Social Action Committee of the Newport Ministerial Association Records

MS 4

• Introduction
• Access and Use
• Access Points
• Scope & Content
• Organizational Sketch
• Container Listing

INTRODUCTION:

Size: 0.834 linear feet (2 Hollinger boxes)

Span Dates: 1951-1969, undated                    Bulk Dates: 1958-1961

Accession Number: M2000-0401

Donor: Seifried, Christian, 1913-2003

Creator: Seifried, Christian, 1913-2003; Social Action Committee of the Newport Ministerial Association

Custodial History: This collection was donated to the Oral History Archives of the History Department of Northern Kentucky University in 1979. It was transferred to Special Collections and Archives, Northern Kentucky University in 2001 as part of the H. Lew Wallace Newport History Collection. Wallace was a history professor at NKU and conducted research on Newport and gambling. This collection and the Claude W. Johnson Committee of 500 Records were intermingled with the H. Lew Wallace Newport History Collection, but have been restored as separate collections during processing.

Summary: This collection contains organizational records such as correspondence, committee minutes, project materials, and research files that document the work of the Social Action Committee of the Newport Ministerial Association to rid Campbell County, Kentucky of illegal activity during the late 1950s and early 1960s.
 

ACCESS AND USE:

Access Restrictions: This collection is open for research access.

Use Restrictions: The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, US Code) governs the reproduction of copyrighted material. The User assumes full responsibility and any attendant liability for the fair use of materials requested in total compliance with the copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) that may arise through the use of any requested materials.

The Eva G. Farris Special Collections is interested in hearing from any copyright holders who are not properly identified so that appropriate information may be provided in the future. Please contact Lois Hamill, University Archivist, at hamilll1@nku.edu or (859) 572-5863.

Preferred Citation: [Box #, Folder #],MS-4 Social Action Committee of the Newport Ministerial Association Records, Eva G. Farris Special Collections, W. Frank Steely Library, Northern Kentucky University.

Related Materials: MS-3, Claude W. Johnson, Jr. Committee of 500 Records, Eva G. Farris Special Collections, W. Frank Steely Library, Northern Kentucky University.

MS-5, H. Lew Newport History Collection, Eva G. Farris Special Collections, W. Frank Steely Library, Northern Kentucky University.

Processing Information: processed by Anne Ryckbost, 2011.

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ACCESS POINTS:

Subject(s):
Alcohol--Law and legislation--Kentucky.
Gambling and crime.
Gambling and crime--Kentucky.
Gambling--Kentucky.
Gambling--Law and legislation--Kentucky.
Gambling--United States.
History--Northern Kentucky.
Sheriffs--Kentucky--Campbell County.
Trials--Kentucky.

Person(s):
Barkhau, Rev. Harold 19[?]-1972.
Breckinridge, John B. (John Bayne), 1913-1979.
Combs, Bert T., 1911-1991.
Broering, Leo.
Fredericks, Leroy.
Gugel, George.
Lewis, Jesse K.
Livingston, William J.
Messick, Hank, 1922-1999.
Mussman, Ralph G., 1919-1987.
Pomeroy, Dudley Thomas.
Portwood, Alfred S.
Ratterman, George, 1926-2007.
Robsion, John M. Jr.
Roll, Norbert.
Seifried, Christian, 1913-2003.

Corporate Body(ies)/Organization(s):
Kentucky. Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
Social Action Committee of the Newport Ministerial Association.
Newport Ministerial Association.
Northern Kentucky Association of Protestant Churches.

Court(s):
Kentucky. Circuit Court (Campbell County)

Geographic Location(s):
Kentucky.
Kentucky--Campbell County.
Kentucky--Campbell County--Newport.

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SCOPE AND CONTENT:

The Social Action Committee records are divided into three series. Series I, Administrative records, contains correspondence, meeting minutes, reports, and public relations material documenting the administration of the committee. Notable correspondents include Gov. Bert T. Combs and officials in the Kentucky Department of Alcohol Beverage Control. It includes various meeting notes taken by Christian Seifried as well as project and research notes. The series has at least two versions of an unpublished manuscript that details the philosophy and action of the Social Action Committee. It also contains a few items from other organizations with which the Social Action Committee was associated.

Series II, Project files, contains materials related to a variety of the activities undertaken by the committee. It includes reports and notes from work conducted by several members as Special Deputies of the Campbell County Sheriff's Office. There are appeals and orders from the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, court records for ouster proceeding of several city and county officials, reports submitted to grand juries, and affidavits of committee members testifying in court cases. Also included are questionnaires and petitions that were circulated by the Social Action Committee.

Series III, Research files, contains material collected on various topics including, the duties of county officials, information on grand jury members, and lists of local establishments and individuals possessing wagering stamps, which are required by federal code to be purchased and registered in order for individuals and establishments to engage in gambling, and alcoholic beverage licenses. There is also a small amount of material from city and county government offices. The series includes published materials on such topics as government, corruption, crime, delinquency, gambling, and vice.

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ORGANIZATIONAL SKETCH:

The Social Action Committee was formed by and reported to the Newport Ministerial Association, which was a group of northern Kentucky protestant ministers, in 1957. Most of the Social Action Committee's membership was comprised of laypeople under the leadership of Christian Seifried, a postman from Newport, Kentucky who served as chairman from 1957 until Dec. 11, 1966 when the committee officially dissolved. The committee's purpose was to change the moral and social conditions of Newport, Kentucky. They focused their attention on the issues of gambling, illegal alcohol sales, and prostitution. They conducted correspondence campaigns and met with city, county, and state officials to address those topics. Several members also became actively involved in law enforcement as special deputies for the Sheriff's Office. The Social Action Committee is distinct from and its formation predates the Committee of 500, another reform organization active in Campbell County and northern Kentucky in the late 1950s-1960s.

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CONTAINER LISTING:
 

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