WALTER O'MEARA:

Walter O'Meara was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota (1897) and grew up in Cloquet, Minnesota. He graduated from Cloquet High School (1914) and attended the University of Minnesota before serving in the army during World War I. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Wisconsin (1920) with a degree in journalism.

After working as a reporter for the Duluth News Tribune for several years, O'Meara joined the Chicago office of the J. Walter Thompson advertising agency. He later moved on to work for the Benton & Bowles advertising agency in New York (1932), but returned to J. Walter Thompson as co-chairman of their plans board in New York (1942). During World War II O'Meara served as chief of planning for the Office of Strategic Services and was head of the information department for the Office of Price Administration.

In 1950 O'Meara left advertising as a full-time profession to pursue a writing career. He published several magazine articles and 16 books, two of which, Minnesota Gothic and Grand Portage, were best sellers in the 1950s. In 1956 O'Meara was media director for Adlai Stevenson's first presidential campaign.

O'Meara lived most of his working life in Connecticut. He moved to Arizona in 1969 and later moved to Cohasset, Massachusetts, where he died on September 29, 1989. Walter O'Meara married Esther Arnold (1922) and had four children: Ellen, Donn, Wolfe, and Deirdre.

Biographical data was taken from the collection.

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Includes correspondence of various family members, friends, and business associates. Topics include family matters; special advertising projects; reactions to O'Meara's books; the construction of O'Meara's house in Sasabe, Arizona (1949); O'Meara's election to membership in The Players club (Dec. 3, 1948) and The P.E.N. (April 16, 1951); and the death of O'Meara's wife (1983).

The miscellaneous personal papers include a genealogy of the Wolfe family; photocopies of O'Meara's birth (1897) and marriage (1922) certificates; photocopies of O'Meara's military appointments and discharges (1918 and 1945); a testimonial presented to O'Meara by the University of Wisconsin for his achievements in journalism (1957); photographs, sales brochures, and addresses of O'Meara's various residences; correspondence (1957-1959, 1965) related to a police training film produced by O'Meara and his son, Wolfe; newspaper clippings related to a bombing at La Guardia airport in which O'Meara was injured (Dec. 1975); photographs, correspondence, and newspaper clippings related to the celebration of "Walter O'Meara Day" in Cloquet (Sept. 10, 1982); a memorial book containing obituaries and correspondence at the time of O'Meara's death (1989); and photocopies of O'Meara's entries in three biographical reference works.

Papers related to O'Meara's work in advertising (1924-1968) consist of correspondence, magazine and newspaper clippings, and book excerpts. The papers trace his career as a copy writer and consultant with J. Walter Thompson (1920-1932 and 1942-1956); Benton & Bowles (1932-1940); Lennon and Newell, Inc.; and Sullivan, Stauffer, Colwell, & Bayles. Several copies of O'Meara's column, "Just Looking...," published in Advertising Age, are also included (1955-1957).

Papers documenting O'Meara's writing career include correspondence (1946-1988), notes, photographs, newspaper clippings, contracts, copyright forms, and royalty statements connected with the writing and publication of O'Meara's books; biographical data on Daniel Harmon, an early Canadian explorer (1819-1843), particularly his activities around Coventry, Vermont and speculation about his death in Montreal, Quebec; correspondence discussing O'Meara's donation of World War II posters and papers related to the novels The Duke of War and Guns at the Forks to Boston University; magazine articles written by O'Meara; newspaper clippings describing talks given by O'Meara; and book excerpts with references to his writing. A number of letters and reviews connected with the Minnesota Historical Society's publication of O'Meara's book We Made It Through the Winter are also included. Reminiscences contained in letters from the book's readers provide a good amount of historical information on Cloquet. There is also a collection of notes on logging that O'Meara sent the Minnesota Historical Society relevant to the Society's Forest History Center in Grand Rapids, Minnesota.

The remainder of the collection contains the manuscript for The Trees Went Forth; several unpublished manuscripts; and book reviews (1951-1969). Titles of the unpublished works, and of the books reviewed, are included in the container list.

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These records are organized into the following five sections:

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Availability:

The collection is open for research use.

Use Restrictions:

Copyright in the unpublished manuscripts is retained by the donor. No more than 50 pages of any single literary manuscript may be photocopied for any individual researcher without the express written consent of the donor, or the donor's specified designee, until 2039.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here].Walter O'Meara Papers Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession number: 6798; 11,824; 12,206; 14,289

Processing Information:

Processed by: Frank Hennessy, August 1991

Catalog ID number: 990017148650104294

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Includes correspondence of various family members, friends, and business associates. Topics include family matter; special advertising projects; reactions to O'Meara's books; the construction of O'Meara's house in Sausabe, Arizona (1949); O'Meara's election to membership in The Players club (Dec. 3, 1948) and The P.E.N. (April 16, 1951); and the death of O'Meara's wife (1983).

The miscellaneous personal papers include a genealogy of the Wolfe family; photocopies of O'Meara's birth (1897) and marriage (1922) certificates; photocopies of O'Meara's military appointments and discharges (1918 and 1945); a testimonial presented to O'Meara by the University of Wisconsin for his achievements in journalism (1957); photographs, sales brochures, and addresses of O'Meara's various residences; correspondence (1957-1959, 1965) related to a police training film produced by O'Meara and his son, Wolfe; newspaper clippings related to a bombing at La Guardia Airport in which O'Meara was injured (Dec. 1975); photographs, correspondence, and newspaper clippings related to the celebration of "Walter O'Meara Day" in Cloquet (Sept. 10, 1982); a memorial book containing obituaries and correspondence at the time of O'Meara's death (1989); and photocopies of O'Meara's entries in three biographical reference works.

The photographs and slides consist of family pictures; several photographs of O'Meara; and pictures taken on various camping and canoe trips. Also included are photographs, a map, pamphlets, and newspaper clippings elated to O'Meara's participation in a canoe caravan (1962) that retraced a route of the Wisconsin voyagers of the 1690s.

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This series begins with correspondence (1942-1946), military records (1942-1945), newspaper clippings, and reminiscences (1947, 1963, 1989) documenting O'Meara's World War II service with the Office of Strategic Services and the Office of Price Administration.

Papers related to O'Meara's work in advertising (1924-1968) consist of correspondence, magazine and newspaper clippings, and book excerpts. The papers trace his career as a copy writer and consultant with J. Walter Thompson (1920-1932 and 1942-1956); Benton & Bowles (1932-1940); Lennon and Newell, Inc.; and Sullivan, Stauffer, Colwell, & Bayles. Several copies of O'Meara's column, "Just Looking_," published in Advertising Age, are also included (1955-1957).

Papers connected with O'Meara's political activities include correspondence (1956-1957) related to his service as media director for Adlai Stevenson's 1956 presidential campaign; correspondence (1945-1968) and book excerpts related to his longtime friendship with Connecticut senator William Benton; and correspondence and printed matter connected with his support of the Johnson and Humphrey presidential ticket in 1968.

While pursuing his advertising career, O'Meara also contributed his services to various civic organizations including the United Nations, the Atlanta Urban League, and the National Conference of Christians and Jews. Correspondence and examples of promotional material (1944-1958) connected with this work are included.

Papers documenting O'Meara's writing career include correspondence (1946-1988), notes, photographs, newspaper clippings, contracts, copyright forms, and royalty statements connected with the writing and publication of O'Meara's books; biographical data on Daniel Harmon, an early Canadian explorer (1819-1843), particularly his activities around Coventry, Vermont and speculation about his death in Montreal, Quebec; correspondence discussing O'Meara's donation of World War II posters and papers related to the novels The Duke of War and Guns at the Forks to Boston University; magazine articles written by O'Meara; newspaper clippings describing talks given by O'Meara; and book excerpts with references to his writing. A number of letters and reviews connected wit the Minnesota Historical Society's publication of O'Meara's book We Made It Through the Winter are also included. Reminiscences contained in letters from the book's readers provide a good amount of historical information on Cloquet. There is also a collection of notes on logging that O'Meara sent the Minnesota Historical Society relevant to the Society's Forest History Center in Grand Rapids, Minnesota.

The remainder of the collection contains the manuscript for The Trees Went Forth; several unpublished manuscript; and book reviews (1951-1969). Titles of the unpublished works, and of the books reviewed, are included in the container list.

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Includes O'Meara's diploma from the University of Wisconsin (1920); a program from a Bastille Day celebration (July 14, 1941) in Woodstock, New York, which Walter and Esther O'Meara helped produce; advertisement proofs designed by O'Meara and written in Spanish promoting travel to the United States in Argentina and Franklin D. Roosevelt's book Why We Arm Ourselves; and a poster prepared by the Office of Price Administration outlining its program of rent control, price control, and rationing (Dec. 1943).

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This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics:

Advertising agencies -- New York -- New York.

Advertising, Political -- United States.

Authors, American.

Explorers -- Canada.

Fur trade -- North America.

Indians of North America.

Logging -- Minnesota.

Presidents -- United States -- Elections -- 1956.

World War, 1939-1945 -- Secret Service -- United States.

Persons:

Benton, William, 1900-1973.

Harmon, Daniel Williams, 1778-1845.

O'Meara, Walter, -- Manuscripts.

Stevenson, Adlai E. (Adlai Ewing), 1900-1965.

Organizations:

Benton and Bowles.

J. Walter Thompson Company.

Sullivan, Stauffer, Colwell and Bayles.

United States. Office of Price Administration.

United States. Office of Strategic Services.

Places:

Canada -- Discovery and exploration.

Cloquet (Minn.)

Occupations:

Copy writers.

Fur traders.

Types of documentation

Diaries.

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