Skip to main content
 Collection
Identifier: MC 1308

Sidney Margolius Papers

Dates

  • Majority of material found within 1940-1980

Scope and Content Note

Sidney Margolius was a prolific author of books and articles on a wide range of subjects of interest to consumers, He also served on numerous commissions and committees, and worked with organizations concerned with regulation of the market place and educating the consumer. These records document his activities and date, with some exceptions, from the beginning of his career as a consumer advocate in 1940 until bis death 1980.

A large percentage of the records consist of research files collected to provide documentation for his writings, The subjects included range from "A" (Alcohol) to "W" (Working Women), with significant portions devoted to subjects such as Advertising, Cars, Consumerism, Credit, Food, Housing, Insurance, Money/Management, Safety and Vitamins, A second series contains general correspondence and subject files: letters from readers, correspondence with publishers and other material relating to his publications, and files on various consumer oriented organizations, including Consumers Union. There are also files containing biographic and bibliographic information and lists of awards presented to Mr. Margolius.

Included is an extensive collection of Margolius' publications, including books and pamphlets, articles published in popular magazines, and newspaper articles and columns, especially those that appeared in the labor press. There is also a collection of his speeches delivered before consumer, government, professional, college and other audiences.

Margolius served as a commissioner on the National Commission on Product Safety, His records include the commission's reports, transcripts of testimony, meeting agenda notebooks, research documents and his notes taken at meetings. Materials from other national, state and local bodies upon which he served are also a part of the papers.

Extent

49 Cubic Feet (49 record cartons)

Physical Location

Stored offsite: Advance notice required to consult these records.

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Correspondence, research and subject files, biographical and bibliographic files, files concerning various consumer organizations, speeches, publications, and other papers; together with reports, transcripts of testimony, notes of meetings, agenda notebooks, and research documents, of the National Commission on Product Safety, and materials from other national, state, and local bodies on which Margolius served. Includes correspondence with publishers and other material relating to his publications. Major subjects include advertising, automobiles, consumerism, credit, food, housing, insurance, money management, safety, and vitamins.

Biographical Sketch

A pioneer in consumer reporting for over 40 years and one of the nation's first consumer advocates, Sidney Margolius was born May 3, 1912, in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, He graduated from Middletown Township (Monmouth County) High School in 1929, and attended Rutgers University, graduating in 1934, with a degree in journalism. While at Rutgers he was a member of the Anthologist and Associate Managing Editor of the Targum.

After graduation, Margolius worked as a reporter for United Press, 1934-35, and Fairchild Publications, 1936-40, and served in several editorial capacities for the fledgling newspaper PM, 1940-42 and 1945-48, most recently as consumer editor. He then began a career as a syndicated columnist and author, Margolius' advice to consumers could be found in early every American home as his columns appeared in over 100 newspapers and his articles (400 in all) were printed in many of the most popular magazines of the time, He also authored 20 books and numerous pamphlets on topics of interest to the consumer, The Consumer's Guide to Better Buying sold over a million copies and was used as a consumer economics textbook by universities and secondary schools, Health Food Facts and Fakes won the National Press Club award as the best consumer book of 1973, A bibliography of Margolius' work is presented at the end of this inventory.

Margolius served on numerous national, state and local consumer advisory bodies, most notably the National Commission on Product Safety, 1968-70, He was also a member of President Johnson's Consumer Advisory Council, and a consultant to the President's Committee on Consumer Interests and to the International Cooperation Administration, He was a member of the New York State and Nassau County Consumer Advisory Committees, Margolius served on the boards of Consumers Union, the Association for Middle Income Housing, and the Metropolitan New York Consumers Council. He was a trustee of the Media and Consumer Foundation and a director of the National Association of Consumers.

Margolius lived much of his adult life in Port Washington, New York. His son, Richard Margolius, graduated from Rutgers in 1971.

Since his death on January 30, 1980, his wife and colleague, Esther Margolius, has continued her husband's consumer work,

Arrangement Note

All of the material in the Margolius collection fits neatly into five series as noted in the description and is basically in its original order. Some recent material, 1978+, was retained by Mrs. Margolius in order to help her in her consumer research and in writing her columns.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

General

Books

  1. The Consumer's Guide to Better Buying. New York: New American Library, 1951.
  2. The Consumer's Guide to Better Buying. New York: Pocket Books, 1973.
  3. The Innocent Consumer vs. The Exploiter. New York: Trident Press, 1967.
  4. Your Personal Guide to Successful Retirement. New York: Random House, 1969.
  5. How to Make the Most of Your Money. New York: Appleton Century, 1966.
  6. How to Make the Most of Your Money. Revised edition, Meredith Press, 1969.
  7. The Innocent Investor and the Shaky Ground Floor. New York: Trident Press, 1971.
  8. The Great American Food Hoax. New York: Walker, 1971.
  9. How to Cope With the High Cost of Living. Des Moines: Merdith Corp., 1976,
  10. Health Food Facts and Fakes. New York: Walker and Co., 1973.
  11. How To Live With Inflation. Washington, D.C.: U.S. News and World Report Books, 1974.
  12. National Tax and Budget Guide. New York: Whiteside, Inc, and William Morrow and Co., 1953.
  13. Your Money's Worth. New York: ILGWU, 1973. Revised 1978.
  14. Your Guide to Financial Security. New York: New American Library, 1955.
  15. It's Your Money -Corne and Get It. New York: Fawcett, 1951.
  16. The New Adult Guide to Independent Living. New York: The Macmillan Co., 1968.
  17. Planning For College.
  18. How to Buy More For Your Money. New York: Doubleday and Co., Inc., 1947.
  19. Money Management For Your Family. Des Moines: Meredith Publishing Co., 1962.
  20. Stocks, Bonds and Mutual Funds. Washington, D.C.: U,S. News and World Report Books, 1972.
  21. The H & R Block Income Tax Workbook. New York: The Macmillan Co., 1970.
  22. A Fresh Start: Plain Facts For Small Businessmen. New York: Beechhurt Press, 1946.

General

Pamphlets

  1. New York: Public Affairs Committee
  2. How to Stretch Your Money (No. 302), 1960, 1970.
  3. How To Pay For Your Child's College Education (No. 342), 1963.
  4. A Guide to Consumer Credit (No. 348), 1963, 1969, 1970,
  5. How To Finance Your Home (No. 360), 1964, 1971.
  6. Buyer, Be Wary(No. 382), 1965, 1971, (Translated into Spanish as Comprador, Sea Precavido!).
  7. Medicare Benefits and Gaps: Social Security--Your Rights (No. 389), 1966.
  8. Paying For A College Education (No. 404), 1967.
  9. Funeral Costs and Death Benefits (No. 409), 1967.
  10. Family Money Problems (No. 412), 1967, 1976.
  11. The Responsible Consumer (No. 453), 1970, 1971.
  12. Health Foods: Facts and Fakes(No. 489), 1973, 1979.

General

Others

  1. A Letter to Parents.
  2. Abuses and Misconceptions About Frozen Foods. Ruschlikon-Zurich: Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute for Economic and Social Studies, 1969.
  3. How To Cut Those Food Bills. New York: Good Reading Rack Service, 1969.
  4. How to Save 24 Hours a Week. New York: Birk and Co., 1953.
  5. Homemaker's Budget Guide: How to Stretch Your Dollar.
  6. Labor's Stake in the College Price Tag.
  7. PM --Shopper's Handbook. New York: The Newspaper PM, 1941.
  8. Shopping the Co-ops.
  9. The Great American Food Hoax.
  10. Your Family Spending Plan.
  11. Wage Record Book. New York: ILGWU, 1962.
  12. Wells Fargo Bank Booklets. Wells Fargo Bank, 1963.
  13. Your NEW Social Security Benefit.
  14. Your Social Security Benefits Up To Date.

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
Inventory to the Sidney Margolius Papers MC 1308
Status
Edited Full Draft
Author
Ronald L. Becker and William G. Miller
Date
August 1984
Language of description note
Finding aid is written in English.
Sponsor
Special Collections and University Archives, Rutgers University received an operating support grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State.

Repository Details

Suggest a Correction

Staff Interface

Rutgers is an equal access/equal opportunity institution. Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to direct suggestions, comments, or complaints concerning any accessibility issues with Rutgers websites to accessibility@rutgers.edu or complete the Report Accessibility Barrier / Provide Feedback form.

Copyright © 2018 Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution. All rights reserved