Arthur F. Brandstatter papers

Record Group

Identifier: UA-17.217

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Arthur F. Brandstatter papers contain materials relating to Brandstatter's career in Criminal Justice.

The first series, Surveys and Reports, spans the years 1967-1982, and contains numerous reports and studies he conducted on police programs, procedures, and departments. This series is arranged alphabetically by title.

The second series, Notebooks, 1948-1977, consists of writings of Brandstatter. These have been removed from their hardbound volumes and arranged in the same order in which they were originally. Book 8 is missing from the collection, but the majority of the materials that should have been there are located in Book 21.

The third series, Education, 1966-1984, undated, contains histories of the criminal justice program at Michigan State University, evaluations of police administration programs in other universities, speeches, and teaching materials. This series is arranged alphabetically by subject.

The final series, Police-Related, 1969, 1975, undated, contains reports and publications related to police programs and standards, but not directly related to Brandstatter's work. This series is arranged alphabetically by title.

Dates

Creation: 1946 - 1984

Creator

Brandstatter, A. F. (Arthur F.) (Donor, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to publish material from this collection must be obtained from University Archives & Historical Collections, Michigan State University.

Biographical Note

Arthur F. Brandstatter was born on December 27, 1914 in McKees Rock, Pennsylvania. He attended Michigan State College (now Michigan State University), receiving a B.S. in 1938 and a M.A. in 1951. While an undergraduate, Brandstatter was a standout performer on the Michigan State football team between the years 1934-1936. In 1961, he was one of 25 men to receive the Sports Illustrated All-American Silver Anniversary Award, which honored prominent football performers who achieved noteworthy success in their chosen fields in the 25 years following competition.

Between degrees, Brandstatter served on the Detroit Police Department from 1938-1941 and served in the army with a rank of major from 1941 until 1946 when he was honorably discharged. He later became a member of the army reserves and eventually retired at the rank of brigadier general in 1969. He served as chief of the East Lansing [Michigan] police force in 1946.

In 1946, Brandstatter joined the MSC faculty as an associate professor and head of the Department of Police Administration. In 1947, Brandstatter was named director of Public Safety, a position he held until 1960. He visited Germany in 1950 as a consultant to the public safety division of the High Commissioner's Office for Germany. He also served as a consultant for both the Governmental Affairs Institute in Washington, D.C., in 1952, and for the Treasury Department in 1954. Brandstatter was one of the MSU faculty members to go to Indochina in the fall of 1954 to help the South Vietnam government solve non-military administrative problems. Brandstatter left MSU in 1976 to head the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Florida.

Brandstatter was a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police, Society for the Advancement of Criminology, Alpha Phi Sigma, and the Police and Sheriff's Association of North America.

Brandstatter married Mary Elizabeth Walsh of Bay City, Michigan, and had five children: John; Michael; Robert; Arthur, Jr.; and James.