Dates: 1919-1980
The papers of Edward P. Meisburger relate to his service in Battery D of the 129th Field Artillery during World War I; his association with Harry S. Truman and other veterans of Battery D; and various aspects of his family life and professional career. The papers include correspondence, newspaper clippings, and other items. .
Size: Less than one linear foot (approximately 600 pages).
Access: Open.
Copyright: Copyright interest in the unpublished writings of Edward P. Meisburger in this collection, or in any other collection of papers in the custody of the U.S. government, has been donated to the U.S. government. Documents created by U.S. government officials in the course of their duties are in the public domain. Copyright interest in other documents in this collection is assumed to remain with the authors of the documents, or their heirs.
Processed by: Niel Johnson (1981); Roxie Harper and Randy Sowell (2002); David Clark and Jim Armistead (2015).
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1895 (October 26) |
Born |
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1915-1917 |
Reporter, Kansas City Post |
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1917-1919 |
Served in the U.S. Army in France during World War I, rising to the rank of Sergeant in Battery D, 129th Field Artillery, under the command of Captain Harry S. Truman |
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c. 1918-1979 |
Secretary-Treasurer and active member, Battery D, 129th Field Artillery Association |
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1919-1942 |
Reporter and Editor, Kansas City Post and Kansas City Journal-Post |
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1942-1944 |
Reporter, Minneapolis Star-Journal |
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1944-1947 |
State Information Representative, War Manpower Commission, Jefferson City, Missouri |
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1947-1949 |
Regional Information Representative, American Graves Registration Service |
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1949-1967 |
Information and Editorial Specialist, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City, Missouri |
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1979 (June 27) |
Died, Kansas City, Missouri |
The papers of Edward Paul "Eddie" Meisburger consist of correspondence, newspaper clippings, and other items mostly pertaining to his service as a sergeant in Battery D of the 129th Field Artillery during World War I, and his subsequent association with his commanding officer, Harry S. Truman, and other veterans of Battery D. The collection also contains some information about Meisburger's family, his career as a journalist and government official, and other aspects of his life.
The papers are arranged in one series: a Subject File. The series contains letters from Truman to Meisburger that are primarily personal in nature, relating to birthdays, reunions, and family matters. A few of Truman's letters refer to political issues of mutual interest, such as flood control (Meisburger worked as a public relations official for the Army Corps of Engineers). The series also contains letters written by Meisburger, Bess Truman, and others, with a few related items. Other materials in the series consist of historical material relating to Battery D including a brief history of the battery, an official record of the 129th Field Artillery, and some newspaper clippings.
The series also contains scrapbooks which include newspaper clippings, correspondence, handwritten notes, photographs, invitations, programs, and other memorabilia. Much of this material documents the activities of Battery D veterans and their attendance at such events as the 1949 Inauguration and President Truman's funeral in 1972. Some of the material pertains to Meisburger's sons, William F. Meisburger and Edward P. Meisburger, Jr., and their military service during World War II.
Materials related to Battery D can be found in the papers of John Thacher, Edward McKim, Lorain Cunningham, Vic Housholder, and L. Curtis Tiernan; and in oral history interviews with McKim, Cunningham, Meisburger, Eugene Donnelly, Frederick Bowman, Vere Leigh, Walter Menefee, Harry Murphy, Floyd Ricketts, and McKinley Wooden. In the papers of Harry S. Truman, related correspondence is filed under the names of Meisburger and the other veterans in the White House Central Files: President's Personal File, President's Secretary's Files (Personal File), and Post-Presidential Papers. Further information about Truman's military service in World War I can be found in the Truman Papers Pertaining to Family, Business and Personal Affairs and in Record Group 391: Records of U.S. Regular Army Mobile Units (Records of Battery D).
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Container Nos. |
Series |
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1 |
SUBJECT FILE, 1921-1980 Correspondence, handwritten notes, invitations, memorabilia, newspaper clippings, photographs, and programs. Arranged chronologically. |
Box 1
- Battery D Historical Items
- Correspondence-Truman, Bess
- Correspondence-Truman Harry S.
- Scrapbook, 1942-1972
- Scrapbook-Correspondence
- Scrapbook-In Washington, May 3, 1959
- Scrapbook-Loose Items, 1945-1977
- Scrapbook-1949 Inaugural
- Scrapbook-President Harry S. Truman State Funeral and Burial
- Scrapbook-Unbound Items, 1937-1977