New Jersey Business and Professional Women

The records of the New Jersey Business and Professional Women comprise approximately 18 cubic feet of material (15 records center cartons, 1 half records center carton, 1 manuscript box, 5 phase boxes and 3 oversize folders) spanning the period 1919 to 1998. There is only a small amount of material pre-dating 1923. The records are divided into two sub-groups, the New Jersey Business and Professional Women (NJBPW) and the Business and Professional Women of the United States (BPWUSA). The latter is mostly comprised of publications received from the national federation. Included in or with the records are scattered documents of sister organizations: the International Federation of BPW Clubs, the BPW Foundation and the Northeast Regional BPW. The collection was assembled retrospectively during the mid-1950s, which accounts somewhat for the early gaps in the records. Periodic additions to the records have been made subsequently and are expected as the NJBPW continues as an on-going organization.

Included in the records of the New Jersey Federation of Business and Professional Women are minutes of the board and committees, reports of officers and committee chairwomen, by-laws, financial statements and records, membership rosters and charters of local clubs. A set of PRESIDENT'S GENERAL FILES selectively contains, in addition to more administrative records: programs for honorarium dinners and NJBPW-sponsored events, clippings and press releases, miscellaneous correspondence and a typescript history of the organization. Both the national and state federation conventions are documented variously by programs, reports and convention proceedings, which are accompanied by photographs and memorabilia. Several oversize photographs, certificates and other documents are stored separately.

The financial records are incomplete, with correspondence only dating from 1988 to 1995, and audited financial statements for 1945-1946, and from 1956-1957 to 1992-1993. The treasurer's quarterly reports are the most complete source of financial information, although these too contain gaps. The yearly budget is found in the treasurer's reports. The financial records of the Mary Johnston scholarship program are complete from 1927 to 1970, a thorough documentation of a significant NJBPW activity.

Lists of dues paying-members are detailed in scope for the period from 1946 to 1974, and from 1990-1995, while only local committee chairwomen and officers are listed for 1927-1945 and again for 1975-1978. Other documents included in the collection are copies of revised by-laws, incorporation and charter documents of the local clubs, and diverse certificates.

While the activities and programs of the NJBPW appear chronicled in the administrative files and documented by award certificates, other than minutes and reports the collection affords little commentary about how the BPW administers it programs. Correspondence present pertains primarily to routine administration, usually centered around coordinating the activity of the local clubs. Newspaper clippings adequately fill the void for the 1929 to 1953 period.

Legislative and social issues championed by the BPW organizations appear documented in the records. The NJBPW played a role in forwarding pieces of legislation at the local and state levels, and offered input during the drafting of the New Jersey State Constitution of 1947. The federation was instrumental in gaining passage of the state equal pay for equal work bill, and labored on behalf of the Equal Rights Amendment. Throughout its existence, the BPW has endeavored to provide scholarship funding for young women. The scope of its activity in this area is reflected throughout the records. The efforts of the BPW in New Jersey may be assessed in the context of the national federation, whose records have been preserved at the BPWUSA headquarters in Washington, D.C.