Guide to the Edward N. Haskell Papers and Photographs, 1942-1995
- Repository
- Heinz History Center
- Title
- Edward N. Haskell Papers and Photographs
- Creator
- Haskell, Edward Norton (1920-1988)
- Collection Number
- MSS 1049
- Extent
- 4.75 linear feet linear feet (1 boxes, 1 oversize folder, 1 oversize roll)
- Date
- 1942-1995
- Abstract
- Edward N. Haskell was co-owner and director of operations of Haskell, Inc., a manufacturer and national distributor of steel office furniture based in Pittsburgh, Pa. Haskell owned the company with his brother, S.K. "Bud" Haskell. Prior to entering the furniture business, Edward Haskell served in the U.S. Army during World War II, participating in the Normandy and Rhineland campaigns, among others. The Edward N. Haskell Papers and Photographs contain service records, correspondence, army newsletters, photographs, and clippings pertaining to Haskell's army service and furniture manufacturing business.
- Language
- The material in this collection is in English.
- Publisher
- Heinz History Center
- Address
- 1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org
History
Edward Norton Haskell was born on May 9, 1920 in New York, NY, to Joseph and Mary Kalis Haskell, both natives of the Midwest. The couple had two other children, Sylvan K. "Bud" and Irene Marjorie, born in 1916 and 1921, respectively. After completing high school in 1939, Haskell worked as a clerk in an advertising firm. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in February of 1942. Haskell saw action in Western Europe, including the Rhineland and Normandy campaigns, eventually reaching the rank of sergeant.
Haskell met Cedarhurst, N.Y., resident Jane Zirinsky at the age of seventeen. They became engaged before the war and were married in August 1945, one month after Haskell's return from service. Following his discharge after V-J Day, Haskell joined his father in selling advertising space for Merchant's Trade Journal. He later purchased an artificial flower manufacturer with business partner Josh Rothstein. In 1947, Jane and Edward moved to an apartment near the company office in Riverdale in the Bronx. Their first daughter, Anne Frances, was born later that year.
After graduating from Brown University, S. K. "Bud" Haskell took a job in the sporting goods department of Kaufmann's Department Store in Pittsburgh, Pa., and returned there after World War II from his service in the navy. After discovering the opportunity to purchase a small manufacturer of workbenches and drafting tables at 407 Penn Avenue in Wilkinsburg, Pa., Bud bought the company and set about streamlining the plant and reworking the table's design. In 1948, he invited Edward to join him in managing the company. Jane and Edward relocated from New York to an apartment in Shadyside shortly before the arrival of their second daughter, Patricia, in 1949. The couple moved to a home they commissioned by architect Herbert Seigle on Beechview Road a few years later. Following the birth of the couple's third daughter Judith in 1953, Jane studied painting with Samuel Rosenberg and launched a career as an artist and educator. The Haskells became members of Rodef Shalom shortly after moving to Pittsburgh.
Although the late forties saw a rapid increase in white collar employment, nearly all office equipment manufacturers continued to produce furniture of only the highest or lowest quality. Perceiving an opening in what they called "The Great Middle Market," the brothers aimed to produce sturdy furniture of sleek design that lacked the high ticket price charged by contemporary manufacturers. Their products targeted the growing number of junior and middle level desk workers populating the boom in corporate industries across the country. The close proximity of Haskell, Inc., to Pittsburgh's steel industry allowed the company to develop a durable and affordable product using steel, despite its post-war shortage. The brothers' experience in sales and merchandising made them natural partners. Bud headed sales while Edward managed operations.
As business expanded, the brothers moved the company to the South Side's Terminal Warehouse and later built their own manufacturing plant in Verona. In 1963, Haskell acquired Riteform Chair Company and purchased the Illinois-based Bentson Manufacturing Company in 1967. Bentson continued to operate separately from Haskell under Edward's management. By the mid-sixties, Haskell, Inc., was accepting large government contracts, and its desks, shelving, lecterns, storage and seating were distributed nationally for classroom and office use.
After Bud's retirement in the early eighties, Edward purchased his brother's share of the company and served as president of its board of directors. He sold Haskell, Inc., to company president Joe Wodjack and retired, about 1986. Edward Haskell died after a brief illness on June 23, 1988. His wife, Jane Haskell, who had served on the company's board of directors prior to his retirement, rejoined the board to manage his remaining interests after his death. Haskell, Inc., later passed to new ownership and remains in business in Bala Cynwyd, Pa.
Scope and Content Notes
The Edward N. Haskell Papers and Photographs consist of Sergeant Haskell's World War II service records, company journal, newsletters, correspondence, and other materials from his service in the U.S. Army, including Haskell's Award of the Bronze Star Medal citation and two issues of The Tomahawk. The collection also contains records maintained by Edward and Jane Haskell pertaining to Haskell, Inc., a Pittsburgh-based steel office furniture company he owned with his brother, Sylvan K. "Bud" Haskell. The records include photographs, publicity, and various company publications.
Digitized copies of service records, newspapers, clippings and newsletters in the collection are available. Access print copies of the Haskell, Inc., article in the Oakmont Advance-Leader are also available.
Conditions Governing Access
None.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Jane Haskell on April 9, 1998.
Gift of Jane Haskell on November 1, 2012.
Gift of Jane Haskell Estate on March 12, 2014.
Preferred Citation
Edward N. Haskell Papers and Photographs, 1942-1995, MSS 1049, Rauh Jewish Archives, Thomas and Katherine Detre Library and Archives, Senator John Heinz History Center Part of this collection has been previously cited as: Jane Haskell Papers, MFF 3000.General
Part of this collection has been previously cited as: Jane Haskell Papers, MFF 3000.
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Carly Lough in January 2015.
Conditions Governing Use
Property rights reside with the Senator John Heinz History Center. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the Thomas and Katherine Detre Library and Archives of the Senator John Heinz History Center.
Related Materials
Jane Haskell Papers and Photographs, MSS 1046
Jane Haskell, Master Visual Artist Oral Histories, Accession 1996.0292
Subjects
- Haskell, Inc. (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
- Rodef Shalom Congregation
- Haskell, Edward Norton (1920-1988)
- Haskell, Jane Zirinsky (1923-2013)
- Haskell, Sylvan K.
- Pittsburgh (Pa.)
- Steel furniture.
- Office furniture industry (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
- Furniture industry and trade (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
- Jews--Pennsylvania--Pittsburgh.