurance.
This series consists of general files that did not fit within the taxonomy of the other series in this collection. Of special interest here is the market study of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Blum acted as legal counsel to the Bulletin throughout the course of his career.
Each folder in this series is related to materials housed in both Series III: The
University of Chicago and Series IV: Teaching.