Ralph C. Lasbury, Jr. Collection: The Shade Tobacco Growers Agricultural Association

The collection documents a significant portion of the professional activities of Ralph C. Lasbury, Jr. over a period of fifty years as the head of Connecticut regional agricultural marketing and employer groups.  Minutes, correspondence, reports, leases, fiscal reports, copies of state legislative activities, and newspaper articles document the establishment, opening, and operation of the Connecticut Regional Market, a venue for the sale of Connecticut agricultural commodities.   It also contains minutes, correspondence, membership lists, reports, and negotiations on behalf of the British West Indies Employers’ Association.  Lasbury represented the interests of tobacco growers, traveled extensively for the Association’s executive committee, and met regularly with Caribbean governmental officials.