Edward Franey was born Aug. 10, 1899, in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. He
attended both Wisconsin and Minnesota universities and began his journalism
career in 1918 with the
Franey was a member of the Izaak Walton League for 35 years and held
several offices including secretary of the South Minneapolis Chapter, Minnesota
state secretary, and national director. He also edited the monthly bulletin of
the South Minneapolis Chapter,
Biographical data was taken from the collection.
Photographs, correspondence, telegrams, news releases, newspaper clippings, reports, minutes, financial records, convention files (1955-1972), and printed material documenting Franey's career as a journalist and his activities as a conservationist and leader of the Izaak Walton League of America (IWLA).
Papers relating to Franey's journalism career describe his involvement
with the WLOL Radio and WTCN Television Show "Sportmen's Roundtable"
(1947-1959); the Ed Franey Outdoor Writer Award (1983-1985); his membership in
the Outdoor Writers Association of America and the Twin Cities Newspaper Guild;
and his work at the
The larger portion of the collection documents Franey's 35 years as a member of the Izaak Walton League. Franey held various offices in the League and a good deal of the material relates to the South Minneapolis Chapter (1940, 1957-1969), the Minnesota Division (1946-1973), and the national IWLA (1955-1973).
The papers also document the League's and Franey's involvement in a number of conservation issues including the discontinuance of fox bounties, enactment of a ban on tagged fishing contests, the "Save Minnesota Wetlands" campaign, creation of the Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood Forest, preservation of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, and creation of the Voyageurs National Park. Correspondents related to these topics include Sigurd F. Olson, Orville Freeman, James W. Kimball, and Charles Horn.
These record are divided into the following two sections:
Records of the Izaak Walton League. Minnesota Division are in the Minnesota Historical Society manuscripts collections.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should
Accession numbers: 14,477; 14,607
Processed by: Frank P. Hennessy, July 1992
PALS number: 09-00027971
Included are reports to the national board of directors from the
executive director and various committees; minutes of national board of
directors meetings (1968-1987); budget statements (1968-1973); membership
reports (1964-1965, 1972); dues structure (1972, 1974); articles of
incorporation and bylaws (1971) and national directors policy (1972-1973); news
releases; various resolutions considered for adoption (1964-1965, 1969); and
announcements of league-sponsored activities. Also included are correspondence
and newspaper clippings related to the activities outlined above and issues of
the League's
The bulk of the material dates from 1969-1972 and consists of convention programs; reports of national officers and committees; addresses presented, including a talk delivered by Sigurd F. Olson (May 13, 1958); IWLA endowment minutes and officers' reports (1969); biographical sketches of panel members and national officers (1969-1970); copies of a daily convention newspaper titled Ham-O-Gram (1970); resolutions considered for adoption; and Edward Franey's correspondence concerning the election of national officers (1968, 1970, 1972, 1974).
The bulk of the material dates from 1963-1973. Included are state executive committee and board of directors minutes (1948, 1964-1973); financial statements (1957, 1968-1969); membership records (1959, 1964-1964); lists of local chapter and state officers; state officers and committee reports (1961, 1966, 1969, 1972-1973); texts of addresses given at Minnesota IWLA state conventions, including one presented by Minnesota governor Karl
Rolvaag (Sept. 25, 1964); resolutions considered at state conventions (1969-1973); and newspaper clippings covering various Minnesota IWLA conventions, programs, and awards.
Franey was chapter secretary until 1963 and the minutes he took at general membership and directors' meetings (1957-1958) comprise most of the material. Other administrative papers included are treasurer's reports (1957-1958); membership lists (1956-1957); and a corporate bank resolution (1958).
Issues of the monthly bulletin of the South Minneapolis Chapter,
The material describes the creation and development of the "Save Minnesota Wetlands" campaign. The material consists of correspondence, including letters from Charles Horn, chairman of the Minnesota Emergency Conservation Committee, objecting to the wetlands acquisition bill; the bylaws of Save Minnesota Wetlands, Inc.; its meeting announcements and minutes; fundraising reports; member list; IWLA resolutions (May 5, 1954 and Sept. 16, 1956); reports of the American Legion conservation committee related to the campaign (1955-1956); and newspaper and journal articles.
Papers describe the removal of fox bounties by individual counties and debate over various bounty bills submitted to the Minnesota Legislature. Included are a statistical breakdown of bounty payments on fox, timber wolf, brush wolf, and bobcats (1956); newspaper clippings and
correspondence related to the bounty issue; lists of state
legislators; and the roll call vote in the Minnesota House of Representatives
on the 1967 bounty bill. A tagged fishing derby sponsored by the American
Crystal Sugar Company was held from May 8 to June 30, 1958 and offered cash
prizes totaling $10,000. Papers related to the contest and the campaign carried
on by the South Minneapolis Chapter to end such contests include a resolution
passed by the chapter asking the state legislature to enact a ban on tagged
fish contests (July 4, 1958); issues of the
There is also a group of papers (1968) related to a Canada goose rearing project sponsored by the South Minneapolis Chapter.
The last group of papers consists primarily of newspaper clippings (1957-1959)ss related to the government reorganization bill and opposition to it by various conservation groups. Also included are a resolution opposing the bill, the text of the bill itself, correspondence, and a statement by George Selke explaining his support for the bill.
Contains material relevant to the development of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) and Voyageurs National Park. Included are correspondence and newspaper clippings (1947-1948) describing the campaign to pass a federal law stipulating the conservation of the roadless area of the Superior National Forest. Two letters from Sigurd Olson to Edward Franey (April 5, 1948 and Dec. 6, 1948) concerning the bill are included as well as a resolution adopted by the National IWLA urging the bill's passage. Articles and letters related to a ban on plane flights over the roadless area are included followed by material covering the controversy surrounding the reclassification of the area to wilderness area status (1964). Much of the material connected to reclassification describes a task force created by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Orville Freeman. A letter and telegram sent by him to the Minnesota Division of IWLA is included. A statement issued by the National IWLA in support of the reclassification and letters to Ed Franey from Paul Clement (Nov. 2, 1964, Dec. 1964, Sept. 1965) criticizing the Minnesota IWLA for its apparent lack of support are also included. A letter from Sigurd Olson responds to Edward Franey's objection to a letter written by President Eisenhower to Minnesota conservation groups. There is also a group of papers related to the controversy surrounding the sale of tax forfeited land near Voyageurs National Park in 1967.
A final group of papers contains correspondence (1967, 1970, 1972), news releases (1969, 1972), legal documents (1969, 1970), and newspaper clippings (1970-1971) related to a law suit filed by IWLA seeking a permanent injunction against any mineral exploration in the BWCA.
Edward Franey and the Minnesota IWLA were instrumental in the establishment of a state forest in southeastern Minnesota. Originally designated as the Minnesota Memorial Hardwood Forest, today it is called the Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood Forest. The papers consist of newspaper articles, photographs, administrative records, and correspondence that document Franey's, and the Minnesota IWLA's, activities related to the forest. Among the papers are records of contributions (1960-1961); photographs of Dorer and Franey (ca. 1960) and views of the forest; a fund raising brochure developed by Franey; a working paper prepared by the Minnesota Outdoor Recreation Resources Commission (June 1964); a resolution adopted by the Minnesota Division of IWLA (1964) and correspondence focusing on the speed at which the state was administering the forest land acquisition program; land acquisition reports (1964-1965); and a group of papers (1986) related to the forest's 25th anniversary including a copy of the WCCO Radio Good Neighbor Award presented to Edward Franey and Willis Kruger for their involvement with the forest (April 12, 1986).
Voigt was writing a history of the IWLA and the correspondence consists primarily of reminiscences of people and events connected with the League.
Franey was a member of the Minnesota Governor's Conservation Advisory Committee and these papers relate to his term. Included are Franey's appointment to the committee by Governor Luther Youngdahl; a photograph of the committee (Oct. 2, 1947); a list of committee members (Jan. 15, 1951); letters and newspaper articles related to the committee's position regarding the 1947 duck and geese hunting season and the criticism it received from Charles Horn, chairman of the Minnesota Emergency Conservation Committee; notes, newspaper articles, and reports relevant to the committee's 1948 report to the governor; and letters and articles dealing with the proposed transfer of federal wildlife refuges to the state of Minnesota.
Edward Franey was one of the original members of the radio panel show, "Sportsmen's Roundtable," which began in 1947 and broadcast on Station WLOL. In 1956 the show moved to WTCN Television and shortly thereafter changed its title to "Minnesota Outdoors." Scripts from both the radio and television show are included (1947-1957). Photographs of the show's panel members including one of Edward Franey receiving the 1956 WTCN TV Outdoor Award are also included.
In 1983 the Minnesota division of IWLA established the Ed Franey Outdoor Writer Award. Correspondence, articles, and photographs related to the 1983-1985 recipients of the award, Ken Hickman, Sam Cook, and Dan Rebufonni, are included. There are also articles announcing the presentation of the Minnesota Division of IWLA Distinguished Conservation Award to Edward Franey in February, 1963.
Photographs: Approximately 55 photographs, including the Franey
family, the South Minneapolis Chapter of IWLA and its 1957 fishing derby,
Richard Dorer, the Whitewater Wildlife Management Area, staff at the
Includes papers and correspondence relating to Franey's membership in the Outdoor Writers Association of America (OWAA), the Twin City Newspaper Guild's annual Gridiron Dinner, and Franey's career at the Minneapolis Daily Times and Minneapolis Tribune.
Consists primarily of articles written by Franey while he was an
outdoor writer for the