Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Guide to the Barton Cummings Papers

Summary

Collection ID:
NMAH.AC.0421
Creators:
Ayer (N W) Incorporated.
Cummings, Barton A., 1914-1994 (advertising executive)
Brower, Charles H.
Bolte, Brown
Bond, Edward L., Jr.
Bernbach, William
Ogilvy, David
O'Toole, John
Seaman, Alfred J.
Schultz, Arthur W.
Matthews, Len
Marsteller, William
O'Conner, Neal W.
Mithun, Raymond O.
Meyer, Ed
Harper, Marion, 1916-1989 (advertising executive)
Healy, Robert
Hagopian, Lewis T.
Jacoby, Robert F.
Fatt, Arthur
Fitzgerald, Clifford
Foote, Emerson
Gilliatt, Neal
Foley, Paul
Thiele, Edward
Tinker, Jack
Dates:
1938-1991, undated
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
4.5 Cubic feet
11 boxes
Repository:
Collection documents Barton Arthur Cummings's career as an advertising industry spokesman, particularly in the areas of advertising education, and advertising in the public interest.

Scope and Contents note

Scope and Contents note
Collection documents Cummings's professional career as an industry spokesman, particularly in the areas of advertising education, and advertising in the public interest. Materials include manuscripts, interviews, photographs, speeches, awards, magazine articles, interview transcriptions, and newspaper clippings. There is a significant amount of material relating to his book Advertising's Benevolent Dictators published in 1984. Collection is arranged into five series. Series 1, Speeches and publicity, Series 2, Business papers, Series 3, Published and unpublished manuscripts, Series 4, Advertising's Benevolent Dictators, and Series 5, Multi-media materials.

Arrangement

Arrangement
Collection is arranged into five series.
Series 1, Speeches and Publicity, 1950-1988, undated
Series 2, Business Papers, 1938-1991
Series 3, Published and Unpublished Manuscripts, 1981-1991, undated
Series 4, Advertising's Benevolent Dictators, undated
Series 5, Multi-Media Materials, undated

Biographical/Historical note

Biographical/Historical note
Barton Arthur Cummings (1914-1994) was a former Chief Executive Officer of Compton Advertising, Incorporated, and Chairman Emeritus of Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide.
Cummings began his advertising career working during school breaks at his father's advertising agency, the Earl Cummings Advertising Agency (later Cummings Brand McPherson Associates, Incorporated) in Rockford, Illinois. He graduated with a degree in Journalism from the University of Illinois in 1935, where he also played varsity football. Cummings maintained a lifelong interest in football, and in 1959 was awarded the Sports Illustrated Silver Anniversary Award for former college football stars who go on to distinguish themselves in other fields.
After graduation, Cummings took a trainee position with his father's agency, leaving several months later to take a trainee position with Swift & Company. From 1936 until 1942 he was with Benton & Bowles in New York, where he was a copywriter on accounts for Hellmann's Real Mayonnaise and Lord Calvert Whiskey, among others. During World War II, he served in the Offices of War Information and Price Administration in Washington, DC. He resigned in 1943 to join the Navy, and was assigned to the Amphibious Forces, 7th fleet. He saw action in Guinea, Borneo, and the Philippines.
After the War, Cummings joined Maxon, Incorporated as an account executive, and was elected to Vice President a year later. In 1947, he began a long and successful career with Compton Advertising, moving from account executive to President in only eight years. In 1963, Cummings was named chairman and chief executive officer, a position he held for nearly twenty years. When Compton merged with Saatchi & Saatchi in the 1980s, Cummings was named chairman emeritus of that international agency.
Mr. Cummings enjoyed a distinguished career as leader and spokesman for every major advertising industry association. He served as chairman of the American Association of Advertising Agencies (1969-1970); chairman of the American Advertising Federation (1972-1973), Chairman of the Ad Council (1979-1981), chairman of the board of trustees for the James Webb Young Fund at the University of Illinois, and chairman and director of the Advertising Educational Foundation. Other public service included work as the chairman of the advertising division for the New York Heart Association (1963-1973), chairman of the Public Service Advisory Committee for the City of New York, and director of the Better Business Bureau of Metropolitan New York (1954-1977). Throughout his career, Mr. Cummings championed the use of advertising in the public interest, and washas been outspoken on the need for advertising education and industry self-regulation.
Mr. Cummings was preceded in death by his first wife Regina Pugh Cummings when he died in 1994. He was survived by his second wife Margaret K. Cummings, children Ann Haven Cummings Iverson, Peter Barton Cummings, and Susan Cummings, and one grandchild, Haven Cummings Iverson.

Administration

Author
Mimi Minnick and Vanessa Broussard-Simmons
Location of Originals
The original tapes for Series 4 are at Crain Communications, Chicago, Illinois.
Immediate Source of Acquisiton
Collection donated by Barton Arthur Cummings in November 1991.
Processing Information
This collection was processed by NMAH Archives Center staff.

Using the Collection

Restrictions on Access
Collection is open for research.
Preferred Citation
Barton Cummings Collection, 1938-1990, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Terms Governing Use and Reproduction
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Audiovisual materials Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Advertising copy Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
advertising Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Speeches Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Essays -- 1950-1990 Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Interviews -- 1950-2000 Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Business records -- 1950-2000 Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Clippings -- 1950-2000 Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn, Inc Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
American Advertising Federation Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
American Association of Advertising Agencies. Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ad Council Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Advertising Educational Foundation Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Compton, Inc. Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Colgate-Palmolive Company Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Best Foods. Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Saatchi & Saatchi. Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ogilvy & Mather. Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sullivan Stauffer Colwell & Bayles (SSC&B) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
SSC&B/Lintas. Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
McCann Erickson Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Marstellar Agency. Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mithun Advertising. Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Grey Advertising. Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Leo Burnett Co. Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Interpublic. Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Jack Tinker & Associates. Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Dancer Fitzgerald Sample. Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Doyle Dane Bernbach. Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Foote, Cone and Belding. Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ted Bates Worldwide, Inc. Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Young & Rubicam Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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