The William H. Blymyer Papers consist of correspondence, court documents, essays, published material, journals, literary magazines, newspaper articles, and ephemera. A majority of the correspondence comes from Blymyer’s involvement with the Lusitania case. He represented an attorney who was the executor of an American citizen whose life was lost through the sinking of the British steamer Lusitania in May 1915. The Cunard Steamship Company as owner of the S.S. Lusitania claimed limitation of the company’s liability for loss of life and property in the sinking of the ship.

In February 1917, attorneys [proctors] representing claims against the Cunard Steamship Company organized as a committee and appointed four subcommittees, one being on the questions of International Law involved in the case. Blymyer was appointed to this subcommittee. The Cunard Steamship Company had taken the stand that the sinking was illegal so they did not have to take precautions against such a happening. Blymyer and attorney A. Gordon Murray prepared a report adopted by the committee that concluded, “That the sinking of belligerent vessels without making provision for the lives of passengers and crew has never been declared illegal by any code, treaty, convention or court.” Their report was never filed and thus not taken into consideration in the judge’s opinion, which was in favor of the Cunard Company. Blymyer sent a letter to President Wilson on February 19, 1917 regarding international law and included his report.

Following the Lusitania disaster, a number of survivors and relatives of victims sued the Government of Germany for compensation. After the defeat of the Central Powers in World War I, the German Government agreed to the lawsuits as stipulated by the Treaty of Berlin, signed August 25, 1921. The Mixed Claims Commission [for United States and Germany] was the arbiter that decided how much each claimant would receive in compensation from the German Government. In 1923, Blymyer submitted his Report on International Law and Briefs in the Lusitania case as amicus curiae to The Mixed Claims Commission. Blymyer also sent these materials to President Coolidge.