DAVID MAHER LILLY:

David Maher Lilly was born in St. Paul on June 14, 1917, the son of Richard Coyle and Rachel (Cunningham) Lilly. He received a bachelor's degree in economics from Dartmouth College in 1939, and served as a major in the U.S. Army during World War II (1942-1945).

In 1945 he went to work for Toro Manufacturing Corporation (later known as the Toro Company), a Minneapolis-based manufacturer of lawn mowers, garden tractors, snow throwers, and similar equipment. He served as vice president, general manager, and treasurer [to ca.1949]; president [ca.1950-ca.1968]; and as chairman of the board of directors [ca.1969-1976]. Lilly retired from Toro in 1976, but apparently rejoined the board around 1978.

Lilly served as a member of the board of governors of the Federal Reserve System (1976-1978), dean of the University of Minnesota School of Management (1978-1983), and as the university's vice president for finance and operations (1983-1988). He served as Minnesota Republican State Central Committee treasurer (1963-1966), and as chairman of the Minnesota Republican State Finance Committee (1966-1968). He was on the boards of several major Twin Cities corporations, and was a member of the Carleton College Board of Trustees until 1992.

Lilly married Perrin Brown on December 5, 1946. The couple had three children: David Maher, Bruce Austin, and Susanne Brown Lilly.

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Includes correspondence and memoranda, speeches, newspaper clippings, and some biographical information. The materials center on Lilly's activities apart from his career with Toro.

There is information about the Toro Company and Lilly's association with the University of Minnesota, the Federal Reserve System, the Somerset Country Club, and Carleton College. Speeches set forth Lilly's views on economic and monetary issues, particularly the control of inflation. There are historical sketches of both the Somerset Country Club and the Toro Company in the files as well.

Correspondents include Twin Cities business executives, University of Minnesota officials and faculty, attorneys, country club officials and members, and friends.

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Availability:

The collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. David M. Lilly Papers. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession number: 15,327; 16,128

Processing Information:

Processed by David B. Peterson, August 1998, Molly Tierney, December 2007.

Catalog ID number: 990017349180104294

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Toro Company annual reports are in the Minnesota Historical Society serials collection.

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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:

Dutch elm disease.

Economic policy.

Golf courses -- Minnesota -- Design.

Inflation (Finance) -- United States.

Trusts and trustees.

Universities and colleges -- Minnesota -- Officials and employees.

Organizations:

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).

Offbeat Corporation, (Saint Paul, Minn.).

Somerset Country Club, (Saint Paul, Minn.).

Source Technology Biologicals, Inc., (Bloomington, Minn.).

Toro Company.

University of Minnesota Office of the Vice President for Finance and Operations.

University of Minnesota Officials and employees.

University of Minnesota. School of Management.

Types of Documentation:

Speeches.

Occupations:

Businessmen. -- Minnesota.

Deans (Education) -- Minnesota.

Directors of corporations -- Minnesota.

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