Frazier Reams, Sr. and Frazier Reams, Jr. papers

Collection – Multiple Containers

Identifier: MS-0055

Staff Only

Collection Overview

Abstract

This collection consists of the papers of Ohio Democratic politicians Frazier Reams, Sr. and Frazier Reams, Jr., with the vast majority of the material relating to their political careers. Materials in the collection include documents, correspondence, photographs, scrapbooks, publications, and ephemera dating from circa 1901-1971, with the bulk of the materials dating from the 1930s-1960s.

Dates

Creation: circa 1901-1971, undated
Creation: Majority of material found within 1930s-1960s

Extent

5.33 Cubic Feet (3 legal archive boxes, 3 record cartons, 2 letter archive boxes)

12 Volumes

3 Flat Files

Creator

Reams, Frazier, 1897-1971 (Person)
Reams, Henry Frazier, Jr., 1929-2020 (Person)

Scope and Contents

The Frazier Reams, Sr. and Frazier Reams, Jr. papers are organized into two main series:

The Frazier Reams, Sr. papers span the period circa 1901-1962, and mainly document his terms as Prosecuting Attorney for Lucas County, Public Welfare Director, and Congressman from Ohio's 9th District. Reams' scrapbooks, the major portion of the collection, contain numerous articles pertaining to life in Ohio and the city of Toledo. Articles may be found documenting criminal injustices, hospital and penitentiary conditions, and campaign activities. Limited primary materials include speeches and correspondence.

The speeches, given before audiences of political, religious, and educational orientation, contain information on Ohio's penitentiary system, religion, patriotism, and various other topics. A portion of the correspondence deals with Bowling Green State University and Reams' congressional campaign. All other letters are of a miscellaneous character.

The scrapbooks are arranged according to their number and date. The speeches, correspondence, and other miscellaneous items are indexed according to their original provenance within the collection. Correspondence about Reams' personal life is virtually non-existent.

The Frazier Reams, Jr. papers span the period circa 1963-1971 and primarily document his unsuccessful run as the Democratic nominee for Governor of Ohio in 1966, along with a small number of materials from his tenure as an Ohio state senator from 1963-1966. Materials relating to Reams, Jr.'s guberatorial campaign include correspondence, speeches, schedules, newsletters and other publications, photographs, scrapbooks, and campaign memorabilia. Materials relating to Reams, Jr.'s term as Ohio state senator include reports from the Mental Health Associations of Cleveland and Cincinnati concerning the state of mental health services in Ohio. A few items on Reams, Jr.'s nonpolitical activities, such as a pamphlet on Reams Broadcasting Corp. and the Toledo Epworth ME Chapel 1965 dedication program, are also included.

Biographical / Historical

Frazier Reams was born in Franklin, Tennessee, on January 15, 1897, the son of Herschel and Tabitha Reams. Herschel B. Reams, pastor of the Franklin Methodist Church, instilled in Frazier and his siblings a great love for religion which Frazier carried with him throughout his life. After attending the University of Tennessee (1915-1919), Reams entered the College of Law at Vanderbilt University in 1919. In 1921, he was admitted to the Tennessee Bar Association. Later, in 1922, he was admitted to the Ohio Bar Association. Upon moving to Toledo, Ohio, Reams met Crystal Petree at the Epworth Methodist Church and, on June 27, 1924, they were married.

Reams' public career began in 1933. His overwhelming concern for public welfare dictated his determination to free Toledo from criminal injustices and to improve conditions within Ohio's penitentiaries. Reams also was involved in nation-wide politics throughout his career. He became a member of the Ohio Delegation to the Democratic National Convention in 1928 and served at each succeeding convention until 1956.

The appointments and offices Reams held were: Prosecuting Attorney of Lucas County (1933-1937); Special Investigator of the Ohio Penitentiary (1935-1936); Director of Public Welfare in the State of Ohio (1945-1946); United States Collector of Internal Revenue (1941-1942, appointed by President Roosevelt); Manager of Roosevelt's campaign in Ohio (1936); Trustee for Bowling Green State University (1948-1957); and Representative to the United States Congress from Ohio's 9th District (1951-1954). Reams remained a prominent, well-known public figure in Ohio and the nation until his death at the age of 74 in 1971.

Frazier, Sr. and Crystal Reams's son, Frazier Reams, Jr., was born in 1929 in Toledo, Ohio. He worked as a lawyer in Toledo before serving in the Ohio State Senate from 1963 to 1966, and in 1966 he was the Democratic Party's nominee for the office of Governor of Ohio, which he did not win. Reams, Jr. left politics following the 1966 gubernatorial race, and went on to serve as head of the Reams Broadcasting Corp., and as a member of several civic, business, and university boards. He died in 2020 in Toledo at the age of 90.

Conditions Governing Access

No known access restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

Researchers using this collection assume full responsibility for conforming to the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright, and are responsible for securing permissions necessary for publication or reproduction.

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Separated Materials

The following photographs were removed from the collection:

Urban Bowes, Crystal Reams, and Eugene T. Howard, date and location unknown, taken by a Toledo Blade photographer
Frazier Reams, Jr. being presented with a plaque from the Ohio State Bar Association, date and location unknown, photo by Robert Packo of Toledo
Northwestern Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council annual banquet, date circa 1958, location presumably Toledo

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The collection was donated to the Center for Archival Collections by Crystal Reams in June 1978.

Processing Information

The collection was originally processed by Marcia Sommerfield, Graduate Assistant, BGSU Department of History. Further processing, including revisions to the collection arrangement and finding aid, was done in February 2022 by Nick Pavlik, Manuscripts and Digital Initiatives Archivist, Center for Archival Collections.