Bass, David R. (1904-1994) Papers, 1930-1982

Held by The Filson Historical Society 

Creator:  Bass, David R., 1904-1994 

Title:  Papers, 1930-1982 

Rights: For information regarding literary and copyright interest for these papers, contact the Collections Department. 

Size of Collection:  0.33 cubic feet 

Location Number:  Mss. A B317 

Scope and Content Note 

The collection documents the business and civic life of David R. Bass, the president of Louisville Wholesale Liquor Company in the 1930s-1970s and an active member of Masonic organizations and the Jewish community of Louisville, Ky. In addition to newspaper clippings, certificates, and other papers relating to Bass, materials provide information about the Louisville Wholesale Liquor Company and the distribution and marketing of liquor in Kentucky.   

Folders 1-2 contain newspaper and trade magazine clippings about the Louisville Wholesale Liquor Company, some of its employees, and its relationship to Glenmore Distilleries Company from 1930-1976. Of note is a 1935 label for “Old Mose” whiskey, featuring a racist image, and undated labels for Bass’ bourbon whiskey. Also included are documents relating to David Bass’s pharmaceutical background, such as a National Prohibition Act prescription note from 1930, filled out by Bass Drug Company, and a 1969 pharmacist’s renewal license.  

Folders 3-4 consist of newspaper clippings and certificates relating to Bass’s membership and leadership in Masonic organizations in Louisville from 1952-1972, including Shawnee Lodge #830, the Kosair Temple of the Shriners, the Scottish Rite, and the High Twelve. Newspaper and magazine articles also document Bass’s work with the Kosair Crippled Children Hospital fund drive and the SUCCESS program for physically handicapped youth in the 1960s.   

Folders 5-6 consist of papers relating to Bass’s civic and Jewish community involvement. Certificates from 1942-1972 include ones recognizing his membership in Optimist International and his Kentucky Colonel commission. Papers provide information about Bass’s appointment to a 1962 committee to try to save the Louisville Colonels baseball team, and his work with the state Democrat Party in the 1960s. Newspaper clippings and certificates document Bass’s chairmanship of the United Jewish Campaign in Louisville in 1960-1962, his contributions to Keneseth Israel Congregation, and his membership in B’nai B’rith Lodge No. 14.  

Folder 7 contains a small number of miscellaneous personal papers, including a 1955 obituary for David’s mother Sara H. Bass and a 1972 program for Bass’s 50th Male High School reunion.   

Separation Note  

Photographs that were included with the David R. Bass manuscript materials in scrapbooks were separated and cataloged as the David R. Bass photograph collection (020PC3). 

Biographical Note 

David R. Bass was born in 1904 in Louisville, the son of Russian Jewish immigrants Meyer and Sara Bass. He graduated from Louisville Male High School and the University of Kentucky and became a registered pharmacist, working at R. C. English Drug Company and then the Bass Drug Company. After the end of Prohibition in 1933, Bass became president of the Louisville Wholesale Liquor Company, and his wife Yetta (Rosenthal) Bass was secretary and treasurer. The company, originally located at 114 W. Walnut Street, moved to 1018 W. Main in 1938 and then to 1703 S. Brook in 1958. David Bass officially retired in 1976, with his sons-in-law Charles Leifer (husband of Beverly) and Frances Wolff (husband of Betty) operating the company.  

Bass was active in the Masons and in the Jewish community of Louisville. He became a member of Shawnee Lodge No. 830 in the 1930s. He was elected an Oriental Guide in 1962, a Potentate of the Kosair Temple in 1964, a Knight Commander of the Scottish Rite Temple in 1967, and a member of the Downtown Louisville High Twelve in 1971. He served as a member of the Jewish Consumptive Relief Society of Denver and as a board member of Adath Jeshurun Congregation.   

Folder List 

Box 1  

Folder 1: Louisville Wholesale Liquor Co., 1930-1976  

Folder 2: Glendale Distilleries Co. and the Kentucky Liquor Industry, 1935-1975  

Folder 3: Shawnee Lodge, the Scottish Rite, and High Twelve International, 1937-1981  

Folder 4: Kosair Temple and Kosair Charities, 1952-1972  

Folder 5: Certificates and Civic Involvement, 1942-1972  

Folder 6: Jewish Community Involvement, 1960-1972  

Folder 7: Miscellaneous Personal Papers, undated, 1952-1981