The Jam Handy Organization was founded in 1918 by Jamison (Jail) Handy, a former newspaperman and Olympic swimmer.
Jamison Handy--better known as "Jam"--was born in Philadelphia in 1886. The youngest of seven children, he was the son of Sarah Matthews and Major Moses P. Handy. His father was a newspaper editor for various publications including the Chicago Times-Herald, and his mother was also a writer, with her fiction and verse published in numerous magazines, among them Godey's Book. As a boy, young Handy became a strong swimmer, winning prizes at the local YMCA. He was so successful, in fact, that in 1904 he became a member of the U.S. Olympic Swim Team. Twenty years later he would again participate in the Olympic games, winning him a place in "Ripley's Believe It or Not". After attending the University of Michigan, Handy followed in his father's footsteps in becoming a newspaperman. He worked on the Chicago Tribune before forming an educational advertising agency with Herbert Kaufman. In 1916, Handy joined with James Keeley to form the Keeley-Handy Syndicate, a motion picture production company, which eventually included the Bray Studios of New York. Newspapers Film Corporation was the successor to the Keeley-Handy Syndicate, with Jam Handy acting as general manager. Jam Handy married Helen Hoag Rogers and had five children. Mrs. Handy died in 1973. Jam Handy died in 1983, having lived a long, active life. He swan regularly well into his nineties. This collection includes personal and company correspondence, photographs, memorabilia and newspaper clippings of this noteworthy man.
From the description of Jam Handy Organization records, 1894-1984 (Detroit Public Library). WorldCat record id: 547043600
