John F. Kraft (#148)

An Inventory of His Personal Papers, 1862-1978 (bulk 1960-1973)
In the John F. Kennedy Library
National Archives and Records Administration

Administrative Information
Biographical Note
Collection Overview
List of Series
Collection Description

Administrative Information

Abstract
Papers 1862-1978 (bulk 1960-1973)
Public opinion analyst; political consultant. Files on political campaigns and candidates, personal correspondence, and business matters.

Access
Open.

Usage Restrictions
Documents in this collection that were prepared by officials of the United States as part of their official duties are in the public domain. Users of these materials are advised to determine the copyright status of any document from which they wish to publish.

Copyright
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law. The copyright law extends its protection to unpublished works from the moment of creation in a tangible form. Direct your questions concerning copyright to the reference staff.

Provenance
Received from Fran Farrell Kraft of Washington, D.C., in April 1977 (1977-018), July 1979 (1979-030), and May 1983 (1983-052).

Extent
About 58,000 items (66 linear feet and 3 linear inches ; 81.5 cubic feet).

Withdrawn Items
Selected folders may contain withdrawal sheets where documents, in accordance with the donor's deed of gift, were removed from the collection. These include documents which may be used to injure or harass any living person. All withdrawn documents have been placed under seal and upon request the Kennedy Library will review any material which has been closed for a period of not less than 2 years for the purpose of opening items which no longer require restrictions. Researchers should consult the reference staff to obtain the appropriate form(s).

Items Separated
Items separated include oversize (OVZ-148), audiovisual (AV-148), and museum (M-148) materials.

Date Opened
April 2007

Finding Aid Prepared by
Erica Boudreau, Rachel Searcy and Frances Wade.

Related Collections
Louis Harris Papers , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Elmo Roper Papers , Archives & Special Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Center, University of Connecticut

The Personal Papers of John F. Kraft (1924-1973)

Biographical Note
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 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. Examples of his clients include Senator Robert F. Kennedy, Senator Estes Kefauver, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the American Broadcasting Company.

Kraft died on February 27, 1973 at the age of 48, leaving his wife, Fran Farrell Kraft, and four children from a previous marriage.

Collection Overview
This collection of John F. Kraft papers primarily consists of records relating to his public opinion firm, John F. Kraft, Inc. The collection also contains Kraft’s extensive correspondence files, in which the personal and professional are often combined, as well as some strictly personal material. After Kraft died in 1973, his wife Fran Farrell Kraft took over the leadership of John F. Kraft, Inc. For this reason, some material in the collection post-dates John Kraft’s death. Researchers should be aware that John Kraft considered all of his work administratively confidential, and marked all of his surveys and much of his correspondence as "confidential." These "confidential" markings served as business-related administrative markings to safeguard his work from rival candidates or pollsters. The collection is arranged into three series: Correspondence, John F. Kraft, Inc. Files, and Personal Files.

List of Series

Collection Description

Series 1. Correspondence, 1948-1974.
About 18,500 items.
Arrangement: alphabetical by type, thereunder alphabetical by subject or surname, then reverse chronological by date.

This series consists of correspondence relating to John F. Kraft’s personal and professional matters. The series is arranged into alphabetical files, which contain original correspondence to and from Kraft, and day files, which contain carbons of all of Kraft’s outgoing letters. Both sets of files cover the same professional and personal topics. The professional correspondence of John F. Kraft, Inc. illustrates the regular activities of the firm through proposals to potential clients, planning with current clients, explanations of the polling process, background research, preliminary findings, and billing statements. Researchers should note that working and completed files for these surveys can be found in Series 2. John F. Kraft, Inc. Files, 1960-1978. Personal correspondence consists of general updates and inquiries among friends, family, and associates, as well as more specific information regarding Kraft’s worsening physical condition in the 1970s. The files also include newsletters from social and professional organizations of which Kraft was a member, such as the Millard Fillmore Society and the American Association of Political Consultants. In addition to developments in public opinion research and the contemporary political climate, subject areas of John F. Kraft’s personal interest also appear, including baseball and urban development. Materials include letters received and sent, notes, memos, postcards, clippings, and telegrams. Please note that the series dates from 1948 to 1974, but the bulk of the material concerns the 1960s and 1970s.

Series 2. John F. Kraft, Inc. Files, 1960-1978.
About 54,500 items.

This series consists of materials associated with Kraft’s public opinion firm, John F. Kraft, Inc. It is arranged into three subseries: Voter Survey Files, Market Research Files, and Subject Files.

Series 2.1. Voter Survey Files, 1960-1978.
About 35,000 items.
Arrangement: by type of material, thereunder alphabetical by state or survey name and/or creator, thereunder by study number.

This series consists of 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. Completed surveys and working materials for those surveys are filed separately. Also included are surveys conducted by other public opinion firms.

Researchers should note that files containing financial records relating to specific surveys are located with the general John F. Kraft, Inc. financial records in Series 2.3. General Office Files.

Series 2.2. Market Research Files, 1959-1972.
About 8,000 items.
Arrangement: alphabetical by subject.

This series consists of 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. The majority of the material provides analysis of the public’s attitudes towards consumer products, brand names, specific and general businesses, and local issues.

Series 2.3. General Office Files, 1960-1974.
About 11,500 items.
Arrangement: alphabetical by type of material.

This series consists of appointment books, financial records, old questionnaires, and subject files relating to the work undertaken by John F. Kraft, Inc. The subject files include a variety of materials used to produce polls and surveys, including instructional manuals, research materials, and reference tools. Typical office records such as memoranda, personnel information, and project proposals are also included. Additionally, promotional pieces and John F. Kraft’s newspaper columns comprise a large portion of the subject files. The financial records consist of yearly expenses and profits, paid and outstanding bills, tax records, bank statements, and payroll ledgers. Old questionnaire files contain copies of most, if not all, of the surveys produced by John F. Kraft, Inc. Finally, the appointment books document the daily happenings of John F. Kraft, Inc. between 1959 and 1973.

Series 3. Personal Files, 1862-1974.
About 3,500 items.
Arrangement: alphabetical by subject.

This series consists of personal materials belonging to John Kraft, Fran Farrell Kraft, and their families. Examples of this material include correspondence between John Kraft and his parents, siblings, and children; letters written by friends and girlfriends to John Kraft before, during and after World War II; correspondence documenting Kraft’s efforts to reconnect with former classmates; a diary of a cross-country road trip undertaken by Kraft and his friends in 1947; and condolence mail written to Fran Farrell Kraft upon the death of John Kraft.