Justice Michael D. Stallman Collection, 1943-1973 (bulk 1965-1969) Museum of the City of New York 1220 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10029 Telephone: 212-534-1672 Fax: 212-423-0758 research@mcny.org www.mcny.org Museum of the City of New York. All rights reserved. Prepared by Emily Chapin, Collections Access Archivist Description is in English. Descriptive Summary Creator: Justice Michael D. Stallman Title: Justice Michael D. Stallman Collection Dates: 1943-1972 (bulk 1965-1969) Abstract: Materials in this collection were selected from Justice Stallman s large, comprehensive collection of political ephemera. The bulk of the objects date from 1965 to 1969 and relate to Vietnam War protests. Other materials relate to political candidates and issues, including Bella Abzug, John Lindsay, and the Civilian Review Board. A small selection of objects relate to early Stuyvesant Town. Extent: 1 box (.5 linear foot) MCNY Numbers: Accn# 2017.20 Language: English 1
Biographical Note Justice Michael D. Stallman was born and raised in Manhattan; his parents were early residents of Stuyvesant Town, a private residential development on Manhattan s east side between 14 th and 23 rd Streets, and Stallman spent his childhood there. He attended Stuyvesant High School, received his B.A. from the City College of New York, and earned his J.D. from New York University School of Law. Stallman became interested in politics as a teenager, and began collecting campaign material in the early 1960s. His interest deepened into political theory, ideology, municipal government, and public policy, especially on the local level. After graduating from law school, his political interests intersected with his career, first as legislative assistant to Ted Weiss, leader of the reform Democrats in the City Council, then as an Assistant District Attorney in New York County. He went on to clerk for a State Supreme Court Justice, then served as a law professor and judge for over 30 years, 17 of which he spent on the New York Supreme Court. During his career, Justice Stallman made news for officiating on the first day of legal same-sex marriage in New York State, and for providing rulings on the Occupy Wall Street protestors occupation of Zuccotti Park. Scope and Content The materials in this collection were selected from Justice Stallman s large, comprehensive collection of political ephemera covering both sides of the political aisle, and local and national issues and campaigns. Formats are primarily fliers, handbills, and leaflets. Materials in this collection focus on and date from 1943 to 1972. The bulk of the materials date from 1965 to 1969 and relate to Vietnam War protests from small student protests to the April 15, 1967 march from Central Park to the United Nations. Other materials relate to New York City political candidates and issues, including Bella Abzug, John Lindsay, and the Civilian Review Board. A small selection of objects relate to early Stuyvesant Town, including a lease and copy of the 1943 agreement between the city, Stuyvesant Town Corporation, and the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. Arrangement The collection is arranged into three series based on subject. Series I: Vietnam War is arranged chronologically, and Series and I are arranged alphabetically by creator. Series and Sub-Series Description Series I: Vietnam War This series contains materials related to Vietnam War protests, dating from 1965 to 1969. The primary formats are fliers and handbills, and all are related to protests held in. Some fliers are hand-made, and several feature stirring images of the war. Materials of note include fliers and solicitation mailers from the April 15, 1967 protest and march from Central Park to the United Nations. A second march was held concurrently in San Francisco. The New York City march attracted nearly 100,000 participants, including the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther 2
King Jr., Dr. Benjamin Spock, and Stokely Carmichael, all of whom spoke at the rally at the UN. Several groups feature prominently in the collection: Spring Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam / National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam was a coalition of antiwar activists formed in 1967. The group organized large demonstrations against the Vietnam War, including the April 15, 1967 marches in New York City and San Francisco, and October 21, 1967 march on the Pentagon. Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) was a student activist organization from the early 1960s until 1969. The national office was located in Manhattan until 1965, when the headquarters moved to Chicago. Campus chapters of the SDS lead small demonstrations against the Vietnam War, and in 1968 national SDS activists called for Ten Days of Resistance on campuses, ending with a student strike on April 26 th. Vietnam Peace Parade Committee was based in Manhattan. They organized protest marches in every spring and fall between 1965 and 1973. The organization also planned the Stop the Draft week at the Whitehall Induction Center from December 4 to 8, 1967. Youth Against War and Fascism was the youth arm of the Workers World Party. They organized what ended up being the first U.S. protest against the Vietnam War, when in August 1962 members set up a picket line in midtown Manhattan to object to the government sending military advisers to Vietnam. Series : Politics This series contains materials related to politics, including politicians, groups, and issues, dating from 1965 to 1973. Formats are primarily fliers, brochures, and handbills. Materials of note include fliers related to the 1965 John Lindsay-directed review of the role of the city s Civilian Review Board. Several female candidates and alternative political parties are represented in the series, including Bella Abzug, and the United Taxpayers Party. Series I: Personal This small series contains materials primarily related to Stuyvesant Town, including Stallman s parents original 1949 lease for a $59 per-month second floor apartment. The series includes a copy of the 1943 Agreement by and between the City of New York, Stuyvesant Town Corporation, and Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, which contains several fold-out maps and plans of the proposed project. Language of Materials The materials in this collection are in English. 3
Access and Use The Museum of the City of New York collections must be examined on site. Appointments to examine materials must be made in advance by contacting the Archivist through e-mail at research@mcny.org. Collection use is subject to all copyright laws. Permission to publish materials must be obtained in writing from the Rights and Reproductions Office at the Museum of the City of New York. For more information please contact: Rights and Reproductions office Museum of the City of New York 1220 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10029 Telephone: 917-492-3375 rightsandrepro@mcny.org Administrative Information Preferred Citation Title, date. [Justice Michael D. Stallman Collection, 1943-1973.] Museum of the City of New York. Accession # (if applicable). Custodial History These materials were part of a larger collection of political ephemera collected by Justice Stallman from the early 1960s to the present. Emily Chapin, Collections Access Archivist, made a selection of materials based on the Museum s collections needs with the guidance of Sarah Seidman, Puffin Foundation Curator of Social Activism. Acquisition Information Justice Stallman gave the materials in this collection to the Museum in November 2016. Processing Information While in Justice Stallman s possession, the materials were arranged chronologically and were not sub-divided based on person, event, or political party. Emily Chapin, Collections Access Archivist, processed the collection upon its accession, and arranged the materials into subjectbased series for easier accessibility. Related Material Museum of the City of New York Museum of the City of New York Collection on Politics: Consists of a variety of material types spanning from 1774 to 2013 and relating to both and national politics. The collection primarily contains objects relating to local campaigns, elections, and inaugurations of political figures, and to political parties and events; a small amount is related to national politics. 4
Collections in Other Repositories Other materials in Justice Stallman s collection went to the New-York Historical Society. For information on those materials please contact reference@nyhistory.org. Access Points Personal names Aptheker, Herbert, 1915-2003 Abzug, Bella S., 1920-1998 Bevel, James L. (James Luther), 1936-2008 Carmichael, Stokely, 1941-1998 Dellinger, David T., 1915-2004 Ginsberg, Allen, 1926-1997 Javits, Jacob K. (Jacob Koppel), 1904-1986 Johnson, Lyndon B. (Lyndon Baines), 1908-1973 Kennedy, Robert F., 1925-1968 King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968 Lindsay, John V. (John Vliet) McGovern, George S. (George Stanley), 1922-2012 Rankin, Jeannette, 1880-1973 Spock, Benjamin, 1903-1998 Corporate names Fifth Avenue Vietnam Peace Parade Committee Spring Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam Students for a Democratic Society (U.S.) Stuyvesant High School United Nations Topical subjects Political candidates Political campaigns Politics & government Protest and social movements Student protest Vietnam War, 1961-1975 Geographic subjects Battery Park (New York, N.Y.) Bryant Park (New York, N.Y.) City Hall Park (New York, N.Y.) Columbus Circle (New York, N.Y.) Rockefeller Center Sheep Meadow, Central Park (New York, N.Y.) 5
Stuyvesant Town (New York, N.Y.) Times Square (New York, N.Y.) Tompkins Square Park (New York, N.Y.) Washington Square (New York, N.Y.) Washington Square Park (New York, N.Y.) Container List Series Series Title Folder Folder Title Date I Vietnam War 1 1965 1965 I Vietnam War 2 1966 1966 I Vietnam War 3 1967 1967 I Vietnam War 4 1968 1968 I Vietnam War 5 1969 1969 Politics 6 Abzug, Bella and McGovern, George 1972 Politics 7 Civilian Review Board ca. 1966 Politics 8 Ferguson, Herman B. 1968 Politics 9 Friedlander, Miriam ca. 1973 Politics 10 Halstead, Fred and Boutelle, Fred (Socialist Workers Party) 1968 Politics 11 Lindsay, John V. ca. 1965 Politics 12 Newman, Grace Mora 1968 Politics 13 Rosen, Mildred Pafundi ca. 1966 Politics 14 Silberman, Leslie ca. 1966 Politics 15 United Taxpayers Party n.d. Politics 16 White, Judy 1966 Politics 17 Wilson, Jerome L. 1966 Politics 18 Young Socialist Alliance ca. 1968 6
I Personal 19 "Agreement by and Between the City of New York, Stuyvesant Town Corp., and Metropolitan Life Insurance Company" 1943 I Personal 20 Stuyvesant Town ca. 1949 I Personal 21 Stallman, Melvin ID card 1949 7