Individual Correspondence
Collection-level scope and contents note
The Harry L. Hopkins Papers, the personal archives of the man who was FDR's most trusted advisor, consist of 26 linear feet (62 archival boxes) of material. The Papers contain appointment books and diaries, drafts of Hopkins' speeches and memoranda, photographs and drawings, and extensive correspondence with the most prominent figures of the 20th century including FDR, the Winston Churchill Family, Averell Harriman, Lyndon B. Johnson, Dwight D. Eisenhower, George C. Marshall, Harry S Truman, Edward Stettinius, Jr., Charles De Gaulle, Senator Claude Pepper, Robert Sherwood, Philip Barry, Helen Keller, John Vassos, Anthony Eden, Harold Ickes, James Farley, and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.
Further information: The Eleanor Roosevelt Oral History Project at the Library of Congress contains an interview with Hopkins daughter, Diana, reminescing on her time in the White House as a child.
Dates
- From the Collection: 1890 - 1946
Conditions Governing Access note
Most manuscripts collections at the Georgetown University Booth Family Center for Special Collections are open to researchers; however, restrictions may apply to some collections. Collections stored off site require a minimum of three days for retrieval. For use of all manuscripts collections, researchers are advised to contact the Booth Family Center for Special Collections in advance of any visit.
Extent
From the Collection: 26 Linear Feet (62 Hollinger Document Cases)
Language of Materials
English
Container Summary
Boxes 1 to 24 comprise individual correspondence from notable contemporaries. The major portion deals with Hopkins' health, congratulations regarding his various government appointments, invitations to various functions, and pertinent political issues. Key political figures do not necessarily discuss political issues, events, or personalities; e.g., the Lyndon B. Johnson letters concern the death of Hopkins' second wife, and invitiations to his famous "quilting parties." Federal administration personnel such as Jesse Jones of the Federal Loan Agency discuss personal matters rather than official administrative problems or matters. On the other hand, the letters of such non-political individuals as Clementine and Pamela Churchill are more revealing for their rather "newsy" glimpses of their contemporaries, political and otherwise.
Repository Details
Part of the Georgetown University Manuscripts Repository
Lauinger Library, 5th Floor
37th and O Streets, N.W.
Washington DC 20057
speccoll@georgetown.edu