Charles E. Hall, 1861-1941 [RG1046.AM]

HISTORY NEBRASKA MANUSCRIPT FINDING AID



RG1046.AM:  Charles E. Hall, 1861-1941



Papers:  1879, 1925-1930

Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska: Telephone company executive

Size:  One folder



BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE



Born September 26, 1861 in St. Joseph County, Michigan, Charles E. Hall moved with his parents to Iowa when he was two years old. In 1872 he returned to Michigan with his mother, where he attended school and worked until 1882. Hall became interested in working as a telegraph operator. In 1882 he returned to Iowa where he taught school and studied more about the telegraph business. His interest shifted to the relatively new telephone industry, and Hall took a job with the Iowa Telephone and Telegraph Company.



Over the next several years, Hall worked as a lineman, groundman, installer and as manager of several exchanges. When the Iowa Telephone Company consolidated with the Nebraska Telephone Company and the Northwestern Telephone Exchange Company, Hall became the assistant general commercial superintendent of the newly formed Northwestern Group of Bell Companies. On August 1, 1911, he moved his headquarters to Omaha, Nebraska, where he would eventually become their vice president and general manager.



The companies were reorganized in 1921 and became the Northwestern Bell Telephone Company. Hall became their tax commissioner and later, in 1924, served as secretary of the company. He retired from the company in 1930 and moved to California. Charles E. Hall died in Los Angeles, California, on February 16, 1941.



SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE



The collection consists of one folder containing articles, 1925-1927, by Charles E. Hall on the history of the telephone, including one on Louis H. Korty, “the telephone pioneer of Nebraska.” Photocopies of letters to Korty, 1879, establishing Omaha’s first telephone exchange and a biographical sketch, 1930, of Hall are included.



INVENTORY



Item




    1. Letters (3) to Louis H. Korty, 1879 (copies only)

    1. Hall, Charles E., “Half a Century With the Telephone,” Telephony: The American Telephone Journal, vol. 88, no. 22, May 30, 1925

    1. Hall, Charles E., “Fifty Years of Telephone History and the Story of Telephone Pioneering in Nebraska,” 1926, 11 page typescript

    1. Hall, Charles E., “Fifty Years of Telephone History,” Telephony: The American Telephone Journal, vol. 91, no. 5, pp. 16-19.

    1. Hall, Charles E., “Louis H. Korty, the Telphone Pioneer of Nebraska and the West,” Telephony: The American Telephone Journal, September 1926, pp. 4-5.

    1. “Telephone Builder, Historian: Charles E. Hall, Secretary of Company, Retires,” The Northwestern Bell, July, 1930, p. 14.



 



Subject headings:



Douglas County (Nebraska)

Hall, Charles E., 1861-1941

Korty, Louis H., 1848-1921

Northwestern Bell Telephone Company (Omaha, Nebraska)

Omaha (Nebraska)

Telephone — History

Telephone — Nebraska



 



Revised TMM        10-07-2009; 01-17-2017

Become a Member!

Our members make history happen.

Join Now

You May Also Enjoy

The Story of Omaha Police Fingerprint Expert Emily Byram

The Story of Omaha Police Fingerprint Expert Emily Byram

Marker Monday: Cather Childhood Home

Marker Monday: Cather Childhood Home

Yutan Tornado – March 23, 1913

Yutan Tornado – March 23, 1913

About History Nebraska
History Nebraska was founded in 1878 as the Nebraska State Historical Society by citizens who recognized Nebraska was going through great changes and they sought to record the stories of both indigenous and immigrant peoples. It was designated a state institution and began receiving funds from the legislature in 1883. Legislation in 1994 changed History Nebraska from a state institution to a state agency. The division is headed by Interim Director and CEO Jill Dolberg. They are assisted by an administrative staff responsible for financial and personnel functions, museum store services, security, and facilities maintenance for History Nebraska.
Explore Nebraska
Discover the real places and people of our past at these History Nebraska sites.

Upcoming Events

View our new and upcoming events to see how you can get involved.

Become a Member

The work we do to discover, preserve, and share Nebraska's history wouldn't be possible without the support of History Nebraska members.

Latest Hall of Fame Inductee

The Nebraska Hall of Fame was established in 1961 to officially recognize prominent Nebraskans.

Listen to our Podcast

Listen to the articles and authors published in the Nebraska History Magazine with our new Nebraska History Podcast.

Nebraska Collections

History Nebraska's mission is to collect, preserve, and open our shared history to all Nebraskans.

Our YouTube Video Collection

Get a closer look at Nebraska's history through your own eyes, with our extensive video collections.

Additional Research Resources

History Nebraska Research and Reference Services help connect you to the material we collect and preserve.

Support History Nebraska
Make a cash donation to help us acquire, preserve, and interpret Nebraska’s history. Gifts to History Nebraska help leave a legacy and may help your taxes, too! Support the work of History Nebraska by donating to the History Nebraska Foundation today.

Volunteers are the heroes of History Nebraska. So much history, so little time! Your work helps us share access to Nebraska’s stories at our museums and sites, the reference room, and online.