Arthur Joseph O'Keefe (1876-1943), a native of New Orleans, served as the city's mayor from 1926-1930. Before entering politics, O'Keefe operated a coffee and tea importing business and served as a director of other local firms. He was a member of the Choctaw Club, the city's Democratic machine, and in 1925 was elected Commissioner of Finance in Martin Behrman's last administration. When Behrman died early in 1926, the Commission Council elected O'Keefe acting mayor. He later won the special election to fill Behrman's unexpired term.

His term witnessed construction of the Watson-Williams bridge [also know as the Maestri bridge or the Highway 11 bridge] over Lake Ponchartrain and the beginning of the Municipal Auditorium construction project. O'Keefe opposed efforts, supported by Huey P. Long, to build free bridges at the Rigolets and Chef Menteur pass and to pipe cheap natural gas into the Crescent City. On July 15, 1929, O'Keefe took a leave of absence from his office (T. Semmes Walmsley became acting Mayor) and formally resigned the position on February 14, 1930.

The records include files that survived intact as well as "fragments" that were filed elsewhere in the City Archives. Most of the records are in the form of incoming letters to the mayor; their arrangement in alphabetical by name of correspondent (corporate or individual). Where only one or two items exist for a given correspondent, those items are filed in alphabetical miscellaneous folders. Intact subject files were kept together and some attempt was also made to reconstruct other subject files using filing notes written on the documents [the attempt, unfortunately, was not consistent].

Much of the material is "ceremonial" (i.e., letters of introduction/greetings, letters of appointment, etc.) but there are documents of more significance, especially in the files for city of New Orleans government agencies. The New Orleans Police Department files include scattered reports on investigations of houses of prostitution, fortune-telling, and other "nuisances" of the day. The Orleans Levee District, Board of Commissioners files include details of the Board's purchase of land for the Bohemia Spillway. In addition to records relating to agencies of the city, parish, state, and national governments, there are also materials dealing with local individuals, institutions, and businesses. Several black organizations are among those represented in the records (for example, the file on the Peoples' Methodist Episcopal Church contains a flier, with photographs, describing the activities of the Peoples' Community Center).

Box 1

"A" miscellaneous

Air Mail Service

Airport

American National Red Cross

Anonymous

Archdiocesan Union of Holy Name Societies

Armstrong, Adam [Mayor of Winnepeg Beach, Canada]

Assessors, Board of

Auditorium (Municipal)

Audubon Park Commission

"B" miscellaneous

Bayou St. John Residents' Conference

Bender, W.S.

Biloxi, Mississippi

Bloomenstiel, Alex [Mayor of Donaldsonville, Louisiana]

Bond Issue

1926

Public Belt Railroad

Brewster, Ralph O. [Governor of Maine]

Bridges (Chef Menteur and Rigolets)

Brotherhood of Railway and Steamship Clerks

"C" miscellaneous

Camp Street Independent Association

Canal Bank & Trust Co.

Carrollton Business Men's Association

Charity Hospital

Chatters, Aaron

Chicago Flood Control Commission

City Archives

City Attorney

City Council

City Electrician

City Hospital for Mental Diseases

City Park

City Planning and Zoning Commission

Civil Service Commission, City of New Orleans

Community Chest

Congratulations, 1926

January

February-May

Coolidge, President Calvin [copy of letter from Mayor only]

Cuba

Box 2

"D" miscellaneous

Dever, William E. [Mayor of Chicago, Illinois]

District Attorney's Office, Parish of Orleans

Dominican Republic, Consul General

Dryades Street Improvement Association

"E" miscellaneous

Edgewood Cooperative Improvement Association

Elks

"F" miscellaneous

Factories Inspector

Fourteenth Ward Civic League

Fourth and Fifth Wards Civic Improvement Association

France, Consul General

Fuqua, Governor Henry L.

"G" miscellaneous

Garden District Protective Association

Geary, Harry [Mayor of Lake Charles, Louisiana]

Gentilly Garden and Terrace Improvement Association

Girl Scouts

Great Britain, Consul General

Greater New Orleans Poultry Association

"H" miscellaneous

Hammill, John [Governor of Iowa]

Hart, W.O.

Hartvig, William [Mayor of Hallock, Minnesota]

Hibernia Bank & Trust Co.

Hoan, Daniel W. [Mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin]

Hodgson, Larry [Mayor of St. Paul, Minnesota]

Holcombe, Oscar [Mayor of Houston, Texas]

House of Detention

Hunter, Fred H. [Mayor of Des Moines, Iowa]

"I" miscellaneous

Illinois Central Railroad

Interdenominational Ministers' Alliance

Isaac Delgado Central Trades School

Italy, Consul General

Item-Tribune

"J" miscellaneous

Jefferson Highway Association

Juvenile Court, Parish of Orleans

"K" miscellaneous

Kennedy, John [Mayor of Biloxi, Mississippi]

Knights of Columbus

"L" miscellaneous

Lafaye, E.E.

Lakeview Civic Improvement Association

LaSalle, Edward [Mayor of New Iberia, Louisiana]

Laundry and Dry Cleaning Services, Inc.

Leach, George E. [Mayor of Minneapolis, Minnesota]

Legal Matters

Louisiana Attorney General

Box 3

Louisiana Commission for the Blind

Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Immigration

Louisiana Department of Conservation

Louisiana Department of State

Louisiana Development Association

Louisiana Highway Commission

Louisiana Historical Society

Louisiana Library Commission

Louisiana Municipal Association

Louisiana Public Service Commission

Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children

Louisiana State Board of Health

Louisiana State Fair

Louisiana State University

Louisiana Weekly

Loyola University

"M" miscellaneous

McElroy, H.F. [City Manager of Kansas City, Missouri]

Males, Herbert [Mayor of Evansville, Indiana]

Marine Bank & Trust Co.

Martin Behrman Memorial Playground Commission

Masonic Orders

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Mexico, Consul General

Miller, Victor S. [Mayor of St. Louis, Missouri]

Miscellaneous

Mississippi River Bridge

Mississippi River Commission

Mississippi River Flood Control Association

Moose, Order of

Morgan's Louisiana and Texas Railroad and Steamship Co.

"N" miscellaneous

National Congress of Mothers and Parent-Teacher Associations

National Farm School Conference

National Rivers and Harbors Congress

New Orleans Association of Commerce

1925

1926 (January-June)

1926 (July-December)

1928, no date

New Orleans Baseball and Amusement Co.

New Orleans Board of Health

New Orleans Board of Trade

New Orleans Civic Opera Association

Box 4

New Orleans Colored Hospital Association

New Orleans Convention and Publicity Bureau

New Orleans Fire Department

New Orleans Permanent International Trade Exhibition

New Orleans Police Department, 1926

January-March

April-June

July-September

October-December

New Orleans Public Belt Railroad

New Orleans Public Library

New Orleans Public Service, Inc.

New Orleans States

New York City [various officials]

Nichols, Malcolm E. [Mayor of Boston, Massachusetts]

Night Recorder's Court

No Name Luncheon Club

"O" miscellaneous

Oak Street Improvement League

O'Connor, Congressman James J.

Orleans Levee District, Board of Commissioners, 1926

February-April

May-July

August-September

Box 5

October-December

Orleans Parish Criminal Sheriff

Overton, Watkins [Mayor of Memphis, Tennessee]

"P" miscellaneous

Palm-to-Pines Tour

Parker, Walter

Parking Commission of New Orleans

People's Methodist Episcopal Church

Petitions

Playground Community Service Commission

Police Band

Pontalba Building

Port of New Orleans, Board of Commissioners

Porter, H.J.

Prichard, W.W. [Mayor of Thief River Falls, Minnesota]

Prisons and Asylums, Board of Commissioners

Proclamations

Public Finance, Department of

Public Property, Department of, 1926

January-March [also includes December, 1925]

April-May

June-July

August-October

November-December

Public Safety, Department of

Public Schools

Box 6

Public Utilities, Department of

"R" miscellaneous

Ransdell, Sen. Joseph S.

Reed, James A. [Senator from Missouri]

Retail Grocers Association of New Orleans

Registrar of Voters, Orleans Parish

Rollke, William [Mayor of Bethany, Missouri]

Rolph, James [Mayor of San Francisco, California]

"S" miscellaneous

Saenger Theatres, Inc.

St. Tammany Chamber of Commerce

Schwab, Frank X. [Mayor of Buffalo, New York]

Schwarz, Leon [Mayor of Mobile, Alabama]

Second Recorder's Court

Sewerage and Water Board

Shwartz, S.J.

Simpson, Lieutenant Governor O.H.

Sixteenth Ward Civic League

Smith, Alfred E. [Governor of New York (copies of telegrams from

Mayor O'Keefe only)]

South Louisiana Fair Association

Southern Association, Amateur Athletic Union

Southern Pine Association

Southern Railway System

Spearing, Congressman J. Zach

State Tax Collector

State-Times (Baton Rouge)

Sullivan, W.H. [Mayor of Bogalusa, Louisiana]

"T" miscellaneous

Thomas, L.E. [Mayor of Shreveport, Louisiana]

Times-Picayune

Traffic Club of New Orleans

Tulane University

"U" miscellaneous

Union Indemnity Co.

United Fruit Co.

United States Customs Service

United States Department of Agriculture

United States Department of Commerce

United States Department of Labor

United States Marine Corps

United States Navy

United States Post Office

United States Shipping Board

United States Treasury Department

United States Veterans Bureau

University of Missouri

"V" miscellaneous

Veterans of Foreign Wars

Vieux Carre Association

"W" miscellaneous

Walker, James J. [Mayor of New York City--copies of communications from

Mayor O'Keefe only]

Wall, Perry [Mayor of Tampa, Florida]

Warrington House, Inc.

Webb, Ralph [Mayor of Winnepeg, Canada]

Webster Street Commission

Western Union Telegraph Co.

Whitfield, B. [Mayor of Picayune, Mississippi]

Woodrow Wilson's Birthday Commemoration Committee

"XYZ" miscellaneous

Young Men's Business Club

Young Men's Gymnastic Club