Stephen S. Wise family papers

This collection concerns Stephen Wise's personal relationships with his family; in particular, the relatives of his wife's family. The major part of this collection details his relationships with two women, his cousins, Gertrude Bock Hauser and Rosemary Krensky. This collection was arranged and annotated by Rosemary Krensky, and, except for a few minor changes, was left in its original order. About a dozen letters written by Rosemary Krensky to Stephen Wise were found in Gertrude Hauser's possession, and these were integrated into the Krensky-Wise series rather than kept separate in order to give a more complete view of the exchange of letters between the two individuals.

Gertrude Bock Hauser was Louise Wise's second cousin, however they were very close. Gertrude's mother, to whom Louise was very attached, died at an early age, and Louise became a surrogate mother to Gertrude and her three sisters. When Gertrude became an adult and married Paul Hauser, she took over the money management of the Wises' affairs, for Stephen Wise was a notorious spendthrift with a casual attitude toward such matters. Much of their correspondence in this collection touches on money and the Wises' lack of it. it also gives a vivid portrayal of Stephen Wise's close involvement with his family.

Rosemary Ehrenreich Krensky was a niece to Gertrude Hauser and third cousin to Louise Wise. After she married Milton Krensky she became involved in the Chicago Women's division of the American Jewish Congress and many letters in this collection deal with this topic between her and the Wises. These letters provide valuable insight into Stephen Wise's involvement into the American Jewish Congress.