Beach, Calder, Anderson & Alden Records

Collection

Identifier: 1997-0016

Staff Only

Scope and Content Note

The collection contains the records, agreements, meeting minutes, union records, grievances, and negotiation records of Bristol Brass Company and its subsidiaries, including E. Ingraham Company. Subjects in the collection include the C.I.O, Bristol Brass Company, New England Centerless Grinding Company, Accurate Brass Corporation, Sessions Clock Company, McGraw-Edison Company, Commission on Human Rights, Harris & Mallow Products, National Labor Relations, American Arbitration Association, and American Exactron. The collection contains materials from the 1940s through the 1980s, with the bulk of the collection from the 1950s and 1960s. The collection consists of papers relating to the Bristol Brass Company, its administration, and the legal issues it faced during the period.

Dates

Creation: 1940-1980

Access

The collection is open and available for research.

Restrictions on Use and Copyright Information

Permission to publish from these Papers must be obtained in writing from both the University of Connecticut Libraries and the owner(s) of the copyright.

History

Beach, Calder, Anderson & Alden was a law firm founded by Russell Mink in 1919 in Bristol, Connecticut. The firm specialized in corporate law, estate planning, probate of estates, preparation of wills and trusts, residential and commercial real estate, litigation, labor law, and domestic law. The firm has represented companies throughout Connecticut during its history, including the Bristol Brass Company and the E. Ingraham Company.

The Bristol Brass Company was founded as the Bristol Brass and Clock Company in 1850, the creation of sixteen industrialists from Bristol clock and Waterbury brass interests who hoped to profit in the booming clock industry of Bristol, Connecticut. It was the largest employer in Bristol, with 375 employees by 1880. Its mainstay was the production of brass for automobiles. The company thrived during the years of World Wars I and II, making shell cases for the military but the post-war economy brought a change in the company's fortunes. The amount of brass used in automobiles declined swiftly, and foreign competition eroded the company's clientele. The Bristol Brass Company closed its doors in December 1982, after 132 years as a major part of the Bristol economy.

Extent

63 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Beach, Calder, Anderson & Alden was a law firm founded in 1919 in Bristol, Connecticut. The collection consists of documents relating to the firm's representation of Bristol Brass Company and E. Ingraham Company.

Provenance and Acquisition

The records were donated by the law firm to the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center in 1987.

Related Material

Archives & Special Collections has a substantial collection of materials pertaining to Connecticut labor and Connecticut business. For detailed information on these collections please contact the curator or ask at the Reading Room desk.