This collection contains items collected by Herman Kleiner, dating from 1942 to 1944 (and one item from 1992). The contents include mostly newspaper articles and reports, but also includes correspondence about Japanese American students. Most the items relate to Japanese Americans in or from the Pacific Northwest.

Herman Kleiner was born in Tacoma, Washington on August 24, 1921. His parents were Moritz “Morris” and Pauline Kleiner, who were originally from Tarnopol (a city formerly under Austrian control, then Polish, now currently in Ukraine) and Canada, respectively. Pauline was Jewish. He had two younger siblings, and the family continued to live in Washington. Herman’s parents eventually became naturalized citizens. After attending College of Puget Sound and serving in the Air Force during World War II, he went into business with his father at the Model Lumber Company in Tacoma. Model Lumber closed in 1986.

2 folders

All requests for permission to publish, reproduce, or quote from materials in this collection must be submitted to the Collections Management and Access Unit at the Japanese American National Museum (collections@janm.org).

By appointment only. Please contact the Collections Management and Access Unit (collections@janm.org). Advanced notice is required.