Finding Aid to the Clyde Potts Papers, 1895-1959 Finding Aid to the Clyde Potts Papers, 1895-1959 North Jersey History and Genealogy Center
The Morristown and Morris Township Library One Miller Road Morristown, NJ 07960
Overview of Collection Clyde Potts H929 MSS Potts Clyde Potts Papers, 1895-1959. . Biography of Clyde Potts, 1876-1950.

Clyde Potts was born in Libertyville, Iowa on November 1,1876. He was the son of James F. Potts and Elizabeth Pancoast. Despite growing upin Iowa, Clyde Potts’s ancestors were among the early settlers of NJ. After marrying Jane Miller on April 17, 1903, Clyde Potts and his bride left Iowa for NJ, eventually settling in Morristown in 1907.

Clyde Potts had graduated from Cornell University in 1901 and began business as a Civil Engineer mostly planning and constructing sewerage facilities and improving water supplies. He was employed as a consulting Engineer for Newark, Jersey City, Bayonne, Atlantic City, Rahway, Bridgeport, Wilkes-Barre, Chicago and New York, amongst other cities. In fact, the sewerage systems of more than two hundred cities were planned by Clyde Potts. Among the large number of commissions he received throughout his engineering career was also his employment in foreign commissions, which included the preliminary plans for Athens, Greece and other Balkan states.

During World War I, Clyde Potts was a consulting Engineer in the Ordinance Bureau of the War Department and later on, was Chairman of the Committee on Child Hygiene for the State Department of Health where he worked to minimizethe death rate among infants. From 1915- 1929 he was a member of the State Department and served as President four times.

In 1922, he was elected Mayor and would go on to serve as Mayor of Morristown a total of six terms. Elected on the Republican ticket, he was endorsed by both parties several times when he ran. As the town’s Chief Executive, he was actively involved in civic affairs and was once called, “one of state’s best Mayors.” Amongst his political achievements was his idea for creating a National Historical Park at Morristown on land where General George Washington and his Continental army occupied during the Revolutionary War during the 1779-80 winter. After garnering much support from the governor, A. Harry Moore, the proposal was brought to Congress and signed by the President in 1933. Since then the sites of Morristown National Historic Park have been excellent resources for visitors who want to experience American history.

Clyde Potts and his wife, Jane, had two children. Jane Walker Potts was born March 20, 1906, and Elizabeth Potts born February 20, 1915. His wife, Jane Potts, died in 1933 and Mr. Potts married his second wife, Mary Ryan Field on August 30, 1941. Clyde Potts passed away on May 19, 1950.

 Scope and Content Note of the Papers

The Clyde Potts Papers, 1895-1959, document the personal, political and professional life of the former Mayor of Morristown, Clyde Potts. The material ranges from personal papers, including a high scool notebook, to public documents, but mostly all relate to Mr. Potts's tenure as Mayor.

The bulk of material spans from 1895 to 1949, with gaps. Types of material in the collection include printed material, letters, memoranda, speeches, reports and research. They reflect his work both as Mayor and Engineer, as well as his achievements in both fields.

In addition, Clyde Potts's success as a Civil Engineer is highlighted by the number of negatives included in the collection. They reflect the public works facilities built or supervised by Clyde Potts in various cities and countries. The dates range from 1910-1940.

The collection is divided into two series.

 Arrangement of the Papers

Series I: Clyde Potts, 1895-1959.

This series includes correspondence, printed materials, and a range of documents relating to Mr. Potts's personal and public life. The bulk of correspondence, 1911 to 1944 has gaps, but relates mostly to Mr. Potts's time as Mayor as well as his success as an engineer. Amongst his correspondence is a list of all the public works designed or built under his direction. The printed material spans from 1899 to 1949 with gaps and consists of a Cornell University commencement program dated 1899, several ballots with Clyde Potts included as a candidate, and a program from a testimonial dinner given for Mr. Potts by the Morristown Fire Department. Other documents include memoranda, speeches, and reports, which document Mr. Potts's politicial achievments as mayor. Additional papers including Mr. Potts's own research on Morristown during the colonional and Civil War period highlight some of his interests.

Series II: Negatives and Positives of Public Works Designed or Built Under the Direction of Clyde Potts, 1910-1940.

This series contains negatives and some positives of public works facilities built or supervised by Clyde Potts. They are arranged alphabetically by city name and range from Albany, NY to West Haven, CT. Some negatives have been further identified with names or descriptions of the facilities and areas pictured.

Important Information for Users of the Collection

This material is open for research without restriction under the conditions of the North Jersey History and Genealogy Center archives access policy. Records may be copied for use in individual scholarly or personal research, however, as with all materials in the History Center, researchers are responsible for obtaining copyright permission to use material from the collection. Material in the Clyde Potts Papers, 1895-1959 may be photocopied, but because this material is a permanent part of the History Center's collections, researchers are advised to photocopy with care, using only the edge copier/scanner. Digital cameras can be used to capture images of materials however, the use of a flash is prohibited.

Acquisition Information

The papers of Clyde Potts were donated to the North Jersey History Center of the Morristown and Morris Township Library in 1989 by Elizabeth Potts Koleda.

 Preferred Citation

The Clyde Potts Papers, 1895-1959. North Jersey History and Genealogy Center, The Morristown and Morris Township Library.

Processing Information

Papers processed and arranged by Cheryl Turkington in 1991; document revisions in 1998; 2009. Encoded archival description completed 2010.

 Container List Series I: Clyde Potts, 1895-1949. 1 1 High School chemistry notebook, 1895-1896. 1 2 Letters, 1911-1944, with gaps. 1 3 Printed Material, 1899-1949; no date, with gaps. 1 4 Memoranda, 1924-1932; no date. 1 5 Speeches, 1949; no date. 1 6 Reports, no date. 1 7 Research, no date. Box 2 Series II: Negatives and Positives of Public Works Designed or Built Under the Direction of Clyde Potts, C.E. 1901-1968. 2 1 1 negative: No identification, no date. 2 2 1 negative: Albany, NY, no date. 2 3 5 negatives: Designed sewerage, water, pumping system. Amatol, NJ, no date. 2 4 4 negatives: Surveys, estimates/sewerage disposal. Athens, Greece, no date. 2 5 19 negatives: Atlanta, GA, no date. 2 6 43 negatives and 33 positives: Sewerage Co./designed sewage disposal. Atlantic City, NJ, 1940. 2 7 99 negatives: Pipeline. Atlantic City, NJ, 1938. 2 8 71 negatives: Wells and waterline. Atlantic City, NJ, 1938. 2 9 42 negatives: Designed water filtration plant. Atlantic City, NJ, June, 1948. 2 10 5 negatives: Atlantic Ave., Atlantic City, NJ, no date. 2 11 5 negatives and 3 positives: Chelsea Hts., Atlantic City, NJ, 1940. 2 12 13 negatives: Chelsea Hts./Water filter. Atlantic City, NJ, no date. 2 13 4 negatives: Chelsea Hts./Water filter. Atlantic City, NJ, no date. 2 14 5 negatives: Woodpipe. Atlantic City, NJ, 1910. 2 15 6 negatives: Designed sewerage and disposal system. Avon, NJ, no date. 2 16 8 negatives: Avon, NJ, no date. 2 17 18 negatives: Baltimore, MD,: 1916. 2 18 11 negatives: Bath, NY, no date. 2 19 2 negatives: Newline. Bayonne, NJ, no date. 2 20 6 negatives: Oldline. Bayonne, NJ, no date. 2 21 14 negatives: Snare & Triesta, Bayonne, NJ, no date. 2 22 5 negatives: Harrison. Bayonne, NJ, no date. 2 23 30 negatives: Pumping station. Bayonne, NJ, no date. 2 24 7 negatives: F Street. Belmar, NJ, 1917. 2 25 8 negatives: Water system. Belmar, NJ, 1913. 2 26 10 negatives: sewer outfall. Belmar, NJ, 1913. 2 27 3 negatives: Water[plant]. Bernardsville, NJ, 1916. 2 28 22 negatives: Water. Bernardsville, NJ, no date. 2 29 4 negatives: Rock excavation. Bernardsville, NJ no date. 2 30 25 negatives: Designed sewer/activate sludge treatment. Beverly, NJ, 1912. 2 31 14 negatives: Designed sewerage/sewage disposal works. Bogota, NJ, 1914. Box 3 3 1 6 negatives: Boonton, NJ, no date. 3 2 18 negatives: Test ditches. Boonton, NJ, 1916. 3 3 13 negatives: Fayson Lake. Boonton, NJ, 1938. 3 4 8 negatives: Design sewerage and sewage disposal. Bound Brook, NJ, no date. 3 5 8 negatives: Water Co.,/new filtration works/dam. Bound Brook, NJ, no date. 3 6 5 negatives: Bradley Beach, NJ, no date. 3 7 21 negatives: Designed sewerage system/sewage disposal. Briarcliff Manor, NY, no date. 3 8 17 negatives: Northwest Passage. Bridgeton, NJ, no date. 3 9 37 negatives: Designed new water works/pump/filtration. Bridgeton, NJ, no date. 3 10 7 negatives: Brooklyn, NY, no date. 3 11 12 negatives: Butler-Bloomingdale, NJ, no date. 3 12 10 negatives and 16 positives: Designed joint sewage. Butler-Bloomingdale, NJ, 1939-1940. 3 13 3 negatives: Willow St./R.R crossing. Chatham, NJ, no date. 3 14 59 negatives: Madison, Chatham. Chatham, NJ, no date. 3 15 6 negatives: Clarkson home, no date. 3 16 11 negatives: Cleveland, OH, no date. 3 17 16 negatives: Colgates, no date. 3 18 18 negatives: Columbus, OH, 1916. 3 19 37 negatives: Daytona, FL, no date. 3 20 19 negatives: Delaware and Raritan Canal, no date. 3 21 6 negatives: Robert C. Gill borough eng/sewage disposal, Derry, PA, 1913. 3 22 36 negatives: Somerset. Derry, PA, no date. 3 23 10 negatives: Railroad. Dover, NJ, 1916. 3 24 22 negatives and 1 positive: Pollution. Dover, NJ, no date. 3 25 4 negatives: State highway. Dover, NJ, no date. box 4 4 1 53 negatives: Designed sewerage/sewage disposal. Easton, MD, no date. 4 2 1 negative: Elmhurst, Long Island, NY, no date. 4 3 3 negatives: Designed sewerage, extenstions, additions. Englewood, NJ, no date. 4 4 3 negatives: Far Hills, NJ, 1916. 4 5 21 negatives: Gloversville, NY, 1916. 4 6 5 negatives: Designed sewerage system, sewage disposal works. Goshen, NY, no date. 4 7 6 negatives: District No. 1, Greenwich, CT, 1916. 4 8 12 negatives: District No. 3, Greenwich, CT, 1916. 4 9 9 negatives: District No. 6, Greenwich, CT, 1916. 4 10 23 negatives: District No. 9, Greenwich, CT, 1915-1916. 4 11 22 negatives: Coscob Beach, CT, no date. 4 12 1 negative: Sound Beach, CT, no date. 4 13 10 negatives: Designed sewerage system. Hamden, CT, 1915. 4 14 3 negatives: Hampton, VA, 1916. 4 15 35 negatives: Designed/supervised sewearge system and sewage disposal. Hanover Twp., PA, no date. 4 16 3 negatives: Habstadt Tank. no date. 4 17 42 negatives: Retained to operate sewage disposal works. Hanover Twp., PA, 1917. 4 18 8 negatives: Hewitt estate. no date. 4 19 12 negatives: North Jersey water supply litigation. Hewitt estate, no date. 4 20 10 negatives: Designed sewage disposal works. Hornell, NY, no date. 4 21 16 negatives: Huntington, Long Island, NY, no date. 4 22 12 negatives: Indianapolis, MD, no date. 4 23 12 negatives: Jersey City, NJ, no date. 4 24 11 negatives: Jersey City, NJ, 1918. 4 25 13 negatives: Completed disposal. Jersey City, NJ, no date. 4 26 6 negatives: Gas house. Jersey City, NJ, no date. 4 27 4 negatives: Weir in Berkshire Valley, Weir on Rockaway River. Jersey City, NJ, 1939. 4 28 156 negatives: Designed trunk sewer and disposal works in Rockaway Valley. Jersey City, NJ, no date. 4 29 9 negatives: Panarama at dam. Jersey City, NJ no date. 4 30 12 negatives: Jersey City Pipe Line. Hamilton section, no date. 4 31 21 negatives: Jersey City Pipe Line. Section # 2, no date. 4 32 9 negatives: Jersey City Pipe Line. Passaic siphm, no date. 4 33 49 negatives: Jersey City Pipe Line. Rockaway siphm, no date. 4 34 19 negatives: Jersey City Pipe Line Lakewood Chatham dam, 5 negatives: Lakewood Summit plant, no date. 4 35 12 negatives: Jersey City Pipe Line Pompton Plains, Dover, no date. 4 36 23 negatives: Federated Metal Works. Kearny, NY, no date. 4 37 7 negatives: Water. Kent, OH, no date. 4 38 10 negatives. Key Port, NJ, no date. 4 39 6 negatives: Key West, FL no date. Box 5 5 1 26 negatives, 20 postives: Lakewood, NJ, 1939. 5 2 6 negatives: Lawrenceville, NJ no date. 5 3 3 negatives: Lebanon, PA, no date. 5 4 17 negatives: Lake Denmark, Lidgerwood Estate, 1936-1938. 5 5 47 negatives: Lake Denmark, Lidgerwood Estate, 1936-1938. 5 6 3 negatives: Designed new water system. Lincoln Park, NJ, no date. 5 7 8 negatives: Property of Elizabethtown Water Co., Linden, NJ, n.d. 5 8 1 negative: Outlet to disposal works. Madison, NJ, no date. 5 9 2 negatives: Mazpeth Station, Long Island, NY, no date. 5 10 4 negatives: Design/construction of improvements to water supply. Mendham, NJ , no date. 5 11 69 negatives: Designed sewerage and water supply systems. Milltown, NJ, no date. 5 12 5 negatives: Miscellaneous: Steam shovel, Skillman, NJ; Engine; Old water pump, Morristown, NJ; Rapuzz, NY. no date. 5 13 30 negatives: Miscellaneous, no date. 5 14 7 negatives: Montrose, PA, no date. 5 15 3 negatives: Designed water supply. Montville, NJ, No date. 5 16 9 negatives: Burnham Park, Morristown, NJ, no date. 5 17 13 negatives: Morristown National Historic Park no date. 5 18 1 negative: Morristown National Historic Park no date. 5 19 3 negatives: Designed sewerage and sewage disposal works. Nazareth, PA, no date. 5 20 16 negatives: New Bedford, MA no date. 5 21 7 negatives: New Brunswick, NJ, no date. 5 22 7 negatives: Designed sewerage and sewage disposal works. Newton, NJ, no date. 5 23 8 negatives: Designed sewage disposal works. North Bergen, NJ, no date. 5 24 36 negatives: Designed sewage disposa, designed dam and retaining wall for Wesley Lake, designed concrete resevoir. Ocean Grove, NJ, no date. 5 25 18 negatives: Oneonta, NY, no date. 5 26 43 negatives: Sewer plant. Oneonta, NY, no date. 5 27 48 negatives: Trunk sewer and sewage disposal. Oneonta, NY, no date. 5 28 74 negatives: Designed trunk sewer and sewage disposal works. Oneonta, NY, no date. 5 29 27 negatives: Designed sewerage and sewage disposal works. Patchogue, NY, no date. 5 30 4 negatives: Pittsfield, MA, no date. 5 31 37 negatives: Plainfied, NJ, no date. 5 32 9 negatives: Plainfield, NJ, no date. 5 33 9 negatives: Portland, ME, no date. 5 34 3 negatives: Pottstown, PA, no date. 5 35 8 negatives: Princeton,NJ, no date. Box 6 6 1 36 negatives: Report on Cranford trunk sewer, disposal works. Rahway, NJ no date. 5 2 7 negatives: Design for nine municipalities and treatment works. Rahway Valley, NJ, no date. 5 3 14 negatives: Reading, PA, no date. 5 4 12 negatives: Rochester, NY, no date. 5 5 17 negatives: River, designed sewerage system. Rockaway River, NJ, no date. 5 6 42 negatives: Sewerage and sewage disposal works. Rockville Centre, Long Island, NY, no date. 5 7 28 negatives: Design sewerage and disposal works, pumping station. Salem, NJ, no date. 5 8 8 negatives: Saritoga, NY, no date. 5 9 17 negatives: Schnectady, NY, no date. 5 10 4 negatives: Sea Gate, NY, no date. 5 11 6 negatives: Berry's Creek, Sigretto, no date. 5 12 3 negatives: Little Ferry, Sigretto, no date. 5 13 24 negatives: Plans for water supply filtration, design sewage. Skillman, NJ, no date. 5 14 6 negatives: Sloatsburg, NY, no date. 5 15 5 negatives: Designed sewage disposal and extensions to Colorado home. Somerset, PA, no date. 5 16 12 negatives: Designed water, sewerage and sewage disposal works. South Bound Brook, NJ, no date. 5 17 8 negatives: Springfield, NJ, no date. 5 18 18 negatices: State Department Hea, no date. 5 19 17 negatives: Design comprehensive system of sewers and disposal. Suffern, NY, no date. 5 20 3 negatives: Designed sewerage and sewage disposal works. Swedesboro, NJ, no date. 5 21 11 negatives: United States vs. Cam. S.T. Co., Fort Bayard, no date. 5 22 8 negatives: United States vs. Cam. S.T. Co., Fort Levan no date. 5 23 3 negatives: United States vs. Cam. S.T. Co., Mescalero, no date. 5 24 1 negative: United States vs. Cam. S.T. Co., Phoenix, no date. 5 25 2 negatives: United States vs. Cam. S.T. Co., Salem, no date. 5 26 3 negatives: United States vs. Cam. S.T. Co., Ignacio, no date. 5 27 4 negatives: United States vs. Cam. S.T. Co., Ben J. Harrison no date. 5 28 8 negatives: United States vs. Cam. S.T. Co., Fort D.M., no date. 5 29 52 negatives, 1 positive: United States vs. Cam. S.T. Co., Exhibit, no date. 5 30 47 negatives: Design sewage disposal works and extensions. Verona, NJ, no date. 5 31 33 negatives: Design sewerage and sewage disposal works/extensions, dam and improvements to existing water works. Washington, NJ, no date. 5 32 6 negatives: Westfield, NJ, no date. 5 33 28 negatives: Design sewerage and disposal works for the town of Orange, West Haven, CT, no date.