Register of the William Hallam Tuck papers, 1914-1957

Processed by Supriya Wronkiewicz.

Hoover Institution Archives

Stanford University

Stanford, California 94305-6010

Phone: (650) 723-3563

Fax: (650) 725-3445

Email: archives@hoover.stanford.edu

Register of the William Hallam Tuck papers

Hoover Institution Archives

Stanford University

Stanford, California

Processed by:: Supriya Wronkiewicz
Date Completed:: 2010
Encoded by:: Machine-readable finding aid derived from MARC record by David Sun and Supriya Wronkiewicz.

Collection Summary

Title: William Hallam Tuck papers

Dates: 1914-1957

Collection Number: 62014

Creator: Tuck, William Hallam, 1890-1966.

Collection Size: 8 manuscript boxes, 3 oversize boxes (4.4 linear feet)

Repository: Hoover Institution Archives .

Stanford, California 94305-6010

Abstract: Primarily consists of correspondence, memoranda, reports, printed matter, and photographs, relating to Tuck's involvement in various relief effort organizations in the years surrounding World War II. The documents include materials generated by Tuck through his work with these organizations. The bulk of the material relates to his activities while serving with the United States Naval Reserve, and with various relief organizations following World War II, though a few materials relate to World War I relief work.

Physical Location: Hoover Institution Archives

Languages: English and French

Language of Material: There are a few documents in German

Administrative Information

Access

Collection is open for research.

Publication Rights

For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Archives.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], William Hallam Tuck papers, [Box number], Hoover Institution Archives.

Acquisition Information

Acquired by the Hoover Institution Archives in 1962.

Accruals

Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. To determine if this has occurred, find the collection in Stanford University's online catalog at http://searchworks.stanford.edu/ . Materials have been added to the collection if the number of boxes listed in the library catalog is larger than the number of boxes listed in this finding aid.

Related Materials

William Hallam Tuck papers, 1914-65, Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum, West Branch, Iowa

Commission for Polish Relief records, Hoover Institution Archives

Commission for Relief in Belgium (1914-1930) records, Hoover Institution Archives

Commission for Relief in Belgium (1940-1945) records, Hoover Institution Archives

C.R.B. Educational Foundation records, Hoover Institution Archives

Finnish Relief Fund records, Hoover Institution Archives

First Aid for Hungary records, Hoover Institution Archives

Perrin C. Galpin papers Hoover Institution Archives

Hugh S. Gibson papers, Hoover Institution Archives

Joseph C. Green papers, Hoover Institution Archives

Herbert Hoover subject collection, Hoover Institution Archives

Edward E. Hunt papers, Hoover Institution Archives

National Committee on Food for the Small Democracies records, Hoover Institution Archives

United States. President's Famine Emergency Committee records, Hoover Institution Archives

U.S. Commission on Organization of the Executive Branch of the Government records, Hoover Institution Archives

Biographical Note

William Hallam Tuck was born on March 9, 1890, in Baltimore, Maryland, to Judge Somerville Pinkney Tuck and Emily Marshall Tuck. Tuck attended St. Paul School in Concord, New Hampshire, before going on to graduate from Princeton University in 1912. After briefly working as a chemical engineer, Tuck joined the Commission for Relief in Belgium (CRB) in 1915 before joining the British Army in 1916, where he served until 1918 with the rank of Captain Royal Artillery, B.E.F., attached to the 36th Brigade, Royal Australian Artillery.

When the U.S. entered the war, Tuck joined the U.S. Army in 1918, where he served as major in the 314th Field Artillery, 80th Division, and remained there until the end of the war. Afterwards, he resumed work with the CRB and stayed until 1922. During that time, Tuck developed a strong friendship with Herbert Hoover. He would later become heavily involved in Hoover's subsequent relief efforts, such as working with Hoover with the American Relief Administration. He was also a contributor to the fund initiated by Edgar Rickard in 1925 for the construction of the Hoover Tower at Stanford University.

After World War I, he became involved with Solway and Co. in various Belgian industrial and fiscal activities and represented this concern on the board of Allied Chemical and Dye Corporation, a U.S. based company, of which he also served as director. He married Hilda Bunge in Antwerp, Belgium, on April 20, 1920, with whom he had three children. He strongly supported Hoover during his presidential campaigns in 1928 and 1932. In 1936, he joined Hoover's Belgian American Educational Foundation, Inc. (BAEF), serving as vice president until 1966 and as comptroller from 1941 to 1950.

When war broke out in Europe in September 1939, in addition to serving in the BAEF, Tuck joined Hoover's then newly formed National Committee on Food for the Small Democracies. In 1940, he also served as representative of the Finnish Relief Fund, another Hoover relief effort. He worked heavily with the National Committee for Food for the Small Democracies from 1940 to 1941. His work with the committee was suspended when the U.S declared war against Japan and its allies.

During this time, Tuck also served with the United States Naval Reserve (USNR). In that capacity, he was heavily involved with the Military Government Training School. Following victory in Europe in May 1945 he participated in USNR committees such as the Economic Committee and the Post-Hostilities Committee. He served with the USNR until 1945, honorably discharged with the rank of Captain.

Following the end of World War II, Tuck remained active with Hoover's various relief organizations. His activities included involvement with Hoover's Food Mission of 1946-1947 and work with the International Refugee Organization, of which he would become director before resigning in 1949. Hoover also involved Tuck with the Second Hoover Commission on the Organization of the Executive Branch of the Government, where he served as executive director from 1953 to 1955. Honors Tuck received include Honorary Doctor of Philosophy degrees from the Universities of Louvain and Brussels. Prior to 1941, he also was named Commander of the following orders: the Legion of Honor of France, the Order of the Couronne of Belgium, the Order of Leopold II of Belgium, the White Rose of Finland, and the Orange Nassau of Holland. On August 28, 1966, Tuck died of a heart ailment in his summer home in Rougemont, Switzerland.

Resources

Biographical note for William Hallam Tuck, Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum, http://www.ecommcode2.com/hoover/research/historicalmaterials/hmother.html

"William Hallam Tuck, Refugee official: Industrialist Also Was Aide to Hoover-Dies at 76", The New York Times, Wednesday August 31, 1966.

Scope and Content of Collection

The William Hallam Tuck papers primarily consist of correspondence, memoranda, reports, printed matter, and photographs, relating to activities of the Commission for Relief in Belgium (CRB) and American Relief Administration during World War I as well as World War II relief activities, such as the Finnish Relief Fund and the National Committee on Food for the Small Democracies. Also includes material related to the Belgian American Educational Foundation, Incorporated (BAEF), World War II Allied military government; and the world food survey of the Famine Emergency Committee, 1946.

Materials regarding activities during World War I are included, but the bulk of the material directly relates to his service with the United States Naval Reserve (USNR) during World War II and the various relief organizations during and following World War II.

The Biographical File includes speeches and transcripts of broadcasts. Also included are USNR related records and documentation such as correspondence, memoranda, reports, and other documents. Within the Biographical File, the documentation offers an American perspective on the events in Europe during the war and immediately following.

The Correspondence between Tuck and friends and colleagues relates to various relief organizations. Many of these correspondents were involved with the CRB, BAEF, and the National Committee for Food for the Small Democracies. These materials offer an insight into the activities of these relief committees, especially during the early days prior to the United States entry into World War II. Tuck's correspondents included Herbert Hoover and several members of Hoover's inner circle.

The Subject File includes reports, correspondence, memoranda, and printed materials generated through Tuck's work, and collected items. The bulk of the material relates to activities in Belgium, especially in the early days following its surrender to Germany during World War II. Also included are several records and memoranda from the BAEF and the National Committee for Food for the Small Democracies as well as a set of collected documents in English, French, and German pertaining to historical accounts of daily activities between World Wars I and II.

Photographs include two albums featuring members of the CRB, including Tuck and Hoover, and several images of Hoover following World War II.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Commission for Relief in Belgium (1914-1930).

Commission for Relief in Belgium (1940-1945).

National Committee on Food for the Small Democracies.

Finnish Relief Fund.

American Relief Administration.

United States. President's Famine Emergency Committee.

Food supply.

International relief.

Military government.

Reconstruction (1939-1951)

Russo-Finnish War, 1939-1940 Civilian relief.

World War, 1914-1918--Belgium.

World War, 1914-1918--Civilian relief.

World War, 1939-1945--Belgium.

World War, 1939-1945--Civilian relief.

World War, 1939-1945--Finland.

World War, 1939-1945--Food question.

Box: 1-2

Biographical file, 1916, 1940-1945, (bulk 1944-1945)

Scope and Content Note

Includes a Belgian-issued identification card, speeches and broadcasts, and documentation pertaining to Tuck's service in the United States Naval Reserve (USNR) including correspondence, orders received, memoranda, reports, and other documents. Also included are records pertaining to Tuck's work with the Military Government Training School in the European Affairs Division on Base II with the USNR. Arranged by document type.

Box/Folder: 1 : 1

Belgian-issued identification card, 1916 January 19

Scope and Content Note

In German and French

Box: 1

Speeches and broadcasts 1941-1942

Box/Folder: 1 : 2

Talk before the officers, Foreign Training School, Navy Department, Washington D.C., 1942 September 26

Box/Folder: 1 : 3

"Town Meeting: Should Britain Relax Her Food Blockade for Hitler's Victims?", 1941 April 28

Scope and Content Note

Includes published copy with other broadcasts from the meeting and typewritten transcription of Tuck's broadcast alone

Box: 1-2

United States Naval Reserve records 1941-1945

Box/Folder: 1 : 4

Antwerp port, Documents regarding use of troops, equipment, and supplies 1944 August

Scope and Content Note

Documents regarding use of troops, equipment, and supplies

Box/Folder: 1 : 5

Civil Affairs Division records 1943-1945

Box/Folder: 1 : 6

Correspondence, 1944 February - 1945 March

Box/Folder: 1 : 7

Economic Committee records, 1944

Box/Folder: 1 : 8

History of Naval Affairs documents, 1944-1945

Scope and Content Note

Task Organization document, curriculum vitae letter, Port of Antwerp related documents

Box/Folder: 1 : 9-11

Military Government Training School, Base II, 1944 December - 1945

Box/Folder: 1 : 12-13

Military Government Training School, 1945 January 1 - March 31

Scope and Content Note

First and Second Training Courses

Box/Folder: 2 : 1

Naval Activities in the European Theater of Operations records, 1945 February

Box/Folder: 2 : 2

Orders and personal papers, 1941, 1944-1945

Scope and Content Note

Included is background information Tuck provided about himself, including family information and past work experiences

Box/Folder: 2 : 3

Orders, 1945 May-April

Box/Folder: 2 : 4

"Non-Fraternization" document and Social Science Research Council materials, 1943, undated

Box/Folder: 2 : 5

Organizational charts, 1942, 1945

Scope and Content Note

See also Oversize File, Box 11, Folder 1

Box/Folder: 2 : 6

Personal files and other documents, 1942-1943

Box/Folder: 2 : 7

Post-Hostility Committee reports and correspondence, 1944 November-December, undated

Box/Folder: 2 : 8

Roster of Officers, 1945 March 1

Box: 2-3

Correspondence, 1915-1956, (bulk 1940-1941)

Scope and Content Note

Includes correspondence with various friends and colleagues. The bulk pertains to Tuck's activities during World War II with associates from the Belgian American Educational Foundation, Inc. and the National Committee for Food for the Small Democracies. Arranged into two subseries: alphabetical correspondence and chronological correspondence.

Box: 2-3

Correspondence, Alphabetical 1934-1945

Box/Folder: 2 : 9

Burkhart, Gerald, October-December 1940

Box/Folder: 2 : 10

Cajander, A.K, 1940-1941

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence directly related to Finland

Box/Folder: 2 : 11

Campbell, Gerald, 1941

Box/Folder: 2 : 12

Cudahy, John, 1940-1941

Scope and Content Note

Some correspondence in French

Box/Folder: 2 : 13

Daniels, Tom, 10-27 December 1940

Box/Folder: 2 : 14

Delano, William A., 7 February 1941

Scope and Content Note

Letter also includes 4 photographs of the destroyed library at the University of Louvain after the German invasion in 1940

Box/Folder: 2 : 15

Duggan, Stephen, January-February, May, 1941

Box/Folder: 2 : 16

Dunn, James, January, March, 1941

Box/Folder: 2 : 17

Fonck, Charles, January-April, October, 1941

Box/Folder: 2 : 18

Galpin, Perrin, 1945

Box/Folder: 2 : 19

Gibson, Hugh, 1940-1941

Box/Folder: 2 : 20

Henry, Bayard, Mrs., 1940-1941

Box/Folder: 2 : 21

Hoover, Herbert, 1934, 1940-1941, 1945

Scope and Content Note