For Immediate Release: May 15, 2007
Further information: Brent R. Carney (617) 514-1662, Brent.Carney@JFKLFoundation.org
Boston, MA& – The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum announced today that it has processed and made available for research the personal papers of John F. Kraft, public opinion analyst and political consultant. The papers, a collection of approximately 81.5 cubic feet, contain files on political campaigns and candidates, market research surveys, and general business and personal matters. The bulk of the collection covers the 1960s and early 1970s.
Among the many items included in this newly released collection are materials related to political surveys conducted by John F. Kraft, Inc. The surveys were conducted for individual politicians, political parties, and organizations in forty-nine states during the 1960s and 1970s, and they reflect voter opinions on political races and issues ranging from national elections to local concerns. Examples of his clients include Senator Robert F. Kennedy, Senator Estes Kefauver, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the American Broadcasting Company. Also included are market research files, which contain reports, surveys, and supplementary materials concerning non-political research conducted by John F. Kraft, Inc. The reports and surveys were produced for various companies, special interest groups and organizations, as well as local governments throughout the 1960s and 1970s. This material provides analysis of the public’s attitudes towards consumer products, brand names, specific and general businesses, and local issues.
John F. Kraft was born on November 4, 1924 in New York, NY. His father was Frederick Kraft, a founder of the Kraft Foods Company. Kraft served in the infantry during World War II, and was wounded in Germany. Upon his return from the war he resumed his studies at Yale University, and went on to attend Columbia University. After graduation, he joined the survey firm Elmo Roper and Associates. He later became a founding partner of survey firm, Louis Harris and Associates. In 1959 he formed a new research firm, John F. Kraft, Inc., which conducted opinion surveys for Senators, Governors, and state and local officials, as well as corporations and government committees.
Kraft died on February 27, 1973 at the age of 48, leaving his wife, Fran Farrell Kraft, and four children from a previous marriage.
The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library’s Archives include 48 million pages of documents from the collections of 340 individuals, organizations, or government agencies; oral history interviews with 1,300 people; and more than 30,000 books. The Audiovisual Archives administers collections of more than 400,000 still photographs, 7,550,000 feet of motion picture film, 1,200 hours of video recordings, over 7,000 hours of audio recordings and 500 original editorial cartoons.
The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum is administered by the National Archives and Records Administration and supported, in part, by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, a non-profit organization. The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum and the Kennedy Library Foundation seek to promote, through scholarship, educational and community programs, a greater appreciation and understanding of American politics, history, and culture, the process of governing and the importance of public service.
The Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with the exceptions of Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day. The Research Room is open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each weekday, and is closed on weekends and Federal Holidays. Appointments may be made by calling (617) 514-1629. The Library is located in the Dorchester section of Boston, off Morrissey Boulevard, next to the campus of the University of Massachusetts/Boston. Parking is free. There is free shuttle-service from the JFK/UMass T Stop on the Red Line. The Museum is fully handicapped accessible. For more information, call (866) JFK-1960.