This collection covers two organizations of which Wright was president: the Dairy Farmers’ Union of the 1930’s and the Farmers’ Union of the New York Milkshed of the 1940’s and 1950’s. Also included are personal papers and correspondence of Wright, copies of radio talks which he gave on WSLU, and secondary materials on the milk business. The University owns the literary rights.
Crowd of striking farmers and local onlookers watching approaching non-striking farmer outside Sheffield Milk Plant, Heuvelton, NY, 1939
Collection Overview
Archie Wright was born July 25, 1891 in Westville, New York and died December 24, 1967 in Ogdensburg, N.Y. He attended Ogdensburg Free Academy. He served as president of the Farmers Union of the New York Milkshed from its beginnings in 1941 until his resignation on January 1, 1957. Before that he was the President of the Dairy Farmers Union of the State of N.Y. during the 1930's. Mr. Wright was the editor and publisher of the "Northeastern Union Farmer" and had a weekly radio talk show. The collection consists of the papers of the Dairy Farmers' Union of the 1930's - Journals and newsletter. The papers of the Farmers' Union of the New York Milkshed of the 1940's and 1950's, it's constitution, Union songs, various pamphlets, posters and newspaper clippings. Publications include "Farmers Defender" (1942-1947) and the "Northeastern Union Farmer" (1948-1957). Also included in the collection are the personal papers, daily calendars, newspaper morgue files, and correspondence to and from Archie; tapes of radio talks he delivered on WSLU over a six year period (1943-1948), and photographs of the 1939 milk strike and cassette tapes of interviews with farmers in the area about the milk strike by students at St. Lawrence University for an oral history project.