Quinn, Theo J. Papers

Postmaster, St. Joseph, Missouri, 1936-1960.

The papers of Theo J. Quinn contain correspondence between Quinn and postmasters in other countries concerning the nature of their work and the need for international peace and understanding. Also included in the collection are printed materials sent to Quinn by postmasters from around the world.

Size: Less than one linear foot (approximately 600 pages).
Access: Open.
Copyright: No donation of copyright was received with this collection. Records created by employees of the U.S. Government as part of their official duties are in the public domain. The copyright interest in other documents in the collection presumably belongs to the creators of those documents or their heirs.
Processed by: Randy Sowell (2024).

Theo (Theophilus) J. Quinn worked as a realtor and insurance agent in St. Joseph, Missouri until 1935, when he was appointed to a position with the Federal Housing Administration. His friend, Senator Harry S. Truman, helped him obtain this post. A year later, Truman helped arrange for Quinn’s appointment as postmaster of St. Joseph, an office he held for nearly twenty-five years. Theo J. Quinn retired as postmaster in December 1960 and died in St. Joseph on November 10, 1962.

The papers of Theo J. Quinn contain correspondence between Quinn and postmasters in other countries concerning the nature of their work and the need for international peace and understanding. Also included in the collection are printed materials sent to Quinn by postmasters from around the world.

Inspired by “International Letter Writing Week” in October 1957, Quinn sent letters to postmasters in approximately seventy-five nations. Many of them responded with cards or letters in which they discussed postal work in their countries and commented on Quinn’s interest in promoting international friendship. Some of them also sent him brochures and other printed materials about their native lands. Quinn’s correspondence with postmasters in other countries continued for several years and extended beyond the “Iron Curtain” that separated democratic and communist nations. Indeed, some of his most extensive correspondence was with a postmaster in Nanking, in the People’s Republic of China. Quinn also received letters from Postmaster General Arthur Summerfield and other American postal officials. In addition, he collected newspaper articles regarding his project.

Quinn brought these papers to the Harry S. Truman Library and showed them to his longtime friend, former President Truman, who asked him to deposit them at the Library. Originally, the papers were kept in a trio of three-ring binders entitled, “Postmasters of the World—Their Thoughts,” and were opened for research as part of the General Historical Documents Collection (GHDC No. 268). To enhance accessibility and address preservation needs, the papers have been removed from the binders and arranged alphabetically under the name of each correspondent’s country.

Except for one postcard dating from 1946, all the documents in the collection date from 1957 to 1960.

Photographs of Mr. Quinn and Mr. Truman that were included with the papers have been transferred to the Truman Library’s audiovisual collection. More correspondence with or concerning Theo J. Quinn can be found in the Truman Senate and Vice Presidential Papers and the Truman Post-Presidential Papers.