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Carl Ultes, Jr. Papers

 Collection
Identifier: MS-30

Scope and Contents

Series I: O.S. Kelly Company, consists of records relating Ultes’ employment at his father-in-law’s company, O.S. Kelly Company. The company first started out by manufacturing farming equipment but later focused on engineering piano plates, which the correspondence reflects. Materials in Series I date from 1904 to 1932.

Series II: Personal Files, consists of four subseries. Subseries IIA, Brochures and Pamphlets, dated 1892-1928, contains football programs, including three from Wittenberg University, Ultes’ alma mater, as well as travel brochures and maps he collected during his time living in the Pacific Northwest. Subseries IIB, Camps and Schools, dated 1925-1934, contains brochures and correspondence with administrators relating to prospective programs Ultes was researching for his son, Tom’s, attendance. There are also some letters from Tom to his parents written while he was away at camp. Subseries IIC, Finance and Investments, dated 1913-1943, contains a mix of correspondence, legal documents, and stock receipts relating primarily to his personal finances, though some of the correspondence regarding bill collection may overlap with his responsibilities at O.S. Kelly Company. Subseries IID, Stamp Collecting, dated 1926-1934, contains correspondence with stamp vendors, primarily from New York, and fellow stamp collectors, receipts, stamp price lists, and newspaper clippings and articles about stamp collections and collecting. It also holds Ultes’ membership cards to the American Philatelic Society. Overall, materials in Series II date from 1892 to 1943.

Series III: Associations, dated 1910 to 1940, contains five subseries consisting of records that reflect several of Carl’s social affiliations and responsibilities: Subseries IIIA, Charity Work, 1931-1940; Subseries IIIB, National Piano Manufacturers Association, 1934-1936; Subseries IIIC: Ohio Golf Association, Amateur Championship, 1933; Subseries IIID: Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity, 1910-1930; and Subseries IIIE: Rotary Club of Springfield, 1923-1934. They contain incoming and outgoing correspondence, meeting minutes, attendance records, pamphlets, membership lists, and newsletters.

Series IV: Candidate for Prosecuting Attorney, contain correspondence, newspaper clippings, photographs, ballots, and election ephemera relating to Ultes’ run for Prosecuting Attorney in Washington in 1918. Materials in Series IV date from 1918 to 1919.

Series V: Legal Practice in Spokane, Washington, is the largest single series in the collection and includes office dockets, pleadings booklets, and case files. It is comprised of three subseries: Subseries VA: Ledgers and Booklets, 1905-1923; Subseries VB: Case Files, 1908-1921; and VC: Old Charles Dickens Mining Company, 1916-1930. In Subseries VC, Old Charles Dickens Mining Company, the files relate to both Ultes’ professional responsibilities as legal counsel as well as his personal investments. Overall, materials in Series V date from 1905 to 1930.

Dates

  • Creation: 1892-1943
  • Creation: Majority of material found within 1908-1934

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

There are no restrictions on accessing material in this collection.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright restrictions may apply. Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.

Biography of Carl Ultes, Jr.

Carl Ultes, Jr. was born in 1881 in Chelsea, Michigan to Dr. Carl Ultes, Sr. and Berthea Werkheim. He had one brother, William. Ultes’s father, Carl Sr., was born in the Rhineland section of Germany in July1848. He attended college at the University of Heidelberg. In 1869 he relocated to the United States to attend the University of Michigan Medical School, where he graduated in 1873. He earned another medical degree from Bellevue Medical School in 1878. Carl Sr. practiced medicine in both Chelsea and Lansing, Michigan before moving his family to Springfield, Ohio in 1890.

Carl Ultes, Jr. graduated from Wittenberg University, where he was salutatorian of his class. On the day of his graduation, he met Louise Kelly, who would later become his wife. Ultes attended the University of Michigan Law School before returning to Springfield to join a law firm. After a short time, Ultes traveled west and landed in Portland, Oregon to practice law there. Ultes had kept in touch with Louise Kelly over the years and when she traveled to Spokane, Washington with a friend, Carl met them there. Soon after, he moved his law practice to Spokane and began a long distance relationship with Kelly. They married in Springfield, Ohio in December 1912. They lived in Spokane until 1919 when they returned to Ohio so that Carl could join his father-in-law’s business, the O.S. Kelly Company. Carl initially started as a sales manager and slowly advanced within the company.

In his pastime, Carl collected stamps and played golf. He became president of the Springfield Country Club and directed the 1933 Ohio Amateur Golf Tournament held there. There are two interesting aspects to his involvement with the country club. When the club was destroyed by fire, Carl installed slot machines and rebuilt the club from the revenues. And when Carl played golf at the club, Ohio Governor James Rhodes was often his caddy. In later years, he spent more time on community affairs with the Rotary Club and the Community Fund. Ultes served on the Board of Directors of the National Piano Manufactures Association. He was also an advisor for the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity at Wittenberg and was active in the Boy Scouts.

Carl Ultes, Jr. died July 26, 1973 at Mercy Medical Center, Springfield, Ohio. He was 92 years old.



Extent

8.5 linear feet (17 manuscript boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Carl Ultes, Jr. was an attorney, businessman and civic leader in Springfield, Ohio who eventually took over the O.S. Kelley Company from his father-in-law, O.W. Kelly. The collection consists of business papers, correspondence, news clippings, pamphlets, legal case files as well as materials relating to Ultes's memberships in various civic organizations, and his interest in stamp collecting.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into 5 series and 12 subseries:

  1. Series I: O.S. Kelly Company, 1904-1932
  2. Series II: Personal Papers, 1892-1943
  3. Subseries IIA: Brochures and Pamphlets, 1892-1928
  4. Subseries IIB: Camps and Schools, 1925-1934
  5. Subseries IIC: Finance and Investments, 1913-1943
  6. Subseries IID: Stamp Collecting, 1926-1934
  7. Series III: Associations, 1910-1940
  8. Subseries IIIA: Charity Work, 1931-1940
  9. Subseries IIIB: National Piano Manufacturers Association, 1934-1936
  10. Subseries IIIC: Ohio Golf Association, Amateur Championship, 1933
  11. Subseries IIID: Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity, 1910-1930
  12. Subseries IIIE: Rotary Club of Springfield, 1923-1934
  13. Series IV: Candidate for Prosecuting Attorney, 1918-1919
  14. Series V: Legal Practice in Spokane, Washington, 1905-1930
  15. Subseries VA: Ledgers and Booklets, 1905-1923
  16. Subseries VB: Case Files, 1908-1921
  17. Subseries VC: Old Charles Dickens Mining Company, 1916-1930

Other Finding Aids

The finding aid is available on the Wright State University Libraries' Special Collections and Archives web site at https://wright.libraryhost.com/repositories/2/resources/681.

The finding aid is also available in the OhioLINK Finding Aid Repository at http://ead.ohiolink.edu/xtf-ead/.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The collection was donated to Wright State University, Special Collections & Archives, by Carl Ultes, Jr.’s son, Tom Ultes, in 1974.

Accruals

No further accruals are expected.

Related Materials

MS-149, O.S. Kelly Company Collection

Processing Information

David Whittaker, 1975; Updated by Carol A. Wissinger, 1981; Updated by Stephanie Kays, 2016.

Title
Guide to the Carl Ultes, Jr. Papers (MS-30)
Status
Completed
Author
Stephanie Kays
Date
2016 February 26
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Revision Statements

  • 1981: Updated by Carol A. Wissinger, 1981.
  • 2016: Updated by Stephanie Kays, 2016.
  • 2020-2021: Finding aid revised by Lisa Rickey, April 2020, July 2021
  • Deed of Gift
  • Copy of original finding aid and subsequent versions

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections Repository

Contact:
Wright State University Libraries
Special Collections and Archives
3640 Colonel Glenn Hwy
Dayton OH 45435-0001 USA
937-775-2092