The earlier materials are letters to and from William Gibbs McAdoo's grandfather, Charles R. Floyd. Much of the McAdoo correspondence deals with his public appearances and engagements as a United States senator and also his attempt at reelection in 1938. Also of interest is McAdoo's involvement with the first Pan-American flight in 1936 and Franklin Delano Roosevelt's campaign trip to California in July 1938.

William Gibbs McAdoo was born in Marietta, Georgia on 31 October 1863 to Mary Faith (Floyd) McAdoo and William Gibbs McAdoo. He was a practicing lawyer in both Chattanooga, Tennessee and New York City after passing the bar in 1885. William Gibbs McAdoo developed and oversaw the construction of the Hudson River Tunnels, acting as president of the company which operated them from 1902-1913. He served as vice chairman for the Democratic National Committee in 1912 and as a delegate for the Democratic National Convention in the years 1912, 1932, and 1936. McAdoo was also a member of President Woodrow Wilson's cabinet as Secretary of the Treasury from March 1913 to December 1918. He was Director-General of the United States Railroads during World War I from December 1917 to January 1919. One interesting fact about McAdoo that is little known is that he was the leading candidate for the Presidential nomination at the Democratic National Convention in 1920. He was a United States senator from California from 1933 until his resignation in 1936. He was then an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1938.

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