Contents and Arrangement Collection View
Description:

The Biographical series includes a biographical sketch, clippings, and identity books for Kent and his wife to allow them to travel through Great Britain in 1919. The series also contains materials from Kent's service on the Council of New York University, a sampling of invitations he received, programs from events where he was the speaker or was honored, and materials from organizations of which he was a member.

Arranged alphabetically by document type or subject.

Description:

The Correspondence series includes correspondence between Kent and individuals, banks, and organizations related to his banking career, his expertise on banking and commerce issues, and his writings and speeches. Please see the subseries descriptions in the contents list for additional information about individual subseries.

Divided into three subseries: Alphabetical, Chronological, and Topical.

A, 1909-1952

2 folders

H, 1919-1950

2 folders

M, 1920-1953

2 folders

S, 1919-1953

2 folders
Description:

The Reports and Published Materials series contains both reports generated by organizations and materials collected about subjects. The series includes meeting minutes and reports of the Commerce and Marine Commission of the American Bankers Association, publications and meeting materials of the International Chamber of Commerce, and a smaller amount of material from the American Institute of Bank Clerks and the Bankers Trust Company. The series also includes pamphlets, clippings, and Bankers Trust Company memoranda on economic conditions, and papers on reparations and the Dawes Report.

Arranged alphabetically by organization or subject, and chronologically within each group.

1914, 1914

1 folder

1915, 1915

1 folder

1917, 1917

1 folder

1919, 1919

1 folder

1920, 1920

3 folders

1921, 1921

2 folders

1922, 1922

3 folders

1923, 1923

2 folders

1924, 1924

2 folders

1925, 1925

2 folders

1925, 1925

1 folder

1926, 1926

4 folders

1927, 1927

2 folders

1928, 1928

3 folders

1929, 1929

1 folder

1929, 1929

1 folder

1930, 1930

1 folder

1931, 1931

1 folder

1932, 1932

2 folders

1933, 1933

1 folder

1933, 1933

1 folder

1934, 1934

2 folders

1936, 1936

1 folder

1940, 1940

1 folder

1943, 1943

1 folder

1944, 1944

1 folder

1945, 1945

1 folder

1910, 1910

1 folder

1917, 1917

1 folder

1920, 1920

3 folders

1921, 1921

2 folders

1922, 1922

1 folder

1923, 1923

1 folder

1924, 1924

2 folders

1925, 1925

3 folders

1925, 1925

1 folder

1926, 1926

3 folders

1927, 1927

1 folder

1927, 1927

1 folder

1928, 1928

1 folder

1929, 1929

1 folder

1931, 1931

2 folders

1933, 1933

1 folder

1934, 1934

1 folder

1935, 1935

1 folder

1936, 1936

1 folder

1938, 1938

1 folder

1939, 1939

5 folders
Description:

The Writings series includes typed copies of addresses given by Kent at the meetings of organizations, at universities and on the radio, as well as copies of articles he wrote. In his speeches and articles, Kent discussed banking and finance, economics, industry, reparations, and international trade and investment.

Arranged chronologically.

Scope and Contents

Kent's papers include his correspondence with businessmen and politicians about financial and economic issues, articles and speeches written by Kent, and papers documenting his involvement with several banking and economic organizations. The organizations include the Bankers Trust Company, the Commerce and Marine Commission of the American Bankers Association, and the International Chamber of Commerce.

Please see the series descriptions in the contents list for additional information about individual series.

Arrangement

The Papers have been arranged in four series:

Collection Creator Biography:

Kent, Fred I., 1869-1954

Fred I. Kent (1869-1954) was a banker who spent the majority of his career at Bankers Trust Company in New York. He was an expert on foreign exchange, and during World War I and its aftermath was involved with establishing foreign exchange policies, reparations, and war debt. Kent was also active in numerous organizations, including the American Bankers Association and the International Chamber of Commerce.

Kent was born Frederick I. Kent on February 12, 1869 in Chicago, Illinois to Henry and Julia Kent. He was educated in the public schools of Chicago and never attended college, choosing instead to leave high school and seek employment. He married Etta G. Williams of Boston, Massachusetts on April 18, 1891.

He began his banking career in 1886, at the age of seventeen, as a clerk at the First National Bank of Chicago. He was steadily promoted until he became manager of the Foreign Exchange Department in 1905. Kent also became active with the American Bankers Association during this period. He was the first president of the Chicago chapter of what would become the American Institute of Banking, and the first national president of the Institute. The Institute provided distance-learning classes and published materials for the continuing education of individuals in the field of finance.

Kent's work with foreign exchange earned him recognition in the financial world. In January 1909, he accepted the position of vice-president of the Bankers Trust Company in New York City, where he was placed in charge of organizing the Foreign Exchange Department. He also continued his work with the American Bankers Association, coordinating the development of the Travellers' Check System of the Association and serving as chairman of the Committee of the Express Money Order Department.

Kent was in Europe at the outbreak of World War I and organized and directed efforts to provide stranded Americans with the funds and transportation necessary to return to the United States. The recognition he gained from this work, and his expertise in international finance, led to his appointment as deputy governor of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in 1917, and later as director of the division of foreign exchange of the Federal Reserve Board. In this capacity, he assisted in establishing a system of foreign exchange between the Allied countries. During this period, he also served as financial adviser to the director of sales of the War Department and as representative of the United States on the organization committee of the Reparations Commission to Paris. Following the war, he assisted in the stabilization of exchange and settlement of money problems of several European countries, especially with regards to reparations and debt payments. Kent received many honors for his work in Europe after World War I, including Chevalier, and a later promotion to Officer, of the Legion of Honor in France, Commander of the Crown of Italy, and Commander in the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus in Italy.

After the war, Kent returned to his position as vice-president at the Bankers Trust Company. He stepped down from this post in 1928, but continued as director until his death in 1954. He resigned from his position as vice-president in order to devote more time to a number of semi-public organizations that he was associated with, especially the International Chamber of Commerce. He also became chairman of the Commerce and Marine Commission of the American Bankers Association, a position he held until 1954.

Kent was elected to the Council of New York University in 1929, after having served as chairman of the advisory board of the Wall Street Center of New York University since its establishment. The Council serves as the university's board of trustees. Kent became president of the Council in 1931 and chairman of the Council in 1951. He served as chairman until his death.

Throughout his life, Kent was the director of several corporations, including the Bankers Trust Company and the National Industrial Conference Board. He was also an officer or member of a large number of semi-public organizations, including national commerce, industry and trade groups, banking groups, economic, political and social science organizations, and the International Chamber of Commerce. Kent was frequently a speaker on financial matters, especially in venues where foreign trade relations were discussed. He received an honorary LL.D. from the University of Southern California in 1930, and was awarded the Robert Dollar award for his work in foreign trade by the National Foreign Trade Council in 1945. Kent died on October 25, 1954 at the age of 85.

Acquisition:

This collection was donated by Warner Kent, son of Fred I. Kent, in 1955 .

Appraisal

The papers separated from this collection include duplicate materials, invitations to banking, commerce and social events, and publications from New York University.

Sponsorship:

These papers were processed with the generous support of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission and the John Foster and Janet Avery Dulles Fund.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Adriane Hanson and Jessie Thompson in 2006. Finding aid written by Adriane Hanson in April 2006.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Credit this material:

Fred I. Kent Papers; Public Policy Papers, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/db78tc02q
Location:
Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library
65 Olden Street
Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
(609) 258-6345
Storage Note:
  • Mudd Manuscript Library (scamudd): Box 1-42
Related Materials

This collection is part of a group of 28 Mudd Manuscript Library collections related to 20th century economic thought and development which were processed as part of a National Historical Publications and Records Commission funded project. Researchers wishing to access these collections should search for the subject "Economics--20th century" or related terms in the Princeton University Library Main Catalog. Two collections at the Mudd Manuscript Library of particular relevance to the Fred I. Kent Papers are the papers of banker Harvey E. Fisk and Hans A. Widenmann, an expert in international finance.

Bibliography

The following sources were consulted during preparation of biographical note: "Kent Resigns Post in Reserve Bank." The New York Times, January 13, 1934. Materials from Series 1: Biographical; Fred I. Kent Papers; Public Policy Papers, Special Collections, Princeton University Library. Obituary of Fred I. Kent. The New York Times, October 26, 1954. Profile of Fred I. Kent in Marquis Who's Who on the Web. http://search.marquiswhoswho.com Accessed April 2006.

Subject Terms:
Banks and banking -- United States.
Boards of trade -- Europe.
Boards of trade -- United States.
Economics -- 20th century.
Foreign exchange.
International finance.
World War, 1914-1918 -- Reparations.
Genre Terms:
Articles.
Correspondence
Speeches.
Names:
Bankers Trust Company (New York, N.Y.)
American Bankers Association. Commission on Commerce and Marine
International Chamber of Commerce.
Kent, Fred I., 1869-1954
Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), 1882-1945.
Strong, Benjamin, 1872-1928