Phillips, Walter Massey, 1912-1985

Walter Phillips began his project in 1974 after retiring from a thirty year career in Philadelphia's civic and political life. He had been a founder of the City Policy Committee (1940), the Citizen's Committee on City Planning (1943), and the Greater Philadelphia Movement (1947). He managed Joseph Clark's successful race for mayor in 1951, and served in Clark's cabinet as City Representative and Director of Commerce through 1955. Thereafter, Phillips was active in a variety of public and private agencies, and played leading roles in the Americans for Democratic Action and Lincoln University. He was the reform candidate against Mayor James Tate in the 1963 Democratic primary election.

From the description of Oral history project, 1975-1980. (Temple University Libraries). WorldCat record id: 122541655

Walter Massey Phillips, Sr., was a key person in the "Philadelphia renaissance." His acheivements and influence have been underestimated both because of his own reticence and preference for playing the role of catalyst behind the scenes, and because of the more prominent public personalities of Joseph Clark, Richardson Dilworth and Edmund Bacon. His career in political and civic affairs lasted for more than thirty years until his retirement in 1974.

Phillips attended Princeton (1935) and Harvard Law School (1938) before returning to Philadelphia to practice law. His voluntary activities include the founding of the City Policy Committee (1940), the Citizens' Committee on City Planning (1943), and the Greater Philadelphia Movement (1947).

Professionally, Phillips was President of the Bureau of Municipal Reasearch (1944-1947). He managed Joseph Clark's successful race for Mayor of Philadelphia in 1951, and served in Clark's cabinet as City Representative and Director of Commerce through 1955. From 1952 to 1962, Phillips was Executive Secretary with the Delaware River Basin Advisory Committee,later Delaware River Basin Commission. Phillips was active in a variety of public and private agencies and played leading roles in the Americans for Democratic Action and Lincoln University. He ran as the reform candidate against Mayor James Tate in the 1963 Democratic primary election.

From the description of Papers, 1927-1978. (Temple University Libraries). WorldCat record id: 145566700