Overview
The papers of Harry R. Tosdal contain correspondence, administrative materials and research materials while a professor at Harvard Business School.
Dates
- Creation: 1921-1945
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research. Materials stored offsite; access requires advance notice. HBS Archives collections require a secondary registration form, please contact specialcollectionsref@hbs.edu for more information.
Extent
8.25 linear feet (10 boxes)The papers of Harry R. Tosdal contain correspondence, administrative records, and research materials and is divided into two series. The first series consists of administrative material related to Tosdal's role as the Director of Student Research at Harvared Business School. The second series contains advertising books, presentations, and sales documentation for products and services of companies gathered by Tosdal.
Biographical Note:
Harry R. Tosdal was born in Estherville, Iowa in August 1889. He received his BA from St. Olaf’s College in 1909. He then studied abroad at universities in Leipzig, Berlin and Paris. He eventually earned a Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1915. He received an L.L.D.from St. Olaf’s in 1940.
Before joining Harvard Business School, Tosdal taught at MIT, Harvard University and Boston University. In 1920, he came to Harvard Business School as Director of Student Research and Assistant Professor of Marketing. He became Professor of Marketing in 1922 and Professor of Business Administration after 1942. Tosdal was also the first editor of the Harvard Business Review. He retired from the Business School in 1956. After retiring, he taught in the Advanced Management Program at the University of Hawaii and the Institut pour de Etude des Methodes de Direction de l’Enterprise (IMEDE) in Lausanne, Switzerland.
He was the author of many articles and books, including Selling in Our Economy (1957) and Introduction to Sales Management (1933).
Tosdal served as a consultant to numerous corporations and organizations, such as General Electric, Gulf Oil, McGraw-Hill, Boston (MA) Chamber of Commerce, Cambridge (MA) Chamber of Commerce, and the U.S. Salary Stabilization Board. He also belonged to several professional societies, including the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Association of Marketing Teachers.
He died on April 4, 1978 in Belmont, MA.
Series Outline
The collection is arranged in the following series:
- Series I. Administrative material, 1921
- Series II. Sales presentation research, circa 1935-1945
Physical Location
ARCFA
Processing Information
Processed: May 2000
By: Sean Perrone
Processsing Note:
The advertising materials were added to the student research papers in May 2000.
Creator
- Title
- Tosdal, Harry R. (Harry Rudolph), 1889-1978. Harry R. Tosdal Papers, 1921-1945: A Finding Aid
- Author
- Baker Library
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- bak00144
Repository Details
Part of the Baker Library Special Collections and Archives, Harvard Business School Repository
Baker Library Special Collections and Archives holds unique resources that focus on the evolution of business and industry, as well as the records of the Harvard Business School, documenting the institution's development over the last century. These rich and varied collections support research in a diverse range of fields such as business, economic, social and cultural history as well as the history of science and technology.
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