Gladys Roberts Williams Papers
Scope and Contents
The Gladys Roberts Williams collection consists primarily of materials related to her participation in the Missouri Federation of Women’s Democratic Club. The history of the organization is well documented through materials contained in the collection, including the by-laws and constitution, and a significant body of correspondence. The majority of the correspondence directly relates to the Missouri Federation of Women’s Democratic Club between 1930 and 1957. There are a few photos of women active in the organization, including one photo of Williams. Information regarding the conferences, conventions, and meetings are also well represented in the collection. Williams played a prominent role in the organization for several years. Additionally, the collection contains information on the War Finance Committee from 1942 – 1944. This committee sold war bonds to Americans during World War II. Through the bond drives, American citizens could help finance the war effort. There were special drives to encourage purchases, including the Minute Women at War Week. This drive allowed the women of the nation to solicit the sale of bonds in shopping areas, banks, on street corners, and at intersections. In the Williams collection, the materials related to the War Finance Committee include: "Handbook for Women’s State and Local War Savings Committees" dated 1942; reports on war bonds and stamps sold during the Minute Women at War Week in November 1942 in the Cape Girardeau and Jackson area; "Missouri War Finance Manual" dated August 1943; and "Women’s Section of the War Finance Division of the Southwestern Region Bulletin" dated September 1944. Other subjects that constitute a smaller portion of the collection include: election materials from local Democratic candidates and FDR in 1936 and 1944; the National Recovery Administration, the Works Progress Administration; the Parents and Teachers Organization; and the Cafeteria Committee for Missouri State Teachers College.
Dates
- Creation: Circa 1894-1982
Rights Statement
Materials in this collection may be protected by copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code).
Biographical / Historical
Gladys Roberts Williams (1894-1982) was an active citizen of Cape Girardeau. From 1937 to 1940 she headed the Cafeteria Committee for the Missouri State Teachers College. She served in local branches of New Deal organizations, including the National Recovery Administration and the Works Progress Administration. She was a prominent member of the Democratic Party serving as President of the Missouri Federation of Women’s Democratic Club in 1939. She remained involved in the party through the late 1940’s, playing an active role in the Minute Women at War Week in November, 1942, the War Finance Committee, and the re-election campaign for Franklin Roosevelt in 1944. Williams was also the president for the Cape Girardeau chapter of the National Foundation for Infant Paralysis in 1939. Gladys Roberts Williams was married in 1922 to Paul R. Williams, a physician in Cape Girardeau. She was widowed in 1935. She remarried in 1945 to Lindsay W. Simmons, a local banker and remained with him until his death in 1981.
Extent
2.5 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Correspondence, records of the Missouri Federation of Women’s Democratic Club, photographs, news clippings, scrapbook, and War Finance Committee material (1942-1944) of Williams, a Cape Girardeau resident who took an active role in state and local politics. From 1937 to 1940, she headed the Cafeteria Committee for the Southeast Missouri State Teachers College. She served in local branches of New Deal organizations, was a prominent member of the Democratic Party, and served as President of the Missouri Federation of Women’s Democratic Club in 1939. She played an active role in the Minute Women at War Week in November 1942, the War Finance Committee, and the reelection campaign for Franklin Roosevelt in 1944.
Provenance
Gift of Mrs. Vernon Landgraf, Cape Girardeau, 1983.
- Title
- A Guide to the Gladys Roberts Williams Papers circa 1894-1982
- Status
- Completed
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English
Revision Statements
- 2002: Revised by Jennifer Leucke
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections and Archives Repository
One University Plaza, MS 4600
Cape Girardeau Missouri 63701 United States
5736512245
semoarchives@semo.edu