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Biography: Homer E. Capehart, 1969-1973

A Guide to the Collection of Oral History Interviews at Indiana University Bloomington

Finding aid prepared by the staff of the Center for Documentary Research and Practice with a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities Division of Preservation and Access, 2000-2002

Overview of the Collection

Repository
Indiana University Center for Documentary Research and Practice
Indiana University
Franklin Hall 0030B
601 E. Kirkwood Avenue
Bloomington, IN 47405
Phone: 812/855-2856
Fax: 812/855-0002
E-mail: ohrc@indiana.edu
https://cdrp.mediaschool.indiana.edu

Creator
Indiana University Center for Documentary Research and Practice

Title
Biography: Homer E. Capehart, 1969-1973

Project No.
ohrc015

Interviews
29 interviews. Audiotapes, transcripts, and collateral materials.

Physical Location
Interviews are housed in Franklin Hall, Room 0030B. Copies of interview transcripts are also held by the IU Libraries University Archives. Contact archives@indiana.edu for more information. For other locations housing the interviews from this project, please contact the Center for Documentary Research and Practice office.

Language
Materials are in English

Abstract
This project is comprised of interviews regarding Homer E. Capehart and in particular, his political career as a Republican United States senator from the state of Indiana from 1944 to 1962. Often emphasized in the interviews is Capehart's organization of the Cornfield Conference in 1938 which served to rejuvenate the Republican Party in Indiana. Also much discussed is Capehart's legendary business acumen and status as a wealthy self-made man, proud of his humble origins. Many of the interviews also deal with national politics, Capehart's friends and political opponents, his impact and influence in Congress (through the Senate Banking and Currency Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee), his personal characteristics, communism, and the reasons for his unexpected defeat in 1962 at the hands of Birch E. Bayh, Jr.

Scope and Content Note

This collection contains 29 interviews. The interviews consist of reels and typed transcripts, as well as collateral materials.

Administrative Information

Acquisition Information
Oral history interviews conducted by the Indiana University Center for the Study of History and Memory from 1968 to the present, with particular focus on the history of twentieth-century America and the Midwest.
Usage Restrictions
The archive of the Center for Documentary Research and Practice at Indiana University is open to the use of researchers. Copies of transcript pages are available only when such copies are permitted by the deed of gift. Scholars must honor any restrictions the interviewee placed on the use of the interview. Since some of our earlier (pre-computer) transcripts do not exist in final form, any editing marks in a transcript (deletions, additions, corrections) are to be quoted as marked. Audio files may not be copied for patrons unless the deed of gift permits it, and a transcript is unavailable for that interview. The same rules of use that apply to a transcript apply to the audio interview. Interviews may not be reproduced in full for any public use, but excerpted quotes may be used as long as researchers fully cite the data in their research, including accession number, interview date, interviewee's and interviewer's name, and page(s).
Preferred Citation
[interviewee first name last name] interview, by [interviewer first name last name], [interview date(s)], [call number], [project name], Center for Documentary Research and Practice, Indiana University, Bloomington, [page number(s) or tape number and side if no transcript; if digital audio and no transcript, cite time when quote occurs].

Interview List


Interviewee
Billings, Claude July 29, 1972 

Call Number
73-006

Physical Description

39 pages; 2 reels, 3 3/4 ips, 95 minutes; no index

Interviewer
Pickett, William B.

Access Status

Open

Scope and Content Note

Claude Billings, formerly a prominent member of the Republican Editorial Association, recalls and discusses the political career of Homer E. Capehart. Billings speaks of Capehart's rise to political power in the context of the Indiana state political framework, the organization of the Indiana state Republican Party, national and international politics and events, and he discusses other politically powerful individuals and groups in Indiana. Billings recalls his relations with Ralph F. Gates, William E. Jenner, and Wendell L. Willkie, and how Homer Capehart was associated with each of these Indiana political figures.

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • Republican Party
    • Geographic Names
    • Indiana
    • Personal Names
    • Bobbitt, Arch N.
    • Emison, Ewing
    • Gates, Ralph F.
    • Jenner, William E.
    • Willkie, Wendell L.
    • Subjects
    • Indiana politics
    • Cornfield Conference
    • national politics

Interviewee
Bobbitt, Arch N. July 25, 1969 

Call Number
69-026

Physical Description

25 pp.; 1 reel, 3 3/4 ips, 60 minutes; index

Interviewer
Pickett, William B.

Open

Scope and Content Note

Born on September 3, 1895, Arch N. Bobbitt was a judge of the Indiana Supreme Court beginning in 1951. In this interview, he recalls and discusses the political history and career of Homer E. Capehart. Bobbitt speaks of the Republican Party, its changing status in the state of Indiana, the dynamics of the Indiana Senate, and how each of these things affected Capehart's political aspirations. Bobbitt managed Capehart's senate campaign. Bobbitt also discusses the 1938 Cornfield Conference of Republicans organized by Capehart, and he speaks of other prominent players in Indiana state politics including Wendell L. Willkie, Charlie Jewett, and William E. Jenner.

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • Indiana Senate
    • Republican Party
    • Geographic Names
    • Indiana
    • Personal Names
    • Jenner, William E.
    • Jewett, Charlie
    • Willkie, Wendell L.
    • Subjects
    • Cornfield Conference

Interviewee
Bricker, John W. October 27, 1971 

Call Number
71-057

Physical Description

31 pp.; 1 reel, 3 3/4 ips, 75 minutes; no index; photo of interviewee

Interviewer
Pickett, William B.

Open

Scope and Content Note

Born on September 6, 1893, John W. Bricker is a former United States senator from Ohio who served with Homer E. Capehart in the United States Senate. In this interview, Bricker recalls Capehart's personality and character, the Senate committees he served on, the stands he took, and aspects of his personal life. In addition, Bricker recalls his own political past, including the proposed Bricker amendment. He emphasizes the influence of the fear of communism in Congress in the nineteen fifties, but gives a different, more forgiving portrayal of Joseph R. McCarthy. Finally, Bricker talks of Robert A. Taft and others, and the inter-relations of Capehart within the United States senate.

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • Republican Party
    • Senate Banking and Currency Committee
    • Senate Foreign Relations Committee
    • United States Senate
    • Geographic Names
    • Indiana
    • Personal Names
    • McCarthy, Joseph R.
    • Taft, Robert A., Sr.
    • Subjects
    • Bricker Amendment
    • communism
    • national politics

Interviewee
Capehart, Homer E., Jr. October 13, 1969 

Call Number
69-030

Physical Description

51 pp.; 2 reels, 3 3/4 ips, 120 minutes; no index; newspaper clippings

Interviewer
Pickett, William B.

Open

Scope and Content Note

Born on October 29, 1922, Homer E. Capehart, Jr. speaks of his father, Homer E. Capehart, Sr., and of his family in this interview. He gives insight into his father's personality and character, and his father's career as a businessman and politician. For example, Capehart, Jr. recalls his father's patent on phonographs, his organization of the Cornfield Conference and the beginning of his association with the Republican Party, and his relations with various politicians, senators, and United States presidents.

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • Republican Party
    • Senate Banking and Currency Committee
    • Geographic Names
    • Indiana
    • Personal Names
    • Capehart, Irma V.
    • Capehart, Thomas C.
    • Eisenhower, Dwight David
    • Subjects
    • Cornfield Conference
    • Indiana politics
    • national politics
    • phonographs

Interviewee
Cole, Benjamin R. November 14, 1969 

Call Number
69-034

Physical Description

24 pp.; 1 reel, 3 3/4 ips, 60 minutes; index

Interviewer
Pickett, William B.

Open

Scope and Content Note

Benjamin R. Cole discusses Homer E. Capehart's relations with the press throughout his political career. In the process, Cole reveals some of the characteristics of Capehart's personality and his political messages and methods. He discusses the impact of communism and the Cold War on Capehart's senate career and also speaks of Joseph R. McCarthy. In addition, Cole relates how Capehart described the making of his fortune through the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company.

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • Republican Party
    • Rudolf Wurlitzer Company
    • Senate Foreign Relations Committee
    • Personal Names
    • Eisenhower, Dwight David
    • Jenner, William E.
    • McCarthy, Joseph R.
    • Subjects
    • Cold War
    • communism
    • press relations

Interviewee
Conrad, Larry November 14, 1969 

Call Number
69-035

Physical Description

23 pp.; 1 reel, 3 3/4 ips, 1 hour; no index

Interviewer
Pickett, William B.

Open

Scope and Content Note

Larry Conrad, the campaign manager of Birch E. Bayh, Jr. in the 1962 senate campaign against Homer E. Capehart, discusses his recollections of the election. He describes his ideas on the reasons why Bayh won and Capehart lost, in addition to outlining Bayh's campaign strategy. Conrad discusses the needs and interests of the citizens of Indiana at that time, the input and actions of John F. Kennedy during the campaign, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the influence of fear of communism. In addition, he speaks of other political figures, including Matthew Welsh and Albert B. "Happy" Chandler.

  • Keywords
    • Geographic Names
    • Cuba
    • Indiana
    • Personal Names
    • Bayh, Birch E.
    • Chandler, "Happy"
    • Kennedy, John Fitzgerald
    • Welsh, Matthew E.
    • Subjects
    • communism
    • Cuban Missile Crisis
    • Indiana politics

Interviewee
Deaton, W.R. July 1, 1969 

Call Number
69-024

Physical Description

38 pp.; 1 reel, 3 3/4 ips, 90 minutes; no index

Interviewer
Pickett, William B.

Scope and Content Note

In this interview, W.R. Deaton, a regional manager and salesman, discusses his association with Homer E. Capehart and comments on the manufacturing of music systems and equipment in the Holcomb and Hoke Manufacturing Company, the Capehart Phonograph Corporation, and the Rudolf Wurlitzer Company. In addition, he speaks of Capehart's political career in the United States Senate

Open

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • Holcomb and Hoke Manufacturing Company
    • Capehart Phonograph Corporation
    • Rudolf Wurlitzer Company
    • United States Senate
    • Geographic Names
    • Towanda, New York
    • Occupations
    • regional manager
    • sales
    • Personal Names
    • Capehart, Homer Earl, Jr.
    • Subjects
    • manufacturing
    • sound systems
    • hi-fi
    • jukeboxes
    • coin operated phonographs
    • pianos
    • politics

Interviewee
Douglas, Paul H. November 10, 1971 

Call Number
71-058

Physical Description

23 pp.; 1 reel, 3 3/4 ips, 55 minutes; no index

Interviewer
Pickett, William B.

Open

Scope and Content Note

Born on March 26, 1892, Paul H. Douglas served as a United States senator from the state of Illinois. In this interview, he discusses his fellow senator, Homer E. Capehart. Though the two were on opposing sides of many issues, Douglas describes his later conciliation and friendliness with Capehart. He discusses Capehart's voting patterns and political history, putting these into the context of the political dynamic of the senate and the events of the times. Specific issues, which both senators tackled include environmental legislation, the Indiana Dunes, the basing point system, and the Federal Housing Administration investigation. In addition, Douglas speaks of other political figures such as William Simon, William E. Jenner, and Burnet R. Maybank.

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • Reconstruction Finance Corporation
    • Republican Party
    • Geographic Names
    • Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
    • Occupations
    • senator
    • Personal Names
    • Humphrey, Hubert H.
    • Jenner, William E.
    • Lehman, Herbert H.
    • Maybank, Burnet R.
    • Simon, William
    • Subjects
    • basing point system
    • environmental legislation
    • Federal Housing Administration investigation

Interviewee
Egenroad, Charles Leroy November 12, 1969 

Call Number
69-036

Physical Description

48 pp.; 3 reels, 3 3/4 ips, 115 minutes; no index; photo of interviewee

Interviewer
Pickett, William B.

Open

Scope and Content Note

Born on July 28, 1904, Charles Leroy Egenroad was a former newspaperman who discusses the years he spent as senator Homer E. Capehart's administrative assistant and personal business representative in this interview. From his position as a member of the professional staff for the Senate Banking and Currency Committee, Egenroad shares his perceptions of Capehart's political career and associations, including Hubert H. Humphrey, Herbert H. Lehman, and Charles W. Tobey. Egenroad discusses Capehart's political actions and/or positions including those related to the Cornfield Conference, export-import bank legislation, and foreign aid.

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • Republican Party
    • Senate Banking and Currency Committee
    • Family Names
    • Kennedy
    • Personal Names
    • Humphrey, Hubert H.
    • Lehman, Herbert H.
    • Miller, Fred A.
    • Tobey, Charles W.
    • Truman, Harry S.
    • Tucker, James M.
    • Subjects
    • Cornfield Conference
    • export-import bank legislation
    • foreign aid

Interviewee
Haskins, Bessie; Capehart, Homer E. July 11, 1969 - July 12, 1969 

Call Number
69-025

Physical Description

57 pp.; 2 reels, 3 3/4 ips, 140 minutes; no index

Interviewer
Pickett, William B.

Scope and Content Note

Homer E. Capehart and his sister, Bessie Haskins, born in 1897 and died in 1979, discuss their youth and family in Illinois and Indiana. They speak extensively about their father and other close relatives. Mrs. Haskins recalls her brother's love of and talent for baseball as a boy, while Mr. Capehart remembers his high school success in track and field. In addition, Mr. Capehart comments on enlisting during World War I, the practice of tenant farming, his employment history, and his salesmanship skills.

Open

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • Rumford Baking Powder Company
    • Brent Brothers Department Store
    • Family Names
    • Graham
    • Kelso
    • Geographic Names
    • Polo, Illinois
    • Indianapolis, Indiana
    • Washington, Indiana
    • Pike County, Indiana
    • Daviess County, Indiana
    • Occupations
    • farmer
    • sales
    • Personal Names
    • Graham, Ray
    • Capehart, Paul
    • Haskins, Byron
    • Subjects
    • farming
    • track and field
    • salesmanship
    • World War I
    • tenant farming

Interviewee
Hastings, John S. October 24, 1969 

Call Number
69-032

Physical Description

34 pp.; 2 reels, 3 3/4 ips, 80 minutes; index

Interviewer
Pickett, William B.

Open

Scope and Content Note

Born in 1898, John S. Hastings discusses his relationship with Homer E. Capehart, Capehart's political career, and his character. Hastings attributes his own rise to the position of senior judge of the United States court of appeals, seventh circuit in Chicago, directly to the sponsorship and support of Homer E. Capehart. In this interview, Hastings speaks of Indiana politics, the revivification of the Republican Party in Indiana by means of the Cornfield Conference, and many of Capehart's closest colleagues, including Paul Bausman and James W. Carr.

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • Republican Party
    • Family Names
    • Capehart
    • Occupations
    • judge
    • Personal Names
    • Bausman, Paul
    • Carr, James W.
    • Emison, Ewing
    • Gates, Ralph F.
    • Halleck, Charles A.
    • Rockefeller, Nelson A.
    • Subjects
    • 1955 Capehart Housing Act
    • Cornfield Conference
    • politics

Interviewee
Ingoldsby, John L., Jr. November 11, 1971 - November 12, 1971 

Call Number
71-056

Physical Description

42 pp.; 2 reels, 3 3/4 ips, 100 minutes; no index

Interviewer
Pickett, William B.

Open

Scope and Content Note

Born in 1914, John L. Ingoldsby, Jr., a successful attorney, speaks of his relationship with and thoughts about former United States senator, Homer E. Capehart. Through Ingoldsby's active involvement in the legal end of international business and Capehart's interest in this area, especially in Latin America, the two men shared many opinions and interests. In this interview, Ingoldsby comments on Capehart as a man, a senator, a friend, and a politician and also discusses Capehart's defeat in the 1962 senatorial campaign.

  • Keywords
    • Geographic Names
    • Central America
    • South America
    • Occupations
    • attorney
    • Personal Names
    • Bayh, Birch E.
    • Brand, Vance
    • Bushman, George
    • Luce, Clare Boothe
    • Subjects
    • export-import banks
    • international business

Interviewee
Krieg, Virginia B.; Krieg, William H. November 30, 1971 

Call Number
71-060

Physical Description

53 pp.; 2 reels, 3 3/4 ips, 90 minutes; index; photo of interviewee

Interviewer
Pickett, William B.

Open

Scope and Content Note

William H. Krieg and his wife, Virginia B. Krieg, speak about their close connections to and perceptions of Homer E. Capehart. Mr. Krieg ran Capehart's company for him from 1946 to 1949 during several of Capehart's years in the United States senate. The Kriegs and the Capeharts vacationed together in Europe in the post-World War II era, an experience which revealed to the Kriegs the respect and special treatment United States senators such as Capehart received in Europe at that time. In addition, the Kriegs discuss Capehart's business history including commentary on the Capehart Phonograph Corporation and the Packard Manufacturing Company. Finally, the Kriegs describe Capehart's character, personality, and the events surrounding Capehart's 1962 loss to Birch E. Bayh, Jr. in the United States senatorial race.

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • Capehart Phonograph Corporation
    • Packard Manufacturing Company
    • Family Names
    • Capehart
    • Occupations
    • attorney
    • Personal Names
    • Stephens, Homer

Interviewee
Lehman, Adeline C. October 8, 1969 

Call Number
69-039

Physical Description

12 pp.; 1 reel, 3 3/4 ips, 30 minutes; no index

Interviewer
Pickett, William B.

Open

Scope and Content Note

Born in 1898, Adeline C. Lehman attended school with senator Homer E. Capehart during his childhood and adolescence. In this interview, she recalls physical impressions, memories of events, and political and general opinions about Capehart. Overall, the interview reveals her pride in and respect for senator Capehart and the job he had done.

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • Republican Party
    • Personal Names
    • Hastings, John S.
    • Subjects
    • adolescence
    • childhood

Interviewee
McHale, Frank August 2, 1972 

Call Number
72-011

Physical Description

20 pp.; 1 reel, 3 3/4 ips, 50 minutes; no index

Interviewer
Pickett, William B.

Open

Scope and Content Note

Frank McHale, an active lifetime Democrat, speaks about Homer E. Capehart and Capehart's career in this interview. McHale had a great respect for Capehart's representation of business interests in Congress. He also speaks of Capehart in the context of both national and Indiana state politics and the Democratic and Republican political parties. In addition, McHale describes his perceptions regarding World War I, World War II, the importance and decline in patriotism in American society, and Prohibition. He also details his experiences regarding the Ku Klux Klan activities in the state of Indiana.

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • American Legion
    • Democratic Party
    • Ku Klux Klan
    • Republican Party
    • Women's Christian Temperance Union
    • Personal Names
    • Holder, Cale J.
    • Jenner, William E.
    • Schricker, Henry F.
    • Subjects
    • alcohol legislation
    • community life
    • banking
    • Indiana politics
    • national politics
    • patriotism
    • Prohibition
    • Vietnam War
    • World War I
    • World War II

Interviewee
Miller, Wilma November 13, 1969 

Call Number
69-033

Physical Description

35 pp.; 1 reel, 3 3/4 ips, 85 minutes; no index

Interviewer
Pickett, William B.

Scope and Content Note

Wilma Miller, the longtime secretary of Homer E. Capehart, recalls her years working for Capehart during his terms as a United States senator. She speaks of exciting moments, such as Capehart's nomination to run for senator, and sad times, such as the deaths of Capehart's son and daughter-in-law in a plane crash, and the death of Robert A. Taft. In addition, Miller discusses the organization of Capehart's office and staff in Washington, D.C., his character and work ethic, and some of the experiences gained under his employ.

Open

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • United States Senate
    • Geographic Names
    • Washington, DC
    • Occupations
    • secretary
    • Personal Names
    • Truman, Harry S.
    • McCarthy, Joseph R.
    • Taft, Robert A., Sr.
    • Eisenhower, Dwight David
    • Capehart, Thomas C.
    • Subjects
    • Senate nomination

Interviewee
Mueller, Carlton; Mueller, Earle January 2, 1970 

Call Number
70-005

Physical Description

28 pp.; 1 reel, 3 3/4 ips, 65 minutes; no index

Interviewer
Pickett, William B.

Scope and Content Note

In this interview, Carlton and Earle Mueller, brothers-in-law to Homer E. Capehart, recount memories and observations of the Capeharts. They recall Capehart's wedding to their sister, Irma, and the Capeharts' children and family life. Also included are brief descriptions of means of transportation in the first few decades of the twentieth century. In addition, they comment on the progress of Capehart's career, both in business and politics, but with an emphasis on the former, and on his character and work ethic.

Open

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • Holcomb and Hoke Manufacturing Company, Incorporated
    • Packard Manufacturing Company
    • Geographic Names
    • Wrightstown, Wisconsin
    • Personal Names
    • Capehart, Irma Mueller
    • Subjects
    • weddings
    • family
    • transportation
    • African-Americans

Interviewee
Pearson, Patricia Capehart October 15, 1969 

Call Number
69-031

Physical Description

37 pp.; 2 reels, 3 3/4 ips, 85 minutes; no index

Interviewer
Pickett, William B.

Scope and Content Note

Patricia Capehart Pearson, the daughter of Homer E. Capehart, speaks of her father in the context of her youth, family life, discipline, and his business and political careers. She recalls memories of events which made a large impression on her, including the Cornfield Conference, the Senate Daughters Club, and miscellaneous perks associated with Capehart's status as a United States senator. In addition, Pearson reveals different aspects of her father's character and personality, including his generosity, punctuality, and lack of pretension.

Open

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • United States Senate
    • Senate Daughters Club
    • Family Names
    • Capehart
    • Geographic Names
    • Snyder, New York
    • Washington, DC
    • Personal Names
    • Taft, Robert A., Sr.
    • Subjects
    • national politics

Interviewee
Borders, Marion C. "Bill" December 20, 1969 

Call Number
70-006

Physical Description

55 pp.; 2 reels, 3 3/4 ips, 2 hours; no index

Interviewer
Pickett, William B.

Scope and Content Note

Marion C. "Bill" Borders was a school mate and life-long friend of Homer Capehart, United States senator from Indiana from 1945 to 1963. Borders reflects on their boyhoods together and Capehart's many business ventures and early political career.

Open

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • Rumford Baking Powder Company
    • J.I. Case Plow Works
    • Holcomb and Hoke Manufacturing Company
    • Caswell and Runyan Company
    • Capehart Phonograph Corporation
    • Rudolf Wurlitzer Company
    • United States Senate
    • Packard Piano Company
    • Family Names
    • Graham
    • Kelso
    • Geographic Names
    • Washington, Indiana
    • Indian Springs, Indiana
    • Occupations
    • farmer
    • sales
    • senator
    • Personal Names
    • Capehart, Homer Earl, Jr.
    • Graham, Zibe
    • Ghormley, Mary "Molly"
    • Caswell, Charlie
    • Smith, Ed
    • Kinnick, Otto Claude
    • Balou, Dick
    • Hastings, John S.
    • Stellings, Duke
    • Colbert, Herman "Skeets"
    • Subjects
    • quartermaster's corps
    • jukeboxes
    • Cornfield Conference
    • New Deal
    • Gateway Arch
    • farming

Interviewee
Capehart, Homer Earl August 16, 1969;  December 11, 1969;  December 12, 1969;  December 15,1971;  December 16, 1971;  August 21, 1973;  August 27, 1973 

Call Number
69-043

Physical Description

349 pp.; 13 reels, 3 3/4 ips, 14 hours; index; black and white photograph

Interviewer
Pickett, William B.

Scope and Content Note

Homer Earl Capehart was born in Algriers, Indiana, in 1897, to parents Susan Kelso and Alvin Capehart. He attended public schools in Indiana and graduated from high school in Polo, Illinois, in 1916. During World War I, he enlisted as a private in the United States Army, was promoted to sergeant, and served in the 12th Infantry from 1917 to 1919. He married Irma Mueller in 1922, with whom he had three children, Thomas, Earl Jr., and Patricia. Capehart served in the United States Senate from Indiana from 1945 to 1963. He was defeated for re-election in 1962. He describes his early life, and business and political careers.

Open

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • United States Senate
    • J.I. Case Plow Works
    • Brent Brothers Department Store
    • Rumford Baking Powder Company
    • United States Army
    • Burton-Paige Company
    • Holcomb and Hoke Manufacturing Company
    • Beaumont Hotel
    • Baker-Capehart Agency
    • Deckadisk Corporation
    • Caswell and Runyan Company
    • Rudolf Wurlitzer Company
    • Capehart-Farnsworth Corporation
    • Seaburg
    • Rockola
    • Gabel Company
    • Indianapolis Motor Speedway
    • Packard Piano Company
    • Capehart Phonograph Corporation
    • Graham Farm
    • Sons of Indiana
    • Republican Party
    • United Nations
    • Packard Manufacturing Company
    • Capehart Farms
    • Columbia Avenue Realty Company
    • Tri-State National Bank
    • Democratic Party
    • AFL-CIO
      • Family Names
      • Capehart
      • Kelso
      • Graham
      • Geographic Names
      • Germany
      • Berlin, Germany
      • Shelburn, Indiana
      • Fort Wayne, Indiana
      • Huntington, Indiana
      • Speedway, Indiana
      • Iva, Indiana
      • White River, Indiana
      • Polo, Illinois
      • Prairie Creek, Indiana
      • Bennington Levee, Indiana
      • Elwood, Indiana
      • Indianapolis, Indiana
      • Occupations
      • senator
      • laborer
      • quartermaster
      • sales
      • farmer
      • Personal Names
      • Capehart, Homer Earl, Jr.
      • Roosevelt, Franklin Delano
      • McCarthy, Joseph R.
      • Acheson, Dean
      • Eisenhower, Dwight David
      • Graham, Ray
      • Capehart, Irma Mueller
      • Baker, Horace
      • Capehart, Homer Earl, Jr.
      • Capehart, Thomas C.
      • Wurlitzer, Farny
      • Fisher, Carl
      • Machado, Gerardo
      • Field, Marshall
      • Kennedy, Joseph P.
      • Bleakman, Bob
      • Miller, Wilma
      • Lennart, Paul
      • Waltemeade, Roy F.
      • Buzan, Elmer
      • Rankin, William H.
      • Bobbitt, Arch N.
      • Willkie, Wendell L.
      • Schricker, Henry F.
      • Astor, Nancy Witcher Langhorne Astor, Viscountess
      • Kelso, Billy
      • Capehart, Susan Kelso
      • Capehart, Jemima "Mimie" Kelso
      • Thomas, Helen
      • Thomas, Roma
      • Capehart, Alvin Thomas
      • Allen, Gladys
      • Neizer, Charlie
      • Holling, Thomas L.
      • Hopkins, Harry L.
      • Minton, Sherman
      • Barkley, Alban W.
      • Truman, Harry S.
      • Willis, Raymond E.
      • Dewey, Thomas E.
      • Holder, Cale J.
      • Jacobs, Andrew, Sr.
      • Campbell, Alexander M.
      • Lawmeier, Thomas
      • MacArthur, Douglas
      • Subjects
      • Cold War
      • Truman Doctrine
      • World War I
      • box socials
      • Wallis tractors
      • farm equipment
      • tractors
      • milking machines
      • phonographs
      • jukeboxes
      • Creative Selling
      • A Little Sound Ignorance
      • Indiana from Frontier to Industrial Commonwealth
      • Simplex phonograph
      • Cornfield Conference
      • New Deal
      • manufacturing
      • flood
      • government debt
      • communism
      • socialism
      • political campaigns
      • V-J Day
      • 1947 Taft-Hartley Act
      • cement
      • collective bargaining
      • Korean War
      • ice cube makers
      • 1948 Presidential Election
      • unions

Interviewee
Sellman, Mrs. John October 8, 1968 

Call Number
69-038

Physical Description

17 pp.; 1 reel, 3 3/4 ips, 45 minutes; index

Interviewer
Pickett, William B.

Scope and Content Note

Mrs. John Sellman, acquainted with Homer E. Capehart since her youth in Washington, Indiana, shares some of her memories of Capehart as a boy and young man, including aspects of his physical appearance and personality. Mrs. Sellman remembers Capehart as a shy but well-liked boy. She later sang at his Cornfield Conference and continues to respect and admire Capehart and his actions as a United States senator.

Open

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • Republican Party
    • Geographic Names
    • Washington, Indiana
    • Personal Names
    • Allen, Ham
    • Subjects
    • childhood
    • adolescence
    • high school
    • Cornfield Conference

Interviewee
Simon, William November 9, 1971 

Call Number
73-012

Physical Description

31 pp.; 1 reel, 3 3/4 ips, 75 minutes; index

Interviewer
Pickett, William B.

Scope and Content Note

Born in 1912, William Simon served as Homer E. Capehart's legal counsel during two United States Senate investigations. In this interview, he discusses his association with the former senator. Included are Simon's observations, memories, opinions, and knowledge of Capehart and Capehart's political and business careers. Simon speaks about the federal housing investigation and the basing point pricing investigation, two Senate matters which were milestones in Capehart's senatorial career. In addition, Simon comments on Capehart's relations with other senators including William E. Jenner and Burnet R. Maybank.

Open

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • United States Senate
    • Geographic Names
    • South America
    • Personal Names
    • Fetter, Frank Albert
    • McMahon, Brien
    • Johnson, Edwin C.
    • Krieg, William H.
    • Jenner, William E.
    • Maybank, Burnet R.
    • Subjects
    • patents
    • Senate basing point pricing investigation
    • Senate federal housing investigation
    • Great Depression

Interviewee
Tucker, James M. December 14, 1971 

Call Number
71-059

Physical Description

22 pp.; 1 reel, 3 3/4 ips, 55 minutes; index

Interviewer
Pickett, William B.

Scope and Content Note

Born on April 21, 1908, James M. Tucker discusses Indiana state politics, his changing role in the Republican Party, and his association with and observations about former United States senator, Homer E. Capehart, a fellow Indiana Republican. A attorney by profession, Tucker discusses his quick rise to the top of Indiana's Republican Party, his participation in World War II, and his loss of the Republican senatorial nomination to Capehart. In addition, he speaks of the impact of the Cornfield Conference and Capehart's senatorial campaigns.

Open

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • Republican Party
    • Occupations
    • attorney
    • politician
    • Personal Names
    • Jenner, William E.
    • Lyons, Robert W.
    • Subjects
    • Indiana politics
    • Cornfield Conference
    • World War II
    • political campaigns

Interviewee
Valentine, Kenneth F. September 10, 1971 

Call Number
71-046

Physical Description

38 pp.; 2 reels, 3 3/4 ips, 90 minutes; index; photo of interviewee

Interviewer
Pickett, William B.

Scope and Content Note

Born on June 25, 1906, Kenneth F. Valentine recounts his experiences working with and for Homer E. Capehart in the late nineteen twenties and early nineteen thirties in the Holcomb and Hoke Company and the Capehart Automatic Phonograph Company, respectively. Valentine discusses Capehart's business interests and acuity, as well as his extraordinary salesmanship skills. In addition, he describes Capehart's closest peers in the business world, including Edward E. Collison and Gerald E. Crary. Valentine also describes the mechanics and popularity of the Capehart Orchestrope, the most advance phonograph of its time.

Open

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • Capehart Automatic Phonograph Company
    • Holcomb and Hoke Manufacturing Company
    • Personal Names
    • Collison, Edward E.
    • Broyles, J.E.
    • Crary, Gerald E.
    • Subjects
    • Capehart Orchestrope
    • salesmanship
    • Great Depression

Interviewee
Ziegner, Edward H. September 24, 1971 

Call Number
71-047

Physical Description

14 pp.; 1 reel, 3 3/4 ips, 35 minutes; index; photo of interviewee

Interviewer
Pickett, William B.

Scope and Content Note

Born in 1920, Edward H. Ziegner is a political writer who had numerous dealings with and the trust of former United States senator, Homer E. Capehart. In this interview, Ziegner speaks of Democratic, Indiana state, and national politics, as well as many of Capehart's political contemporaries. In addition, he discusses aspects of Capehart's final senatorial campaign and those of the successful campaign of Capehart's adversary, Birch E. Bayh, Jr.

Open

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • Democratic Party
    • South Bend Tribune
    • Occupations
    • political writer
    • Personal Names
    • Welsh, Matthew E.
    • Bayh, Birch E.
    • Holder, Cale J.
    • Reich, Jack
    • Subjects
    • Indiana politics
    • national politics
    • political campaigns

Interviewee
Gates, Ralph F. September 8, 1969 

Call Number
69-028

Physical Description

30 pp.; 1 reel, 3 3/4 ips, 70 minutes; index

Interviewer
Pickett, William B.

Scope and Content Note

Ralph Gates served as governor of Indiana from 1945 to 1949. He met Homer Capehart in 1937. Mr. Gates primarily talks about Capehart's political career and the Republican Party of Indiana.

Restricted

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • Republican Party
    • American Legion
    • Capehart Phonograph Corporation
    • Occupations
    • governor
    • Personal Names
    • Willkie, Wendell L.
    • Halleck, Charles A.
    • Rockefeller, John D.
    • Subjects
    • political campaigns
    • World War II
    • temporary housing
    • Cornfield Conference

Interviewee
Donaldson, Ray S. November 13, 1969;  November 5, 1971 

Call Number
69-037

Physical Description

92 pp.; 4 reels, 3 3/4 ips, 3 hours, 45 minutes; no index; photograph of interviewee

Interviewer
Pickett, William B.

Scope and Content Note

Ray S. Donaldson, born 1910, was an Indiana native who, after graduating from Harvard Law School in 1935, returned to Indiana to practice. In 1936, he met Homer Capehart. The two became friends and when Mr. Capehart became a congressman in 1946, Donaldson went to Washington, D.C. along with him, serving as his administrative assistant for the next four years. Mr. Donaldson primarily discusses his years in Washington, D.C., Mr. Capehart's congressional agenda, and important issues in national politics at the time.

Open

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • United States Senate
    • Senate Banking and Currency Committee
    • Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
    • Geographic Names
    • Washington, Indiana
    • Washington, DC
    • Bennington Levee
    • Occupations
    • attorney
    • executive secretary
    • administrative assistant
    • Personal Names
    • Capehart, Homer Earl, Jr.
    • Eisenhower, Dwight David
    • Miller, Wilma
    • Dewey, Thomas E.
    • Capehart, Irma Mueller
    • Taft, William Howard
    • CSubjects
    • military housing
    • fundraising
    • levee
    • Federal Housing Administration hearings
    • politics
    • lifestyle
    • legislation
    • political campaigns
    • communism
    • Senate committees
    • Marshall Plan
    • labor
    • exercise
    • civil rights
    • veterans' housing
    • newsprint industry
    • basing point system

Interviewee
Merchant, William F. December 11, 1970 

Call Number
69-027

Physical Description

76 pp.; 2 reels, 3 3/4 ips; 3 hours; no index

Interviewer
Pickett, William B.

Scope and Content Note

This is an interview with William F. Merchant, a former regional manager for Homer Capehart. Merchant chronicles his experience as a regional manager overseeing distribution and sales of coin operated phonographs for both the Capehart Phonograph Company and the Rudolf Wurlitzer Company. He also talks about how Capehart got into politics and how both Democrats and Republicans who worked for him helped fund his campaign.

No oral Deed of Gift.

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • Capehart Automatic Phonograph Company
    • Auburn Rubber Company
    • Tokheim Company
    • Wayne Oil Tank and Pump Company
    • Goodrich Tire Company
    • Lincoln National Life Insurance Company
    • Huntington College
    • Marquette Music
    • Decca Record Company
    • Rudolf Wurlitzer Company
    • Packard Manufacturing Company
    • Methodist Hospital
    • Geographic Names
    • Detroit, Michigan
    • Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana
    • Fort Wayne, Indiana
    • Shoals, Indiana
    • Elizabethtown, Kentucky
    • Upton, Kentucky
    • Little Rock, Arkansas
    • Michigan
    • Kentucky
    • Indianapolis, Indiana
    • Jackson, Mississippi
    • Butte, Montana
    • Chicago, Illinois
    • Occupations
    • teacher
    • attorney
    • sales
    • Personal Names
    • Capehart, Homer Earl, Jr.
    • Broyles, J.E.
    • Graham, Harry
    • Jenner, William E.
    • Payne, Harry
    • Bleakman, Bob
    • Subjects
    • coin operated phonographs
    • 1950 Indiana Gubernatorial election
    • Capehart Orchestrope
    • Cornfield Conference

Interviewee
McWhirter, Felix M. August 1, 1972 

Call Number
73-005

Physical Description

5 pp.; 1 reel, 3 3/4 ips, 15 minutes; no index; photograph of interviewee

Interviewer
Pickett, William B.

Scope and Content Note

Felix M. McWhirter, born in 1886, tells about his first meeting with Homer Capehart while interviewee was treasurer of State Republican Committee. He tells about Capeharts donations to the party and how he funded the Cornfield Conference held in 1938. He speaks highly of Capehart as a person and his ability to get things done.

Open

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • Indiana State Republican Committee
    • Columbia Club
    • United States Congress
    • United States Senate
    • Geographic Names
    • Kansas
    • Muncie, Indiana
    • Columbus, Indiana
    • Washington, Indiana
    • Occupations
    • banker
    • Personal Names
    • Jewett, Charlie
    • Hamilton, John
    • Ball, George A.
    • Irwin, Will
    • Halleck, Charles A.
    • Willis, Raymond E.
    • Capehart, Homer Earl, Jr.
    • Subjects
    • Cornfield Conference

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