Joint Legislative Committee to Investigate Seditious Activities (Lusk Committee)
Records, ca. 1917–21, ca. 20–25 cu. ft. Official state body created to investigate seditious activity within New York State after World War I and during the Red Scare. The Committee interpreted its mandate broadly and investigated a large number of "leftist" organizations, many of which pertained to Russia, Bolshevism, communism, etc. Perhaps 50% of the materials—office files, reports, pamphlets, and publications—relate to the USSR. Many are photostats in poor condition. Subjects covered include: the Communist Party of America, Russian Soviet Bureau, Bolshevists, Union of Russian Workers, All-Russian Zemsky Union, Russian Information Bureau, the Russian Revolution, the Russian revolutionary movement in the U.S., the Communist Labor Party, Soviet-American relations, Finnish Information Bureau, Leon Trotskii, and radical publications. Unpublished inventory of boxes by subject listing, broken down to folder heading level. Contact the Section for detailed information on specific subjects. (Accession #281)
Russian Insurance Companies
Records of ca. 9 Russian insurance firms that established branches in the New York area in order to carry on business in North and South America, ca. 1899?-1926, undetermined amount. The following companies established branches in New York City (unless otherwise noted), on the dates indicated, and terminated business in the manner and on the dates stated: First Russian Insurance Company, founded in 1827, of Petrograd, admitted 13 February 1907, U.S. branch placed in liquidation by Insurance Department of N.Y. State in 1925; Insurance Company of Salamandra of Petrograd, admitted 30 December 1899, reinsured all outstanding liabilities with Reinsurance Company of Salamandra (U.S. branch) of Copenhagen, Denmark, on 30 September 1919; Jakor Insurance Company of Moscow, admitted 20 June 1908, reinsured by Anchor Insurance Company of New York and withdrew 10 February 1922; Moscow Fire Insurance Company of Moscow, admitted 29 December 1899, U.S. branch in liquidation by Insurance Department in 1925; Northern Insurance Company of Moscow, admitted 24 November 1911, U.S. branch liquidated in 1926; Russia Insurance Company (U.S. branch—Hartford, Connecticut), admitted 5 February 1904, business transferred to Russia Insurance Company of America 1 April 1919; Russian Reinsurance Company of Petrograd, admitted 6 March 1907, U.S. branch in liquidation by Insurance Department in 1925; St. Petersburg Insurance Company of Petersburg, admitted 2 February 1900, withdrew 23 April 1901; and Second Russian Insurance Company of Petrograd, admitted 10 December 1913, U.S. branch in liquidation by Insurance Department in 1925. The records of State Insurance Department are in the custody of the state archives but maintained in a storage facility physically distant from the Archives. Though specific holdings could not be ascertained, the archives staff has indicated that Russian-related items should appear in the following series: Reinsurance Schedules. New York and other states and foreign fire insurance companies, 1885–98, 1906, 15 vols.; Annual Statements. Life, casualty, credit and title guarantee companies, companies doing new business, receivers. New York and other states and countries. 1859–1915 [without 1861], 57 vols.; Annual statements of life insurance companies of other states and countries. 1906–15. 20 vols.; Annual Statements. Casualty, credit, title and mortgage guarantee companies, mutual compensation companies, New York and other states and countries. 1905–15. 25 vols.; Annual Statements. Mutual fire insurance companies of the State of New York and of fire and life insurance companies of foreign countries. 1870. 1 vol.; Annual Home Statements. U.S. branches. Foreign fire, life, marine, casualty, credit insurance companies. 1871–1915. 49 vols.; Annual Home Office Statements. Foreign insurance companies. 1900–15. 10 vols.; Annual Statements. Foreign fire, N.Y. marine, marine insurance companies of other states and countries. 1868. 1 vol.; and Capital Statements. Foreign fire insurance companies. 1887. 1 vol. The records are bound (mostly), handwritten, legible, and have finding aids for the various series. Individual volumes but not series are indexed. Prior notice from researchers concerning their needs requested. (Accession #15)
