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Early on, the Canaday Center collected some significant items documenting the history of the development of our government and laws. In 1976, even before the Center was established, Edward Lamb donated a rare 1576 copy of the Magna Carta, one of the most important documents in establishing democratic rule. The Center also came to house some important rare books that had been in the library’s general collection, including a copy of Common Sense printed in Philadelphia in 1776 that bears the signature of Benjamin Franklin. Once the Canaday Center was established, the UT College of Law’s library transferred one of its rarest volumes, Laws of the Territory of the United States North-West of the Ohio—the first book published in Ohio—to the Center for safe keeping. More recently, a large collection of rare government documents were transferred to the Canaday Center for preservation.
But the most exciting addition to the collections in the area of government and the law is a recent collaboration with the city of Toledo that has led to the transfer to the Center of the some of the most important documents since the city’s founding. In 2015, the city transferred the earliest volumes of minutes of Toledo City Council dating to 1837 to the Center. Since this initial exciting addition to records from the city, the Center has added a large collection of records of the Toledo city manager, annual reports of city departments dating back to the nineteenth century, and most recently, the original charter of Toledo. Together, these materials present researchers with an incredibly rich collection of resources that can shed light on the city’s development.
This exhibit, featuring the Canaday Center's collection on government and law collections, is divided into two back-to-back flat cases.
“Toledo’s modern government is…the result of a tightening up process, the leadership of Toledoans in making their government better for the task at hand.”
Jesup W. Scott founded the Toledo University of Arts and Trades in 1872. After his death two years later, the trustees of the university reached out to the city to suggest that the assets of the struggling institution be turned over to the city. [continued]
[continued] While the city agreed to accept the gift, it apparently was never executed, and in 1878 the university closed for lack of funds. In 1884, what remained of the Scott trust was finally given to the city, establishing what would become The University of Toledo as a municipal institution. It would remain as such until 1967.
William Maxwell of New York moved to Cincinnati and became the first Ohio printer. Maxwell was contracted by the legislature to print 200 copies of the laws of the territory, one of which is preserved by the Canaday Center. The book originally belonged to Toledo lawyer Noah Swayne.
This early volume of the Toledo Municipal Code was prepared by the Commission of Publicity and Efficiency, which was appointed the agency responsible for codifying the general ordinances of Toledo in 1917 after a decade had passed since the previous compilation of ordinances. City Council authorized the publication of 1,000 copies.
This volume consists of meeting minutes of the Committee on Finance, Ways and Means, recorded by the Clerk of Council. Ordinances, legislation, and bonds were the primary topics of the committee. This set of minutes opens with discussion of the proposed new site for Toledo University in 1929.
On June 15, 1836, Congress established the southern border of Michigan, ending a dispute between Ohio Michigan. Afterwards, the rival towns of Port Lawrence and Vistula agreed to merge to form the city of Toledo. Prior to the official approval of the city charter by the State of Ohio, residents established who would be eligible to vote in the city’s first election. [continued next]
[continued] This poll book lists all 226 eligible voters from Port Lawrence Township. It is assumed these were the individuals who voted for Toledo’s first mayor, John Berdan, who was elected on March 6, 1837.
This incoming and outgoing correspondence of Toledo Chief of Police Harry Jennings reveals the colorful world of crime and law enforcement in the 1920s. Memos and public complaints log the ongoing problems with gambling, prostitution, and illegal alcohol the police faced during the decade. In 1927, Toledo Mayor Fred Mery commands Jennings to “rid Toledo of the criminals that are being harbored here” and laments the city’s criminal reputation.
These documents represent the foundation upon which the government of Toledo was established. The Charter and Bylaws were approved by the State of Ohio and officially established the city. Shown here are two versions: the original that was approved by the Ohio House of Representatives, and a printed version published in Toledo in 1837.
The published version includes numerous amendments made to the charter as well as notes about the occupants of early city offices. The Incorporation of the City of Toledo was prepared by the Common Council, and became part of the first minute book of the Council. It established the boundaries of the city as well as the organizational structure of the government, which consisted of a mayor, aldermen (three of which from each ward would be elected to the council), treasurer, and marshal. The duties and responsibilities of these officials are outlined.
To commemorate the completion of the Toledo Lake Erie Water Supply System in 1941, the Toledo Citizens’ Waterworks Dedication Committee published this booklet. [continued next]
[continued from previous] Its intent was “to inform the people of Toledo on the new system…[and] to advertise to the nation the accomplishment of our city in this, the greatest single public improvement in the history of Toledo.”
The Common Council of the City of Toledo published the Official Record of the City of Toledo each year. It included reports of the various boards and departments that governed the city... [continued next]
[continued] ... including the auditor, fire and police departments, board of health, city solicitor, city engineer, and the public library. Water purity, mortality rates, and legal cases were a few of the topics covered in the consolidated annual reports. Later, as the city evolved and grew, the annual reports were published separately by each department and division, such as these examples from the Plan Commission, Division of Recreation, and Division of Water.
Ella P. Stewart was active in many social causes. In 1958, she acquired this shirt that once belonged to Kennedy, which she later donated to the Canaday Center.
As vice president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson authored the first American book's second edition on parliamentary procedure. It is based on notes Jefferson took while studying at the College of William and Mary. First published in 1801, he added material to this 1812 edition. The Manual was arranged in into 53 categories from “The Importance of Rules” to “Impeachment.”
This photograph depicts President John F. Kennedy and Foy D. Kohler, American ambassador to the U.S.S.R. from 1962-1966, during a discussion at the White House in September 1963, possibly regarding U.S.-U.S.S.R. space cooperation.
John P. Kelly held various elected and appointed government positions in Toledo, including Lucas County Commissioner and member of Toledo City Council. As chair of the Lucas County Democratic Party between 1945 and 1966, he helped organize the 1960 John F. Kennedy campaign in Toledo. The collection also includes an invitation to the inauguration in 1961, and tickets to be part of the platform party on the east front of the Capitol.
Thomas Paine was born in England but later immigrated to the colonies. His famous pamphlet Common Sense advocated for American independence and was a best-seller with royalties from sale benefitting the Continental Army. This copy of Common Sense—published the year the American Revolution began—was signed by Benjamin Franklin, who helped Paine leave England.
On display is the guest book from the memorial service held in the American embassy in Moscow after the assassination of President Kennedy, which features signatures from the Soviet Union’s top officials who attended the service. Of particular significance are the signatures of Premier Khrushchev and his wife.
This document written by the constitutional convention for the soon-to-be state of Michigan was an appeal to the people of the United States to establish the southern border of the state to include Toledo...[continued next]
[continued from previous]...Michigan’s southern border was the subject of a major dispute with Ohio that resulted in the Toledo War in 1835. The relatively bloodless dispute was settled in 1836 by giving Toledo to Ohio and the Upper Peninsula to Michigan as a compromise. The settlement allowed for Toledo to be founded in 1837.
In 1917, Herbert White joined the Army to fight in World War I, where he was assigned to Company B Ammunition Train. In his role as an ammunition truck driver, he saw action during the final years of the war. These diary pages described the battle of the Argonne Forest in France.
James M. Ashley was a Radical Republican and railroad executive who represented Toledo in Congress from 1858 to 1868. In 1863, he introduced the first proposal to amend the U.S. Constitution to outlaw slavery...[continued next]
[continued]...His language was largely adopted as the 13th Amendment. After his defeat in 1868, Ashley began work on his memoir, which he never completed. On display are pages that explain how he came to understand slavery as immoral.
Cyrus Hussey was a member of the 48th Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry from July 11, 1862 to December 3, 1864, who saw action in the siege of Vicksburg in 1863. These pages from one of Hussey’s diaries describe the beginning of the siege.
Former mayor of Toledo from 1906-1914, Brand Whitlock was appointed ambassador to Belgium, where he helped organize the task of providing food and clothing for the citizens of Belgium when the country was invaded and occupied by Germany during World War I. As thanks for the desperately needed aid, thousands of schoolchildren from the city of Ghent sent letters of gratitude addressed to Whitlock to thank the American people. On display are two of the approximately 7,000 letters received that are preserved in the Canaday Center.
Judith Lanzinger of Toledo is the only judge to have served on all four levels of Ohio’s courts: the Toledo Municipal Court, the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas, the 6th District Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court of Ohio. She received her law degree from The University of Toledo in 1977. On display is Lanzinger’s certificate of licensure for the Supreme Court of the United States.
The Magna Carta resulted from the peace between King John of England and 60 of his rebelling barons in 1215. Thus began the long legal process of limiting the King’s authority and granting explicit rights to the ruled. The Magna Charta became a symbol of freedom, and it influenced western democracy and concepts of liberty. Only two other copies of this edition are known to exist. It is heavily annotated by a late 16th or early 17th century French legal scholar. It was donated to the Canaday Center by the late industrialist Edward Lamb in 1976.
This framed banner is displayed on the far end of the exhibition room. It was created in celebration of Toledo's founding in 1837.
