MSS 855 United States Potters Association Records

              @ Hi0 MSS 855
IS TORY
The U n i t e d S t a t e s P o t t e r s
A s s o c i a t i o n Records
11 1 / 4 c u b i c f e e t
S t a n d a r d i n v e n t o r y
C o l l e c t i o n S y n o p s i s
P r o v e n a n c e : The Ohio H i s t o r i c a l S o c i e t y a c q u i r e d t h e United S t a t e s
P o t t e r s A s s o c i a t i o n Records a s a g i f t of t h e a s s o c i a t i o n , t h r o u g h
t h e a u s p i c e s of t h e a s s o c i a t i o n ' s p r e s i d e n t , John Thompson and
S e c r e t a r y , Joseph M. Wells J r . i n May 1 9 8 4 . R i c h a r d W . Arpi p r o -
c e s s e d t h e c o l l e c t i o n i n June 1984.
P r o p e r t y r i g h t s : The Ohio H i s t o r i c a l S o c i e t y owns the p r o p e r t y
r i g h t s t o t h i s c o l l e c t i o n .
C o p y r i g h t s : The a s s o c i a t i o n has d e d i c a t e d such c o p y r i g h t s a s i t
p o s s e s s e s in t h i s c o l l e c t i o n t o t h e p u b l i c . C o n s i d e r a t i o n o f a l l
o t h e r c o p y r i g h t s i s t h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y of t h e a u t h o r and p u b l i s h e r .
A c c e s s : T h i s c o l l e c t i o n i s open under t h e r u l e s and r e g u l a t i o n s
of t h e Ohio H i s t o r i c a l S o c i e t y .
C i t a t i o n : R e s e a r c h e r s a r e r e q u e s t e d t o c i t e c o l l e c t i o n name,
c o l l e c t i o n number, and t h e Ohio H i s t o r i c a l S o c i e t y i n a l l f o o t n o t e
and b i b l i o g r a p h i c r e f e r e n c e s .
T r a n s f e r : P r o c e e d i n g s of USPA annual m e e t i n g s 1 8 7 5 - 1 9 6 6 , a n d f o u r
o t h e r pamphlets were t r a n s f e r r e d t o t h e l i b r a r y i n J u n e 1984.
H i s t o r i c a l s k e t c h : The United S t a t e s P o t t e r s A s s o c i a t i o n ( USPA)
was formed on J a n u a r y 13- 14, 1875, a t t h e f i r s t n a t i o n a l c o n v e n t i o n
of t h e m a n u f a c t u r i n g p o t t e r s in t h e United S t a t e s . A r t i c l e I of
i t s c o n s t i t u t i o n s t a t e s t h e o b j e c t of t h e a s s o c i a t i o n a s " t o p r o c u r e
r e g u l a r l y s t a t i s t i c s of t h e t r a d e both a t home and a b r o a d ; t o pro-v
i d e f o r t h e mutual i n t e r c h a n g e of i n f o r m a t i o n and e x p e r i e n c e , b o t h
s c i e n t i f i c and p r a c t i c a l ; t o c o l l e c t and d i s t r i b u t e a l l i n f o r m a t i o n
r e l a t i n g t o t h e v a r i o u s b r a n c h e s of t h e a r t ; and t o t a k e such mea-s
u r e s a s w i l l d i f f u s e t h e o r e t i c a l and p r a c t i c a l i n f o r m a t i o n t o the
t r a d e i n a l l i t s b r a n c h e s . " For i t s f i r s t t h i r t y y e a r s t h e USPA
f o l l o w e d t h i s a r t i c l e c l o s e l y and f u n c t i o n e d a s a t r a d e a s s o c i a t i o n .
With t h e r i s e of t h e N a t i o n a l B r o t h e r h o o d of O p e r a t i v e P o t t e r s
( N B O P ) i n 1890, however, t h e UPSA assumed t h e r o l e o f an e m p l o y e r s
o r g a n i z a t i o n and a f t e r 1905 b a r g a i n e d c o l l e c t i v e l y w i t h t h e NBOP
t o c o n t r o l wages and p r i c e s in t h e p o t t e r y i n d u s t r y .
S e v e r a l c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of t h e p o t t e r y i n d u s t r y i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s
i n f l u e n c e d t h e h i s t o r y of t h e USPA. The p o t t e r y i n d u s t r y i s d i v i d e d
i n t o g e n e r a l w a r e and s a n i t a r y m a n u f a c t u r e r s . G e n e r a l w a r e f i r m s
make s e m i - p o r c e l a i n and c h i n a t a b l e w a r e w h i l e t h e s a n i t a r y f i r m s
m a n u f a c t u r e bathroom f i x t u r e s . From 1903 t o 1922 t h e S a n i t a r y
P o t t e r s A s s o c i a t i o n r e p r e s e n t e d t h e l a t t e r f i r m s i n n e g o t i a t i o n s
w i t h t h e N B O P . Although a few s a n i t a r y p r o d u c e r s were members of
t h e USPA, t h a t o r g a n i z a t i o n p r i m a r i l y r e p r e s e n t e d g e n e r a l w a r e
m a n u f a c t u r e r s , most of which were l o c a t e d in E a s t L i v e r p o o l , Ohio,
and a c r o s s t h e Ohio R i v e r i n Newel1 and C h e s t e r , West. V i r g i n i a .
These Ea. s. t b i v e r p o o l a r e a f i r m s produced s e m i - p o r c e l a i n , o r semi-
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OBI0 KISTORICAL SOCIETY
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