The Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company records, 1908-1996

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Summary

Creator:
Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company and John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History
Abstract:
Manufacturer of tobacco products, founded in 1873 in St. Louis, Mo.; now headquartered in Morrisville, N.C. Collection includes financial records; clippings; scrapbooks; ledgers; print advertisements and posters; point of sale displays; scripts of radio and television commercials; audiovisual materials (film reels, videocassettes, DVDs); photographs, memorabilia and other materials that document primarily Liggett's marketing of tobacco products during the 20th century. Brands represented include: Chesterfield, Eve, Fatima, Home Run, L&M, Lark, Piedmont, and Spur. Advertisements for non-tobacco products, including alcoholic beverages and watch bands, are also present, and reflect a period of Liggett's product diversification. Advertising materials reflect the work of several agencies, including Cunningham & Walsh; Dancer-Fitzgerald-Sample; J. Walter Thompson; McCann Erickson; and Newell-Emmett. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Extent:
56.0 Linear Feet
Language:
English, Chinese, Czech, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish, Yiddish
Collection ID:
RL.00813

Background

Scope and content:

Collection includes: financial records; clippings; scrapbooks; ledgers; print advertisements; point of sale displays; scripts of radio and television commercials; audiovisual materials (film reels, videocassettes, DVDs); photographs, memorabilia and other materials that document primarily Liggett's marketing of tobacco products during the 20th century. Brands represented include: Chesterfield, Eve, Fatima, Home Run, L&M, Lark, Piedmont, and Spur. Advertisements for non-tobacco products, including alcoholic beverages and watch bands, are also present, and reflect a period of Liggett's product diversification. Advertising materials reflect the work of several agencies, including Cunningham & Walsh; Dancer-Fitzgerald-Sample; J. Walter Thompson; McCann Erickson; and Newell-Emmett.

Biographical / historical:

Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company was a manufacturer of tobacco products, founded in 1873 in St. Louis, Mo., through the partnership of John Edmund Liggett and George Smith Myers.

John Liggett was the grandson of Christopher Foulks, a tobacconist originally from New Jersey who migrated west in the 1820s, eventually settling in Missouri. Liggett entered the tobacco business during the 1840s and in 1873 partnered with George Myers to form the Liggett & Myers Company. The company was acquired by the American Tobacco Company in 1899, but reincorporated as Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company in 1911 after the antitrust breakup of American Tobacco; headquarters moved to Durham, N.C. The company rebranded as the Liggett Group in 1976. Liggett was acquired by British firm Grand Metropolitan in 1980, which in turn sold it to Bennett LeBow in 1986. Liggett sold the Chesterfield, L&M, and Lark brands to Philip Morris in 1999.

Liggett products: Fatima (1870s); Piedmont (approximately 1909); Chesterfield (1912); L&M (1953); Lark (1963); Eve (1970); generic cigarettes concept (1980)

Sources: Wikipedia "Liggett Group" viewed February 22, 2024; Britannica "Liggett Group Inc." viewed February 22, 2024.

Acquisition information:
The collection was received as gifts in 1999-2021 from Liggett Myers and Susan Nunn.
Processing information:

Processed by Richard Collier, Feb. 2024;

Accessions described in this collection guide: 1999-0366, 2000-0126, 2005-0058, 2021-0152.

Arrangement:

Organized into the following series: General Files; Federal Trade Commission Files; Scripts; Chesterfield; Competitive Brands; Fatima; Other Liggett Brands; Non-Tobacco Advertising.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Subjects

Click on terms below to find related finding aids on this site. For other related materials in the Duke University Libraries, search for these terms in the Catalog.

Subjects:
Advertising -- History
Broadcast advertising
Advertising -- Tobacco
Tobacco industry -- North Carolina
Advertising -- Cigarettes -- United States
Cigarette industry -- United States
Format:
Radio scripts
Television scripts
Names:
John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History

Contents

Using These Materials

Using These Materials Links:

Using These Materials


Restrictions:

Collection is restricted.

Access note: Collection contains fragile audiovisual formats that may need to be reformatted before use. Contact Research Services for access.

Access note: Collection contains fragile materials that require careful handling and may require extra assistance from staff. Contact Research Services for access..

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

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Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], The Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company records, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.