Inventory of the J. Walter Thompson Company. James Webb Young Papers, 1927-1984

The James Webb Young Papers chiefly consist of correspondence, memoranda, reports, and publications and span the years 1927-1984. These materials provide insights into Young's career as well as the operational aspects of the J. Walter Thompson Company, especially the early development of their international branch offices.

From the perspective of James Webb Young's entire career in advertising, this collection reflects a small portion of his contributions to the J. Walter Thompson Company and the advertising business as a whole, for which he was awarded in 1945 the Gold Medal for a distinguished career in advertising. While these papers represent Young's pioneering work in establishing the J. Walter Thompson Company abroad as well as reflect some his contributions to public service advertising and advertising strategy, primarily through The Compleat Angler, A Footnote to History, and other works in the Publications category, they are an incomplete record of his distinguished career.

The International Branch Notebooks category primarily contains correspondence, minutes, memoranda, research reports and tables which pertain to the organization and initial operations of J. Walter Thompson branch offices abroad, particularly in London, Africa, South America, and Europe during the late 1920s and early 1930s. A substantial amount of this material focuses upon J. Walter Thompson's advertising for General Motors, especially for markets in Europe and South America. Though Young officially retired in 1928, he served as Consultant and director (1928-1964) and became a key figure in establishing the earliest international branch offices for the J. Walter Thompson Company. Among the correspondents in this series are Sam Meek, Stanley Resor, and Henry C. Flowers.

In the Publications category are works written by Young, some of which were privately printed by the Piñon Press in Coapa, New Mexico. The works published by the Piñon Press have been individually cataloged and can be searched by author and title. The Publications category includes editions of A Technique for Producing Ideas and How to Become an Advertising Man. As a whole, these works reflect aspects of Young's advertising philosophy and strategies, and partially document his involvement in public service advertising in the United States as well as his early career from an autobiographical perspective.

• Resor, Stanley
• Meek, Sam.
• Flowers, Henry C.
• General Motors Corporation--Advertising.
• Advertising--Automobiles.
• Advertising--Biography.
• Advertising, Public Service-- United States.
• Advertising-- Europe.
• Advertising-- South America.
• Young, James Webb, 1886-.
• Piänon Press.
• John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.

[Identification of item], J. Walter Thompson Company Archives: James Webb Young Papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.

The papers of James Webb Young were transferred to the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library from the J. Walter Thompson Company in 1987.

Processed by: Donna Longo DiMichele and Daniel L. Daily

Processing of this collection was supported in part by gifts from the J. Walter Thompson Company Fund and the John and Kelly Hartman Foundation.

Encoded by Stephen Douglas Miller

This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.