Munson A. Havens to Charles W. Chesnutt, 18 March 1931
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THE CLEVELAND CHAMBER OF COMMERCE1
March 18, 1931
Mr. Charles W. Chesnutt,
Cleveland.
Dear Sir:
The executive secretary is instructed to advise you that, at a meeting of the board of directors held today, your resignation as a member of this Chamber was submitted and accepted with regret.
We are hoping that your withdrawal may be only a temporary one, and we trust you will return to the organization as an active member in the very near future.
Very truly yours, Munson Havens Executive SecretaryCorrespondent: The Cleveland Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1848 to represent the interests of its businessmen in city politics. Its influential executive secretary (1905–1938), Munson Aldrich Havens (1873–1942), a White man from Washington, D. C., joined the Chamber in 1898 and contributed significantly to its growth. Chesnutt was a member of the Chamber from 1912 to 1931, and wrote his 1930 article "The Negro in Cleveland" at Havens' request for the Chamber's magazine, The Clevelander. Chesnutt knew Havens personally as a writer, bibliophile, and member of the Rowfant Club.
1. For readability, the remainder of the 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: OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS R. B. ROBINETTE, PRESIDENT HERMAN R. NEFF, FIRST VICE PRESIDENT RANDOLPH EIDE, SECOND VICE PRESIDENT JOHN C. McHANNAN, TREASURER MUNSON HAVENS, EXECUTIVE SECRETARY A. L. BAKER L. W. GREVE ATLEE POMERENE TYLER W. CARLISLE PAUL L. GROVE A. S. RODGERS JOHN A. COAKLEY W. T. HOLLIDAY THOMAS L. SIDLO SAM W. EMERSON JAY IGLAUER ALLARD SMITH H. L. FINDLAY HERBERT K. OAKES ROBERT E. VINSON MANNING F. FISHER LOUIS C. WEST FOUNDED IN 1848 [back]
