Mayo Fesler to Charles W. Chesnutt, 6 March 1931
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The Citizens League of Cleveland
ORGANIZED TO PROMOTE HONEST, ECONOMICAL AND EFFICIENT GOVERNMENT IN CLEVELAND AND CUYAHOGA COUNTY
1307 SWETLAND BUILDING
PHONE—CHERRY 53401
March 6, 1931
Mr. Charles W. Chesnutt
1646 Union Trust Bldg.
Cleveland, Ohio
My dear Mr. Chesnutt:
I appreciate your situation with regard to your membership in the Citizens League,2 and we are going to continue you on the membership roll so that you will receive our publications until the hard times improve.3
You have always been a good supporter, and there is no reason why we should not do that.
I hope you will accept it in that form, because we want to have your cooperation.
Very truly yours, Mayo Fesler Director MF MDCorrespondent: Mayo Fesler (1871–1945) was a White politician, civil servant, and urban reformer who came to Cleveland in 1910 as the secretary of the organization that later became the Citizens League. Working under Democratic mayor Newton D. Baker (1871–1937, mayor 1912–1916), Fesler advocated for independent city government in Ohio in 1912. He then helped draft Cleveland's first city charter, streamlined its civil service, and advocated for municipal reform. In 1912 he also helped found the City Club of Cleveland, a forum for public debate, of which Chesnutt was a member. After working for municipal reforms elsewhere, Fesler returned to Cleveland and was the director of the Citizens League from 1923 until the year of his death.
1. For readability, the remainder of the Citizens League letterhead is not transcribed in the body of the letter but is included in this footnote as unformatted text. The letterhead can be seen in its entirety in the accompanying image of the letter. The text of the remainder of the letterhead is as follows: "MALCOLN B VILAS, PRESIDENT M. J. MANDELBAUM, VICE PRESIDENT WILLIAM FEATHER, VICE PRESIDENT, H. I. SHEPHERD TREASURER MAYO FESLER, DIRECTOR S.L. REEDER, Financial Secretary EXECUTIVE BOARD MAURICE BERNON TYLER W. CARLISLE GEORGE S. CASE MILLS G. CLARK A. M. CORCORAN ARTHUR W. DEAN WILLIAM FEATHER WALTER L. FLORY CARL D. FRIEBOLIN ISADOR GROSSMAN JAMES J. HOBAN PAUL HOWLAND D. S. HUMPHREY MRS. R. H. JAMISON MRS. R. T. KELSEY EXECUTIVE BOARD WM. C. KEOUGH MRS. A. D. LEVY M. J. MANDELBAUM MRS. M. L. McBRIDE HOMER D. MESSICK HERMAN MOSS MRS. CARL NARTEN CLARENCE J. NEAL ARTHUR J. REINTHAL RAYMOND T. SAWYER H. I. SHEPHERD FRANKLIN G. SMITH SELMA SULLIVAN ALICE S. TYLER MALCOLM B. VILAS" [back]
2. The Citizens League of Greater Cleveland, first called the Municipal Association and the Civic League, was a nonpartisan organization founded in the 1890s to evaluate electoral candidates and voting issues, and to promote good government. [back]
3. Although Chesnutt's letter cancelling his membership in the Citizens League is not extant, it is clear from the exchange that he did so to cut expenses; see also his March 6, 1931, letter resigning from the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce for the same reason. [back]
