Guide to the Thomas E. Wilson Family Collection circa 1850-2005


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Table of Contents

• Acknowledgments
• Descriptive Summary
• Information on Use
• Access
• Digital Images
• Citation
• Biographical Note
• Scope Note
• Related Resources
• Subject Headings
• INVENTORY
• Series I: Thomas Edward Wilson Papers
• Series II: Elizabeth Foss Wilson Papers
• Series III: Helen Wilson Williams Papers
• Series IV: Edward Foss Wilson Papers
• Series V: Pauline Wyman Wilson Papers
• Series VI: Wilson Family Papers
• Series VII: Wilson & Co. Records
• Series VIII: Wilson Sporting Goods Records

Acknowledgments

The Thomas E. Wilson Family Collection was processed and preserved with generous support from the Wilson family.

Descriptive Summary

Information on Use

Access

This collection is open for research.

Digital Images

Original documents, texts, and images represented by digital images linked to this finding aid are subject to U. S. copyright law. It is the user's sole responsibility to secure any necessary copyright permission to reproduce or publish documents, texts, and images from any holders of rights in the original materials.

The University of Chicago Library, in its capacity as owner of the physical property represented by the digital images linked to this finding aid, encourages the use of these materials for educational and scholarly purposes. Any reproduction or publication from these digital images requires that the following credit line be included: Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library.

Commercial publication projects require the permission of the University of Chicago Library and may be subject to a use fee. To order publication-quality reproductions, or for permission to copy or use any part of the digital images attached to this finding aid for any commercial purposes, please contact the Special Collections Research Center.

The images presented here may include materials reflecting the attitudes, language, and stereotypes of an earlier time period. These materials are presented as historical resources in support of study and research. Inclusion of such materials does not constitute an endorsement of their content by the University of Chicago.

The University of Chicago Library appreciates hearing from anyone who may have information about any of the images in this collection.

Citation

When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: Wilson, Thomas E. Family. Collection, [Box #, Folder #], Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library.

Biographical Note

Wilson & Co. History

Wilson & Co. evolved over the years to adapt to a changing market and changing leadership. The business began in 1916 when founder Thomas Edward Wilson took control of the failing Chicago meat packinghouse, Sulzberger & Sons Co., and rebranded it as Wilson & Co. By 1917, the company ranked as one of the 50 largest industrial corporations in the United States, and continued to employ thousands of workers at its plant in Chicago until the 1950s.

Wilson & Co. was acquired by Ling-Temco-Vought, Inc. in 1967, and its headquarters were transferred from Chicago, Illinois to Dallas, Texas. LTV reorganized the company into four divisions: Wilson Sinclair Company, Wilson Certified Foods, Inc., Wilson Beef & Lamb Company, and Wilson Laurel Farms, Inc. Wilson Foods was acquired by Doskocil Companies, Inc. in 1988.

Wilson Sporting Goods History

Wilson & Co. held several subsidiaries that utilized animal by-products for the manufacture of sporting goods, pharmaceuticals, and industry chemicals. Ashland Manufacturing - a subsidiary of Sulzberger & Sons Co. established in 1913 - manufactured athletic gear under the Thomas E. Wilson brand and became Wilson Sporting Goods in 1931. Wilson Sporting Goods was acquired by PepsiCo in 1970, and then sold to Amer Group (later Amer Sports Oyi) of Finland in 1989. A Chinese investor group led by Anta Sports Products acquired a majority stake in Amer Sports Oyj in 2018.

Wilson Family History

Thomas Edward Wilson was born on July 22, 1868 in London, Ontario, Canada to Moses Wilson and Mary Ann Higgins. He was one of eight children. The family immigrated to the United States when Thomas was nine years old, settling in Chicago. Following high school, Thomas went to work as a clerk for Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railway. In 1887 he took a job with meat packinghouse Morris & Company, and was promoted to Vice-President of the company in 1906 and then President in 1913. During this time, he married Elizabeth Lavinia Foss, and together they had two children, Helen Elizabeth Wilson (b. 1900), and Edward Foss Wilson (b. 1905).

On March 22, 1916, Thomas was named President of the meat packing firm Sulzberger & Sons Co. Banks forced a change of management of Sulzberger & Sons after a shipment of meat was intercepted by a British blockade. The company was subsequently accused of German sympathies. The company was renamed Wilson & Co. on July 21, 1916. Thomas Edward Wilson became Chairman of the Board of Wilson & Co. on February 27, 1934, after naming his son as President.

Thomas Edward Wilson held numerous industry leadership roles throughout his lifetime. He helped organize the American Meat Institute, and served as its President in 1919. He later provided funding in 1923 to establish laboratory facilities for the Institute on the campus of the University of Chicago. He served on the Board of Directors of the International Livestock Exposition, the Oklahoma National Stock Yards, the St. Louis National Stock Yards, the Livestock National Bank of Chicago, the Chicago River and Indiana Railway, the Illinois Central Railroad, the Sherwin-Williams Company, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co., the First National Bank of Chicago, the Guaranty Trust Co. of New York, the National Association of Manufacturers, and the United States Chamber of Commerce. He chaired the National Livestock and Meat Board from 1935 to 1939. Additionally, Thomas Edward Wilson helped found the National Committee on Boys and Girls Club Work (now the National 4-H Service Committee), and served as its chairman from 1924 to 1958.

Thomas Edward Wilson was the recipient of several service awards including The Silver Buffalo from the Boy Scouts of America in 1939, the Rosenberger Medal from the University of Chicago in 1940, the Chicago Merit Award, National from the Rotary Club of Chicago in 1945, an honorary LL.D. from the University of Western Ontario in 1945, the Medal for Merit from President Harry Truman in 1946 for his work to organize the nation's fat salvage campaign following the attack on Pearl Harbor, and an honorary LL.D. from Coe College in 1951.

On Edellyn Farms in Lake County, Illinois Thomas Edward Wilson bred Shorthorn Cattle, which earned him numerous prizes at livestock shows throughout the country. He also owned a ranch in Cuchillo, New Mexico, farms in Earlham, Iowa and Nevada, Iowa, and a residence in the Kenwood neighborhood of Chicago.

Thomas Edward Wilson died on August 4, 1958.

Elizabeth Lavinia Foss Wilson was born on May 23, 1873 in Illinois to Agnes Elizabeth McLean Foss and Martin Henry Foss, a grain-broker for the Chicago Board of Trade. She completed two years of high school. She met Thomas Edward Wilson at a supper at the First Presbyterian Church of Chicago. They married on November 1, 1899, and together had two children. Elizabeth was a homemaker and active in women's clubs. She frequently entertained guests and invited lecturers to Edellyn Farms. Elizabeth Foss Wilson died on October 29, 1967.

Helen Elizabeth Wilson Williams was born on October 8, 1900 in Illinois to Thomas Edward Wilson and Elizabeth Foss Wilson. She graduated from Wellesley College in 1921. Helen married Harry Julius Williams (1895-1992) - at that time an assistant provision manager for Wilson & Co. - on June 27, 1925. Together, they had four daughters: Karen E. (b. 1927), Gwain R. (b. 1929), Lynn H. (b. 1934), and Noel Ann (b. 1932). Helen Wilson Williams died on March 11, 1995.

Edward Foss Wilson was born on January 6, 1905 in Illinois to Thomas Edward Wilson and Elizabeth Foss Wilson. He attended Lawrenceville School in New Jersey from 1921 to 1922, and graduated from Princeton University in 1926.

Following a year of travel, Edward entered the family business in 1927. In 1934 he was named President of Wilson & Co., becoming Chairman of the Board in 1953.

He married Pauline Dorthea Wyman on June 2, 1940, and they had two sons: Edward Thomas Wilson and Kendall Wyman Wilson.

In 1957, Edward Foss Wilson was appointed Assistant Secretary of the United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare. He served in this post until 1961.

Edward Foss Wilson was active on the boards of the American Red Cross, the Boy Scouts of America, the YMCA, the Washington Heart Association, and the National Presbyterian Church. He served on the Advisory Boards of the Johns Hopkins University School of International Studies and the National Development Council for Johns Hopkins Medicine. He was a Trustee of Rush Presbyterian- St. Luke's Hospital (now Rush University Medical Center), President of the Illinois Division of the American Cancer Society, and Vice-President of the United Nations Association, Capital Area Division.

Following Pauline Wyman Wilson's death in 1985, Edward married Frances Wilmer in 1988.

Edward Foss Wilson died of cancer on March 19, 1994.

Pauline Dorthea Wyman Wilson was born on September 10, 1905 in Minnesota to Paul Wyman and Lillian Kennedy Wyman. Paul Wyman died a few months before Pauline's birth, and Pauline and her brother Donald were raised by Lillian in Pennsylvania. Pauline graduated from William Penn High School for Girls, Philadelphia in 1924, and Vassar College in 1928 where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She believed strongly in women's education.

Following her graduation from Vassar, Pauline Wyman Wilson worked as a substitute teacher in the Philadelphia School District for one year. She then pursued graduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania, Cornell University, the University of Wisconsin, and the University of Chicago. She earned a master's degree from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia in 1929, with a thesis titled "Experimental Studies on the Compound: Cysteine Mercuric Sulfate." Pauline co-authored the article "Mercury Derivatives of Cysteine," published in The Journal of Biological Chemistry in 1930.

Pauline Wyman Wilson was Assistant Professor of Biology and Chemistry at Western Maryland College until 1936, then joined Northwestern University's personnel administration where she presided over the women's division of counselors. She left her job at Northwestern University when she married Edward Foss Wilson in 1940.

Pauline was a member of the Child Health Center Board at the Washington, D.C. Children's Hospital (now Children's National), and helped to organize several primary care clinics in Washington, D.C. She was also an active member of the Chevy Chase Club, and was a fundraiser for the construction of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Pauline Wyman Wilson died of Alzheimer's disease on October 1, 1985.

Scope Note

The Thomas E. Wilson Family Collection is organized into eight series:

I. Thomas Edward Wilson Papers

II. Elizabeth Foss Wilson Papers

III. Helen Wilson Williams Papers

IV. Edward Foss Wilson Papers

V. Pauline Wyman Wilson Papers

VI. Wilson Family Papers

VII. Wilson & Co. Records

VIII. Wilson Sporting Goods Records

The majority of the collection contains biographical information, personal ephemera, correspondence, and photographs belonging to two generations of the Wilson family. The collection also includes a small amount of company records for Wilson & Co. and Wilson Sporting Goods. Materials date between circa 1850 and 2005, with the bulk of the material dating between 1900 and 1950.

Series I, Thomas Edward Wilson Papers, contains personal papers of the founder of Wilson & Co. The series includes biographical information and clippings about Thomas Edward Wilson, his correspondence and personal ephemera, material related to Thomas' involvement in the 4-H club, material pertinent to awards received by Thomas, photographs of Thomas, his obituary, and letters of condolence following his death. Materials are arranged by type, then chronologically, with oversized material falling at the end of the series in Boxes 4-8.

Series II, Elizabeth Foss Wilson Papers, contains personal papers of Thomas Edward Wilson's wife, Elizabeth. This includes genealogical information and papers of Foss family members, such as Elizabeth's father (Martin Henry Foss), mother, (Agnes McLean Foss), and brother (Martin Howard Foss). The series also contains personal ephemera, photographs of Elizabeth and members of the Foss family, and a personal photograph album. Materials are arranged by type, then chronologically, with oversized material falling at the end of the series in Box 10.

Series III, Helen Wilson Williams Papers, contains personal papers of Thomas Edward Wilson and Elizabeth Foss Wilson's daughter, Helen. The series includes a bank account book belonging to Helen, as well as personal photographs of Helen's friends, family, and travel predominately from the 1920s.

Series IV, Edward Foss Wilson Papers, contains personal papers of Thomas Edward Wilson and Elizabeth Foss Wilson's son Edward. The series is comprised of biographical information and clippings about Edward Foss Wilson; correspondence, including letters received while Assistant Secretary of the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare; personal ephemera, including school work; a scrapbook; and photographs of Edward, his friends, family, and travel predominately dating to the 1920s and 1930s. Materials are arranged by type, then chronologically, with oversized material falling at the end of the series in Boxes 18-20.

Series V, Pauline Wyman Wilson Papers, contains personal papers of Edward Foss Wilson's first wife, Pauline. This includes personal papers of Pauline Wyman Wilson' mother, Lillian Kennedy Wyman, as well as photographs of Kennedy, Gendell, and Wyman ancestors. The series also contains correspondence; personal ephemera; a scrapbook; and photographs of Pauline, her friends, family, and travel. Materials are arranged by type, then chronologically, with oversized material falling at the end of the series in Box 26.

Series VI, Wilson Family Papers, contains ephemera and photographs related to multiple members of the Wilson family. This includes material about Edellyn Farm such as postcards, clippings, and auction catalogs; information about the Wilson's home in the Kenwood neighborhood of Chicago; and photographs depicting multiple members of Thomas Edward Wilson's immediate family, extended family, friends, Edellyn Farm, the transport ship "Edellyn," and HOK Ranch in New Mexico (see also Thomas Edward Wilson and Edward Foss Wilson's personal photographs for more images of the ranch). Also included in this series are banners won at state fairs by shorthorn cattle raised on Edellyn Farm. Materials are arranged by type, then chronologically, with oversized material falling at the end of the series in Boxes 29-31.

Series VII, Wilson & Co. Records, contains company annual reports from 1916 to 1966; issues of Wilson Certified News from 1945 to 1968; promotional materials, clippings, and publications mentioning Wilson & Co. and Wilson Foods products; files about the company's merger with Ling-Temco-Vought, Inc. in 1967; and photographs. Materials date from 1914 to 1997. The annual reports and Wilson Certified News issues are found at the beginning of the series, and the rest of the material follows in chronological order. Financial statements of Sulzberger and Sons Co. - the predecessor to Wilson & Co. - are found in Box 33, Folder 2. Undated and oversized materials (Boxes 34-36) fall at the end of the series.

Series VIII, Wilson Sporting Goods Records, contains clippings, photocopied articles, and publications about the company; advertisements; a file on PepsiCo's ownership of the company; a file on leveraged buyouts from the mid-1980s; brochures for the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association; and a small amount of correspondence for former company president John S. Riccitiello. Materials date from 1952 to 2003 and are arranged chronologically.

Related Resources

The following related resources are located in the Department of Special Collections:

http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/spcl/select.html

B. Heller & Co. Collection

Blatchford, E.W. Hog Raising and the Pork Packing Industry in America

Subject Headings

• Wilson, Thomas Edward, 1868-
• Wyman, Lillian Kennedy Mrs.
• Wilson & Co. (Chicago, Ill.)
• Wilson Sporting Goods Company
• 4-H clubs
• United States. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare
• Cattle--Breeding
• Chicago (Ill.)--History--Societies
• Chicago (Ill.)--Social life and customs
• Food industry and trade
• Meat--Packing
• Packing-houses
• Packing-houses--Illinois--Chicago
• Ranching
• Sporting goods

INVENTORY