Company, J. Walter Thompson

The J. Walter Thompson Company was founded in New York in 1864. The advertising agency's archives document the history, operations, policies, and accomplishments of one of the world's oldest, largest and most innovative advertising firms.

From the guide to the J. Walter Thompson Company. Advertising Vertical Files, 1950-1994, (David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University)

Eleanor Newman graduated from Brooklyn College, majoring in English and Theater. Before joining JWT, she taught English to the gifted at the New York City Board of Education for six years.

Newman began working for the J. Walter Thompson (JWT) Company's New York office in 1976, first as secretary to the Director of Corporate Press. She was then promoted to Administrative Assistant, responsible for editing press releases; researching for annual reports; and writing articles for J. Walter Thompson News, the company newsletter. She also researched and wrote a major speech on the future of government advertising, presented at the American Association of Advertising Agencies convention in the spring of 1977. At the founding of the JWT Entertainment Group in September 1977, Newman was promoted to Office Manager, and made responsible for office services, hiring, and communication with the New York East Side Office. In 1978, she was promoted to Account Representative of the Entertainment Group. She subsequently handled the accounts of Caesars World, Radio City Music Hall, Ford's Theatre, Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises, and several Broadway shows. While at the Entertainment Group, she participated in the JWT Management Trainee Program, which culminated in a four-day seminar at Princeton University in 1980. In June 1981, Newman returned to the JWT East Side Office to become Account Representative for Health & Tennis Corporation, handling all the advertising for the forty-eight Jack La Lanne, Holiday Health Spa, and European Health Spa clubs, as well as the Vertical Club. She also handled Cable Shop responsibilities for Charm Step shoes on the Genesco account. In June 1982, she was promoted to Account Supervisor.

Newman also ghost-wrote articles for Penthouse, Playboy and the Chicago Tribune ; and edited children's books on health, science, and Africa, in addition to a book on tennis and a biography of Elton John.

From the guide to the J. Walter Thompson Company. Eleanor Newman Papers, 1974-1985 and undated, (David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University)

• 1956: Relocated to Canada
• 1960: Account Supervisor, J. Walter Thompson Limited (Canada)
• 1960: Financial Manager, JWT Toronto
• 1965: Assistant Secretary-Treasurer, JWT Toronto
• 1968: Secretary-Treasurer and Director, JWT Canada
• 1970: Senior Vice President and Director of Finance and Administration, JWT Canada
• 1972: Senior Vice President, Business Management, JWT New York
• 1974 Feb.: Senior Vice President-Finance, JWT New York
• 1974 May: Executive Vice President-Finance; elected to Board of Directors of JWT

Alun Jones was born in Wales and was educated at Magdalen College School in England. He was an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Secretaries.

From the guide to the J. Walter Thompson Company. Alun Jones Papers, 1930-1984, (David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University)

• 1895 September 22: Born, Nashville, Tennessee
• 1913: Graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy
• 1917: Received A.B. from Yale University, New Haven, Conn.; Commissioned as 2nd lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps August 27
• 1918: Promoted to 1st lieutenant and then temporary captain, U.S.Marine Corps
• 1919: Decorated with the Silver Star, the Purple Heart with one Oak Leaf Cluster; France's Croix de Guerre with Palm; the Victory Medal with Aisne-Marne, St. Mihiel and Defensive Sector clasps and three bronze stars; and the French Fourragere for valiant service. Discharged April 3.
• 1920: Joined the Charles W. Hoyt Co.
• 1921 October 14: Married Priscilla Mitchel
• 1922 - 1970 : Served on the board of Time Magazine
• 1925: Joined J. Walter Thompson as manager of the London office
• 1929: J. Walter Thompson Co. opened offices in Argentina, Australia, Canada, India, Poland, and Uruguay
• 1930: Returned to New York office, elected Vice President and Director of International Operations
• 1940 - 1944 : Served as a Special Consultant to the Secretary of the Navy for Air and member of the Navy Civilian Advisory Committee. Made several trips to the Pacific area and visited the Carribean and South America for the Navy.
• 1945: Awarded a Presidential Citation by President Truman and a Navy Distinguished Service Medal
• 1946: Invited to join a Civilian Advisory Committee to work with the Navy on its postwar program. Upon the recommendation of the Army, Navy, and Marines, awarded the Medal for Merit for his service to the U.S. Navy.
• 1949: Awarded the Navy's Distinguished Public Service Award for outstanding services to the U.S. during World War II.
• 1955: Promoted to Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of J. Walter Thompson Co.
• 1956: One of five purchasers of The Greenwich Times, Greenwich, Conn.
• 1959: Helped to found The Episcopalian
• 1962 - 1981 : Operated Walker and Company, a book publisher
• 1964 January 28: Retired from the J. Walter Thompson Co.
• 1964 - 1969 : President and Director of the Rome Daily American in Italy
• 1981 August 15: Died in a Greenwich, Connecticut hospital of complications following a heart attack

From the guide to the J. Walter Thompson Company. Samuel W. (Samuel Williams) Meek Papers, bulk, 1917-1980 and undated, 1945-1962, (Duke University. David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library)

• 1903: Born Carroll S. Weinschenk, Bronx, N.Y.
• 1921 - 1926 : Chief copy writer, Sigmund Tann Agency
• 1926: Free-lance magazine writer
• 1932: Joined JWT New York office
• 1934: Created and wrote Kraft Music Hour for JWT
• 1946: Left JWT, became Vice President, Ward Wheelock advertising agency, Hollywood office
• 1957: Returned to JWT, New York office
• 1968: Retired from JWT
• 1968: Instructor, New School for Social Research in New York, N.Y.
• 1991: Died, West Hollywood, Calif.

Carroll Carroll grew up in Harlem, Buffalo, and Chicago. After graduating from Chicago's Hyde Park High School, he started work as chief copy writer at the advertising agency of Sigmund Tann, and stayed five years. Beginning in 1926, he worked as a freelance writer for several publications: the New Yorker, Life, Judge, College Humor, the Saturday Evening Post, and the New York World . He also ran a column in the magazine Canada Goblin, wrote review sketches for Garrick Gaieties, and was under contract to T. B. Harms as a lyric writer. For several years, he also contributed a rhymed motion picture review called Cinemetric Review to the Monday evening edition of New York Evening Sun .

In 1932, Carroll joined JWT, and subsequently went on the road with a JWT radio program featuring George Burns, Gracie Allen and Guy Lombardo . He eventually became Editorial Supervisor of all JWT radio shows, and helped produce many JWT comedy and variety shows, including Chase & Sanborn with Eddie Cantor. During his tenure at the JWT New York office, he also created and wrote a full hour variety program with Al Jolson known as Shell Chateau, and collaborated on the Rudy Vallee Hour. In 1934, he created and wrote the Kraft Music Hall, when it featured Paul Whiteman and Deems Taylor, and moved to Los Angeles to continue it when Bing Crosby took over. In Hollywood, he wrote radio shows for Kraft, Ford, Shell, Old Gold, Elgin, Swift, Lux and Standard Brands .

In 1946, Carroll left JWT to become Vice President in charge of the Hollywood office of the Ward Wheelock Advertising Agency ; there, he wrote and produced radio shows for Bob Crosby and Walter O'Keefe . He returned to JWT at the New York office in 1957. At that point, he produced three Chase & Sanborn hour-long NBC specials for radio, worked with print and broadcast advertising for accounts of Kodak, Shell, Listerine, Ford, Lever Brothers, Liggett & Myers, American Petroleum Institute, Irving Trust Company, and Warner-Lambert .

Carroll also ghost-wrote two books for Bob Hope : I Never Left Home ; and So This Is Peace ; and wrote the Lux Radio Theatre adaptation of I Never Left Home. He created many television specials, including the Judy Garland Special and the 20th Century Fox Hour. He retired from JWT in 1968.

Biographical Sketch from Original Finding Aid

In a letter to Variety editor Abel Green on Dec. 20, 1946, Carroll Carroll (1902-) defended the role of advertising men in radio. Responding to the frequent suggestion that responsibility for radio ought to return to the showmen, Carroll wrote: National advertisers and their agents do, today, exercise about 90% of the showmanship in radio...they would not be doing this if they were not better showmen and business men than those from whom they took over. A showman himself, Carroll's opinions are based on fourteen years of experience as a writer for some of the most popular radio programs of the day. He was involved with the young medium of radio when advertising personnel were largely responsible for the development, writing, and production of programs.

Becoming a member of the Broadcasting Department of the J. Walter Thompson Company in 1932, Carroll immediately went on the road with the Burns and Allen--Guy Lombardo program, an association which lasted for several years. During radio's golden age, Carroll Carroll was involved with all of J. Walter Thompson Company's comedy and variety shows, including: the Chase and Sanborn Hour ; the Rudy Vallee Hour ; and Shell Chateau. He worked with such stars as Eddie Cantor, Joe Penner, Al Jolson, Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy.

In 1934 Carroll Carroll created and wrote the Kraft Music Hall featuring Paul Whiteman. When the program moved to Hollywood and Bing Crosby assumed the starring role in 1936, Carroll also moved west and took charge. For the next ten years he wrote for the Kraft Music Hall, establishing a continuity of programming that made Crosby's style familiar and likeable--the essential factors, Carroll maintained, to the program's success.

During World War II Kraft Music Hall became a vehicle through which the government programs and policies were regularly announced. Participation in the war effort included the promotion of War Bonds, the Junior Red Cross, and WAAC enlistment. Credit for Kraft Music Hall's role in providing the American people with information about the War and encouraging enthusiasm for government campaigns, was given to Bing Crosby and Carroll Carroll. In addition to writing the scripts for Kraft Music Hall, Carroll became a consultant to the Office of War Information on Oct. 28, 1942; was on the Writers' War Board; and in 1946 became a member of its successor organization, the Writers' Board.

Carroll Carroll did not limit himself to radio. He also wrote magazine articles, reviews, and ghosted for celebrities. Among his anonymous books are Bob Hope's I Never Left Home and So This is Peace . Upon retirement from J. Walter Thompson in 1968 he wrote a column for Variety on television advertisement and continued to write about the early days of radio.

From the guide to the J. Walter Thompson Company. Carroll Carroll Papers, 1934-1979 and undated, (David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University)

• 1942 May 11: Born Joseph William O'Donnell, Newton, Mass.
• 1964: B.A., Economics, Columbia University
• 1965 - 1971 : U.S. Marine Corps; attained rank of Sergeant
• 1967: Columbia University Business School
• 1976: Account representative, JWT New York Office
• 1978: Office Manager, JWT Detroit Office
• 1982: Promoted to head of JWT Chicago Office
• 1986 March: Chief Executive Officer of JWT
• 1987 January: Fired from JWT following a failed buy-out attempt
• 1987 - 1989 : Served as Chief Executive Officer of Campbell-Mithun-Esty
• 1988 - 1989 : Served as Chairman of Campbell-Mithun-Esty

Joseph O'Donnell began his career in advertising as a Traffic Department trainee at Doyle Dane Bernbach, later as an assistant account executive on DDB's Heinz account. O'Donnell advanced to become Account Executive, Account Supervisor and then Vice President of that account. He served as a partner at Cox & Company for two and a half years, where he headed the accounts of Burlington Sheets and Saab. In 1976, he began working for JWT New York, where his first assignment was with the Samsonite account. During his ten years at JWT, O'Donnell served in an executive capacity on several major accounts, including Ford; Kodak; McDonnell Douglas; Chrysler; Kraft Foods; Sears; Kellogg's; and Sprint.

Following his tenure at Campbell-Mithun-Esty, O'Donnell served as Chairman and Chief Executive of Consumer Research in Manchester, Vermont; and he also founded a cable television network called the Consumer Resource Network.

From the guide to the J. Walter Thompson Company. Joseph O'Donnell Papers, 1947-1987 and undated, bulk 1986, (David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University)