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Luis Kutner papers

Descriptive Summary

Title
Luis Kutner papers
Dates
1916-1981,
Predominant Dates
bulk 1950-1980
Creator
Kutner, Luis, 1908-1993
Creator
Bailey, F. Lee (Francis Lee), 1933- , Byrne, Jane, 1933-2014- , Capone, Al, 1899-1947 , Comerford, Frank D., 1879-1929 , Costello, Frank, 1891-1973 , Dodd, Thomas J. (Thomas Joseph), 1907-1971 , Dorfman, Allen M., 1923-1983 , Drury, William J.,d. 1950 , Gandhi, Indira, 1917-1984 , Kefauver, Estes, 1903-1963 , Klein, Julius, 1901-1984 , Loos, Anita, 1893-1981 , Montgomery, James, b. 1893 , Ragen, Joseph E. , Sheppard, Sam , Stevenson, Ellen Borden , Tucker, Preston, 1903-1956 , Weil, J. R. (Joseph R.) , White, William A. (William Alanson), 1870-1937 , Bardian House Publishers (Chicago, Ill.) , Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America , Mother's Remedies Corporation , United States Congress -- Senate -- Special Committee to Investigate Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce
Size
59.5 linear feet.
Size
40 sound recordings.
Size
6 sound cassettes.
Language
Material is in English unless otherwise noted.

Scope and Content

Correspondence; news clipping scrapbooks; manuscripts of legal articles, fiction, poetry, short stories; some legal and business records; and sound recordings of radio interviews of Luis Kutner, a lawyer who became involved in public-interest lawsuits and other high-profile cases in Chicago and in national and international affairs; and an author whose writings ranged from philosophy and legal theory to poetry, fictionalized accounts of his love life, and reminiscences of playing piano in a mob hangout during his youth. Topics in the collection vary widely and include international law, civil liberties, the entertainment industry, publishing, creative writing, organized crime and criminals, politics--both local and national, racism and anti-Semitism, religion, and old age.

Scope and Content

The collection includes background research on Ku Klux Klan influence in the Waukegan (Ill.) area in the 1920s and Kutner's 1949 success in winning freedom for James Montgomery, an African American who spent decades in prison; newsclippings on Frank Costello, files on the Kefauver hearings on organized crime and the murder of Chicago investigator William Drury in the 1950s, plus later newsclippings on Allen Dorfman; files on the failure of the Tucker automobile manufacturing company, in which Kutner was an investor; files on the defense of Dr. Sam Sheppard, in collaboration with his lawyer F. Lee Bailey; lawsuits against the harsh policies of Warden Joseph E. Ragen of Joliet penitentiary; writings on psychologist William Alanson White's theories on violence and their applicability to international conflict; and Kutner's elaboration of the concept of world habeas corpus and efforts to use it in defense of persons imprisoned in foreign countries and to resolve international conflicts through tribunals rather than war.

Scope and Content

Additional materials include files on Kutner's work with Julius Klein to defend Thomas Dodd of Connecticut when he was censured by the U.S. Senate; Kutner's legal representation of Ellen Borden Stevenson, ex-wife of Adlai Stevenson II; Kutner's promotion of jojoba oil as a substitute for whale oil; lawsuits against makers of The Sting (motion picture) and in support of author William T. Brannon for his writings on Yellow Kid Weil's scams as a con man; legal wrangling over the Neo-Nazi march in Skokie (Ill.) in the 1970s; promotion of the Senior Citizens Crime Commission, Kutner's anti-crime organization for the protection of older people; Kutner's support for and then opposition to Chicago Mayor Jane Byrne; Kutner's company Bardian House Publishers and Kutner's other projects to publish his own works, such as The Trialle of William Shakespeare, a play, and works by other authors; and files on Mother's Remedies Corporation, an old patent medicine company that Kutner owned briefly before it closed.

Conditions for Access

For listening purposes, it is necessary to use a copy, not the original (and to have a listening copy made if one is not available). Later additions to the collection are unprocessed. Contact research@chicagohistory.org for access to unprocessed portions. Staff will typically respond to your inquiry within two weeks. However, due to the high volume of inquiries and depending upon the nature of your request additional time may be required to respond. Please note that not all material will be available for researcher access due to condition, location, staff availability, confidentiality and/or other factors. Scheduling an appointment to view available material may require several additional weeks.

Conditions Governing Use

Contact the archives for more information on licensing and permissions for use and reproduction.

Preferred Citation

A common citation for archives is as follows: Item, Folder number and/or title, Box number, Collection title, ID number, Repository name, location.

Custodial History

Gift of Luis Kutner beginning in 1978 (M1983.0005 and M1982.0024).

Biography or History

Mr. Kutner died on March 1, 1993.

Related Material

The Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace (at Stanford University) holds a large collection of Louis Kutner papers, much of which is related to the World Habeas Corpus Commission.

Related Material

Related materials at Chicago History Museum, Research Center, include visual items transferred to the Prints & Photographs Collection, including 2 videocassettes on "The Dionne Years," which was a BBC production about the commercial promotion of the Dionne quintuplets in the 1930s, in which Kutner was involved; and about a dozen photographs, including one of Kutner with a number of other men and one of a movie being shot outside Riccardo's Restaurant, 437 N. Rush, Chicago. This material is closed until processed. There also are poetry and non-fiction writings by Kutner cataloged separately.

Descriptive inventory available online but doesn't include later addition to the collection.

Indexed Terms

Citation/Reference

NUCMC MS 92-798748.