John Hall Brett papers
Collection
Identifier: GTM-GAMMS216
The John Hall Brett Papers comprise one (1) box containing letters regarding Brett's appointment to the position of manager of the Bank of Siam, miscellaneous financial materials relative to the Bank's affairs, and various photographs (including Dr. Sun Yat Sen and two opium smokers) dating from the early 20th century depicting Far Eastern life. The photographs in this collection provide interested Asian scholars with a vivid representation of the life activities of various Far Eastern cultures (including Chinese, Thai, and Japanese) during the early part of the 20th century prior to World War II.
Dates: c. 1910's - 1941.
Size: 1.5 linear feet.
Number of boxes: 1.
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John Hall Brett, financier and banker, was born in Auburn, Maine on September 25, 1884. In 1905, he graduated from Bowdoin College and became associated with the International Banking Corporation, a forerunner of what is now "Citibank," in London. Brett was posted to a number of locations in the Far East, i.e. China, Japan, Manchuria, and Indochina. He was appointed as the first American manager of the Bank of Siam, in Bangkok, owned by the Siamese Royal family and operated mainly by British personnel. In 1931, the Bank was on the brink of insolvency and it was during Brett's seven year tenure that it regained its solid financial footing. For his services the then King conferred the Order of the Crown of Siam on him, a remarkable honor; few foreigners were awarded such a distinction. Brett was married to Tedesco ("Teddy") Greenley in Tokyo, a union which lasted over forty years. Mrs. Brett accompanied her husband on his Far Eastern sojourns. They had no children. John Hall Brett died in Santa Barbara, California on December 21, 1956.
1.5 Linear Feet (1 box)
English
Provenance: Gift of Frederick D. Greenly, September 1984.
Processed by Anna T. Zakarija.
Date: October 10, 1984.
Part of the Georgetown University Manuscripts Repository