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Walter Frank Papers, 1921-1960, Accession #10951-a, Special Collections Dept., University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.
This collection was given to the Library by Mr. Alfred Fernbach of Charlottesville, Virginia, on April 27, 1993.
Walter Frank (1882-1969) was a civil liberties lawyer who practiced in the law offices of Kurzman & Frank in New York. He was also vice-chairman of the executive committee of the Citizens Union, a member of the national board of the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Consumers League, and the Citizens League for Industrial Democracy. He received the Citizenship award from the League for Industrial Democracy in 1956 and a citation for exceptional civic service from the Citizens Union in 1966. Throughout his life, Frank was known as an advocate for civil liberties and racial equality, and was very active in trying to meet these goals.
This addition to the papers of Walter Frank, of ca. 30 items, 1921-1960, pertain to his activities on behalf of the American Humanist Association and its Committee on Church and State, and the Civil Service Commission. Material on the A. H. A. includes correspondence, reports, and minutes, 1955-1960. The Civic Service material, 1921-1946, contains letters from various individuals concerning Frank's assistance; correspondence and related papers pertaining to Frank's support of the scholarly career of Sebastian B. Littauer, a candidate for a Doctor of Science degree in mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and, papers of the New York Civil Service Commission Examining Board for Sheriff and the Civil Service Reform Association. Included in the Civil Liberties material are a pamphlet, 1944, "The Police and Minority Groups: A Program to Prevent Disorder and to Improve Relations Between Different Racial, Religious, and National Groups" by J. E. Weckler and Theo E. Hall; and a letter, May 23, 1947, from Carl Carmer concerning his latest book, For the Rights of Men . In addition, there are a travel identification card and a passport, 1938-1939, of Walter Frank.