Collection Summary
Tom Kahn Papers
1959-1992
(bulk 1963-1972)
1959-1992
(bulk 1963-1972)
MSS85310
Kahn,
Tom
200 items
2 containers
.8 linear feet
English
Collection material in
English
Manuscript Division, Library of
Congress
Washington, D.C.
Civil rights and labor
activist. Correspondence, memoranda, speeches and statements, writings, notes,
photographs, newspaper clippings, and printed matter relating to Kahn’s
activities as a civil rights and labor activist.
Selected Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
People
Jackson, Henry M. (Henry Martin), 1912-1983.
Kahn, Tom.
Rustin, Bayard, 1912-1987.
Organizations
March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (1963 : Washington, D.C.)
Subjects
Civil rights demonstrations--Washington (D.C.)
Civil rights--United States.
International relations.
Labor movement--United States.
Labor movement.
Labor--United States.
Labor.
Presidents--United States--Election--1972.
Socialism.
Places
United States--Politics and government--1969-1974.
Occupations
Civil rights activists.
Labor activists.
Provenance
The papers of Tom Kahn, civil rights and labor activist, were given
to the Library of Congress by Rachelle Horowitz and Eric Chenoweith in
2006.
Transfers
One digital versatile/video disc, three audiotapes and one compact
disc, have been transferred to the Library’s Motion Picture, Broadcasting and
Recorded Sound Division where they are identified as part of the Tom Kahn
Papers.
Copyright Status
Copyright in the unpublished writings of Tom Kahn in these papers and
in other collections in the custody of the Library of Congress is reserved.
Consult reference staff in the Manuscript Division for further information.
Access and Restrictions
The papers of Tom Kahn are open to research. Researchers are advised
to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many collections are
stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for
research use.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the
following information: Container number, Tom Kahn Papers, Manuscript Division,
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Biographical Note
Date
Event
1938, Sept. 15
Born, New York, N.Y.
1955
1957
Attended, Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, N.Y.
1956
Joined Students for Democratic Action and the Independent
Socialist League
1958
1959
Assistant organizer, Youth Marches for Integrated Schools, New
York, N.Y.
1960
1961
Member, Committee to Defend Martin Luther King
1961
B.A., Howard University, Washington, D.C.
1963
First assistant to Bayard Rustin, organizer for the March on
Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Washington, D.C
1964
1972
Executive director, League for Industrial Democracy
1965
Member, National Action Committee of the Social Democrats,
U.S.A.
1968
Speech writer for Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey
1971
1972
Chief speech writer for Senator Henry M. Jackson
1972
1986
Assistant to the president, AFL-CIO
1978
Member, board of directors, A. Philip Randolph Institute,
National Committee Against Discrimination in Housing
1986
1992
Director, Department of International Affairs, AFL-CIO
1992, Mar. 27
Died, Silver Spring, Md.
Scope and Content Note
The papers of Thomas David Kahn (1938-1992) span the years 1959-1992
and include correspondence, memoranda, speeches and statements, writings,
notes, photographs, newspaper clippings, and printed matter. The bulk of the
collection, 1963-1972, consists of Kahn’s speeches and statements and
writings on topics such as the civil rights movement, national and
international labor issues, social democracy, and international affairs. In
addition, there are a number of speeches and statements that Kahn wrote for
Henry M. Jackson during Jackson’s presidential campaign in 1972. The papers
include Kahn’s civil rights work with Bayard Rustin, particularly his
memoranda and notes as an assistant to Rustin while preparing for the March on
Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963.
Arrangement of the Papers
This collection is alphabetically arranged by type of material,
subject, or name of person and thereunder chronologically.
Container List
Container
Contents
1
AFL-CIO, defense policy
recommendations,
1987
1987
1
Civil rights
[
For additional material see
same container, Rustin, Bayard
](civilrightsrustin)
1
General,
1961-1968
1961-1968
1
March on Washington for Jobs and
Freedom, Washington, D.C.,
1963
1963
(2
folders)
1
Photographs,
circa 1960, 1966-1974, 1982,
undated
circa 1960, 1966-1974, 1982,
undated
1
Poland,
1981
1981
1
Rustin,
Bayard,
1959-1973, 1987
1959-1973, 1987
(2
folders)
1
Speeches and statements
1
By Kahn,
1962, 1975, 1982-1991, undated
1962, 1975, 1982-1991, undated
(5
folders)
1
Written for Henry M.
Jackson
1
1971
1971
2
1972
1972
(4
folders)
2
Writings
2
About Kahn,
1992
1992
2
By Kahn,
1960-1985, 1991
1960-1985, 1991
(7
folders)
2
Young People’s Socialist League
and Social Democrat’s U.S.A.,
circa 1960-1962, 1973
circa 1960-1962, 1973