User:Sawyer Coffey/sandbox/Kentucky Chamber of Commerce

Kentucky Chamber of Commerce

The Kentucky Chamber of Commerce is a business-oriented advocacy group, lobbying for the progress of Kentucky businesses. It is a non-partisan organization, and is not affiliated with federal, state or local governments. The Kentucky Chamber is the state’s largest business organization in spends more money than any other lobbying organization statewide on a yearly basis [Source: Lexington Herald-Leader].

'''History '''1927-1930 According to a newspaper article in the Louisville Herald-Post, an organization known as the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce was formed in 1927. The article states: “The necessity of keeping the organization out of politics was stressed by speakers of the meeting. Support of the movement to make a national park of Mammoth Cave was urged by P.W. Holmes of Glasgow.” In addition to supporting the Mammoth Cave movement, the early state chamber was also instrumental in supporting the coal industry.

“A letter thanking Judge Jay W. Harlan, executive director of the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, for proposed co-operation with the railroads and coal operators of Kentucky in their lake cargo freight rate fight with the Interstate Commerce Commission was received Monday from R.C. Tway, a coal operator member of the general committee.” [Courier Journal, Sept, 13, 1927]

On July 10, 1927, the Louisville Courier-Journal reported that the Kentucky Chamber had established temporary offices in the Starks Building in Louisville, and that Jay W. Harlan was the executive director of the organization. In 1928, the Kentucky General Assembly passed an act creating the Kentucky Progress Commission, which then took the place of the state chamber of commerce [kyhistory.com].

A Nov. 23, 1929 Danville Advocate article about Jay W. Harlan’s bid for congress cited Harlan as the driving force behind the state chamber and Progress Commission: “It was due to his efforts principally that the State Chamber of Commerce was organized, and from which grew the Kentucky Progress Commission. The latter is a State-aided institution to advertise and develop the resources of Kentucky.”

1946-50 The Kentucky Chamber of Commerce as it exists today, was founded in 1946. Following World War II, the Governor’s Postwar Advisory Planning Commission recommended that a state chamber of commerce be formed “to give widespread publicity to the state’s resources, natural attractions and opportunities.” [The Courier Journal, Dec. 16, 1945]

“The commission recommends the establishment of an effective, privately sponsored state chamber of commerce to be in operation by January 1, 1946. It is the logical instrument through which to utilize the factual data to promote the state’s economic interests.” Articles of Incorporation and by-laws of the Kentucky Chamber were adopted in May 1946.

“New articles of incorporation and new by-laws were adopted by the directors who selected Lexington as headquarters and appointed Robert E. Featherston, from 21 applicants, to be secretary. The Chamber of Commerce Board will include not less than 25 or more than 40 Kentuckians.” [Courier Journal, May 26, 1946]

In July 1946, Featherston and research director George Hubley traveled to Indiana to study the then 7-year-old Indiana Chamber of Commerce.

“Such visits as the one today will, they hope, give them the benefit of other states’ success. They agreed the top objective now for the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, Inc., is that of speeding a sound movement of industry to the state in order to create a balanced economy and provide jobs and cash income for Kentuckians.” [Courier Journal, July 10, 1946]

In the early days of the Kentucky Chamber, the organization functioned less as an advocacy organization and more as an economic development entity. In 1947 it published a booklet aimed at attracting business and industries to Kentucky. “Entitled “Kentucky On the Next Frontier,” the brochure is designed to attract “outside” industry to the state. Of 4,000 copies printed, the Chamber of Commerce is distributing 1,500 to leading national concerns.” [Courier Journal, March 9, 1947]

However, one of the first advocacy-based actions the Kentucky Chamber took was in 1947 when “The Kentucky Chamber of Commerce asked permission to enter the Civil Aeronautics Board-Southeastern States case in a petition filed in Washington with the CAB.” “The case ‘constitutes discrimination against Kentucky industries and commercial areas,’ the petition signed by Chamber secretary Louis Quinn said. ... More air transportation is essential to Kentucky commerce, the petition stated.” [The Courier Journal, May 6, 1947].

Later that year, the Chamber also urged the state to repeal the inheritance tax and “reduce tax on intangibles from 50 cents to 10 cents per $100 valuation.” [Courier Journal, July 11, 1947] In 1947, the Chamber formed a public-relations committee that was comprised of advertising, newspaper and radio executives and tasked with improving the image of Kentucky’s resources. Fred Wilkie, then vice president of the Kentucky Chamber, was quoted as saying “Kentucky has everything a state could ask for, but most people don’t realize it and don’t take advantage of it.” [Courier Journal, Sept. 14, 1947] By January 1948, the Kentucky Chamber was recruiting at least one new industry a month to the state. Secretary Louis Quinn told Kiwanis Club members that the Chamber also hoped to improve tourism in the state by “improving attractions, providing better sleeping and eating facilities and conducting more extensive tourist promotion.” [Courier Journal, January 22, 1948]

In March of 1948, Kentucky Governor Earle Clements lauded the success of the young chamber. “He has … accorded it to a high degree of implementation, holding that the Chamber, privately organized and privately financed by Kentucky business and industry, in less than two years of existence has proved to be of tremendous worth and influence.” [Courier Journal, March 7, 1948].

Chamber President Earl Muir in April 1948 took offense at Massachusetts Lt. Governor Arthur Coolidge’s comments on Kentucky, Mississippi and Louisiana “kidnapping” Massachusetts’ textile industry. Muir made the news by inviting Coolidge to Kentucky to “learn how Chambers of Commerce of Kentucky outdo Yankee traders.” Muir pointed at the Chamber’s success over the first two years since its inception: “The 120 new industries offering 18,300 jobs that came to Kentucky during the first two years’ operation of the state Chamber of Commerce like it and are here to stay.” [Courier Journal, April 14, 1948]

At the Chamber’s first annual convention on April 22, 1948, B.J. Lenihan was elected by the board of directors to succeed Earl Muir as Chamber president. Gov. Clements and Earl Shreve, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, spoke at the event. One of the topics of discussion was minimum wage.

“’There already is increasing demand for higher minimum wages,’ Shreve said. “Business must make certain that any hike in the statutory 40-cent-an-hour minimum is accompanied by such important revisions as curbing the power of wage-hour administrator, elimination of over-time-on-overtime and the like. It is up to business to see that lawmakers fully learn the needs of business equally as well as they learn the demands of labor.” [Courier Journal, April 23, 1948]

Four days after the annual convention, Chamber staff and board members traveled to Washington D.C. to host a dinner for Kentucky’s congressional delegation. The event was referred to as “the climax of a series of activities marking the Chamber of Commerce Week proclaimed by Kentucky’s Governor Earle C. Clements.” [Courier Journal, April 27, 1948]

In May of 1948, the chamber began a campaign aimed at urging a cut on federal taxes and spending. In a letter to 2,500 Kentuckians, Chamber president Lenihan asked for united action “to restore balance and sanity in the nation’s fiscal affairs. … We’re sending to Capitol Hill nearly eight times the money being spent by our State Administration in Frankfort.” [Courier Journal, May 18, 1948] The Courier Journal’s editorial board criticized this move saying “It is to be hoped, however, that they will not pipe most of the energies of the organization into that channel. It is a perfectly respectable effort, but it has a negative quality about it which has long haunted the activities of almost all business groups.” [Courier Journal, May 20, 1948].

Location The Kentucky Chamber of Commerce was originally supposed to be located in Lexington, Ky. [Courier Journal, May 26, 1946]. Due to lack of office space in Lexington, however, it found offices in Louisville. It stayed there until 1973, when it moved to Frankfort, Ky., for easier access to the state capitol. Chamber headquarters are now located off of Interstate 64, and the Chamber sometimes refers to itself as “the front door to Frankfort.” [KY GAZETTE SPECIAL SECTION].