Access Restrictions
Publication Rights
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Preferred Citation:
Biography
Scope and Content
Related Materials
Contributing Institution:
Department of Special Collections and University Archives
Title: Francis V. Keesling Sr. Papers
Identifier/Call Number: M0100
Physical Description:
56.3 Linear Feet
Date (inclusive): 1889-1973
General Physical Description note: Special Collections and University Archives materials are stored offsite and must be paged 36 hours in advance.
Abstract: This collection includes a wide variety of records related to the political activities, civic work, life insurance career,
and personal papers accrued by Francis V. Keesling Sr. Keesling Sr. was a prolific figure in San Francisco in the early to
mid-1900s and his papers span from 1889 to 1973.
Language of Material:
English
.
Access Restrictions
Open for research. Note that material must be requested at least 36 hours in advance of intended use.
Publication Rights
Property rights reside with the repository. Literary rights reside with the creators of the documents or their heirs. To obtain
permission to publish or reproduce, please contact the Public Services Librarian of the Dept. of Special Collections.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This collection was given by Francis V. Keesling Sr. to Stanford University, Special Collections in 1953 and 1957. Additional
gifts were given by Francis V. Keesling Jr. in 1973 and 1974.
Preferred Citation:
[identification of item], Francis V. Keesling Sr. papers (M0100). Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford
Libraries, Stanford, Calif.
Biography
Missing Title
1877, Feb. 17 |
born San Jose, Calif.; son of Francis Marion and Mary (Nunez) Keesling. |
1898 |
A.B. Stanford. First president of class of '98, editor-in-chief '98 Quad, baseball manager for season of '98. Member of Philolexian
Literary Society, Sigma Nu fraternity, Phi Delta Phi legal fraternity, and Skull and Snakes Honor Society.
|
1898 |
admitted to California Bar, practiced in San Francisco (retired 1953), July - entered law office of Crothers and Crothers
(George E. and Thomas G.) - survey legislative candidates for '98 for adoption of amendment to state constitution permitting
exemption of such foundation trusts as Stanford from taxation (passed 1901).
|
1901-1909 |
member National Guard of California, retired as major. Special board which re-wrote Calif. Military law to conform to federal;
commanding artillery batallion San Francisco fire 1906.
|
1903, Nov. 19 |
married Haidee Grau - 4 children |
1906-1908 |
regent Sigma Nu fraternity |
1908-1909 |
attorney for General John A. Koster, auditor of San Francisco. |
1910 |
Republican candidate for lieutenant-governor of California |
1910-1938 |
vice-president and general counsel West Coast Life Insurance Co. |
1914 |
Republican candidate for governor of California |
1914-1916 |
chairman Republican State Central Committee of California |
1915-1916 |
chairman legal section, American Life Convention |
1916 & 1924 |
delegate to Republican National Convention |
1917 |
Mason 33 - Grand Master of California |
1917-1921 |
participated in every Liberty Loan Drive during World War I in executive capacity. On general executive committee and other
committees of Community Chest
|
1919 & 1929-1930 |
president Stanford Alumni Association |
1927-1928 |
chairman executive committee Association of Life Insurance Counsel |
1928-1929 |
governor Bar Association of San Francisco |
1928-1929 |
member committee of Bar examiners State Bar of California |
1929-1930 |
board of governors State Bar of California |
1929-1937 |
a director of Golden Gate Bridge and Highway District and chairman of building committee |
1929-1931 |
vice-president Association of Life Insurance Counsel |
1930 |
member San Francisco Board of Freeholders and chairman of drafting committee which wrote the 1931 Charter of the city and
county, conducted campaign which resulted in its adoption.
|
1930-1933 |
member executive committee American Life Convention |
1931-1933 |
president Association of Life Insurance Counsel |
1931-1933 |
president Bar Association of San Francisco |
1932-1933 |
president Stanford Law Society |
1933-1934 |
president American Life Convention |
1936-1942 |
president San Francisco Y.M.C.A. |
1936-1942 |
chairman California Statewide Committee on Reorganization of State Government (or on Taxation and Cost of Government) known
as the Interim Committee of 25
|
1936-1942 |
member board of governors Stanford Associates |
1938-1949 |
president and director West Coast Life Insurance Co. and general counsel |
1941-1942 |
special assistant to Attorney General of the United States Hearing officer of Northern District of California on appeals of
conscientious objectors
|
1941-1942 |
organized U.S.O. Council in San Francisco, first chairman |
1941 or -42 to 1947 |
member council National Municipal League |
1941 |
quarterly chairman Commonwealth Club (S.F.) |
1942 |
board of directors San Francisco Y.M.C.A. |
1942-1946 |
chairman Civilian Council for Officer Procurement United States Navy |
1942-1947 |
president California Insurance Federation |
1943 |
Grand Treasurer Masons Grand Lodge, California |
1943 |
chairman of campaign committee - Roger Lapham for mayor of San Francisco |
1943-1947 |
member board of governors Commonwealth Club |
1944-1947 |
chairman San Francisco Charter Revision Committee |
1945-1946 |
director San Francisco Bay Area Council, chairman executive committee |
1946-1947 |
member executive committee San Francisco Bay Area Council |
1946- |
member State (California) Committee on Intergovernmental |
1947 |
executive committee Commonwealth Club |
1949-1953 |
chairman of the board West Coast Life Insurance Co. |
1949 |
director Better Business Bureau of San Francisco |
1963, September 25 |
died. |
Scope and Content
The Keesling Sr. papers consist of correspondence, diaries, notebooks, drafts of speeches and articles, reports, minutes of
meetings, newspaper and magazine clippings, maps and blueprints, circular and form letters, political flyers, etc., pamphlets,
annotated government documents, promotional brochures, miscellaneous printed material, and financial and legal papers. They
span the years 1889 to 1973.
The political series contains a number of topics, including material from 1910 to 1920 on local, state (California), and national
Republican political campaigns. Keesling Sr. was a "regular" Republican, one of the few whose papers are extant, and greatly
opposed to Hiram Johnson and the Progressives. The active part played by Keesling Sr. in California politics at this time
and the scarcity of the original material by those holding similar views make this collection quite unique. The picture of
this split in the California Republican party has been very one-sided in favor of the Progressives simply because of the lack
of material supporting the opposition. In addition to the Hughes campaign, the Coolidge, Hoover, Willkie, Dewey, and Eisenhower
Presidential campaigns are also covered. The many state and local campaigns, their candidates and issues, are represented
by even more material. Other papers refer to world affairs, foreign policy, war, Communism and related movements, patriotic
organizations, labor, legal matters, insurance business, government and governmental procedures, economic affairs, education
and social and charitable organizations.
The second series relates to the San Francisco Charter of 1931. This material is quite complete and includes Keesling Sr.'s
booklet on the subject and some later papers on amendments and revision.
The Interim Committee of Twenty Five on State Reorganization, the third series, includes reports, meeting minutes and other
notes, letters, pamphlets, a printing block, and a scrapbook.
The fourth series is on the Golden Gate Bridge and Highway District and the construction of the bridge. This is quite a complete
account especially for the Building Committee from 1929 to 1937. Some, but not all, of this material was used as the basis
for a doctoral dissertation in 1958.
The fifth and sixth series are quite small. The fifth series recounts the San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906 through
newspaper clippings and Keesling Sr.'s orders and reports as an officer of the National Guard and active participant in rescue
and patrol work. Material related to his National Guard service is also found here.
The sixth series contains miscellaneous material on or related to Stanford University. This collection, in addition to being
of general historical interest, would seem to form a very solid base for a good biography of Keesling Sr. It covers almost
all of his activities and interests within the time span of the papers. His very frank and uninhibited correspondence reveals
his personality and opinions very clearly. Of the correspondents in these papers, many number among the politically and socially
prominent on local, state and national levels. Others, not so well known, are important to this collection because of the
content and size of their correspondence.
The following series are additions made in 2024 from the acquisition of materials gifted by Francis V. Keesling Jr., his son.
An incomplete inventory list is kept at the beginning of the newer materials, starting at Box 78. The seventh series consists
of records related to life insurance work accumulated by both Keesling Sr. and Keesling Jr. The first subseries includes correspondence
and records related to the foreign business conducted by the West Coast Life Insurance Company, most of which is about litigation
cases against clients who lived abroad. The second subseries consists of general correspondence, speeches and addresses given
by Keesling Sr., notes on the history of the West Coast Life Insurance Company, and publications.
The eighth series contains Keesling Sr.'s personal and family-related records. The first subseries mostly consists of outgoing
correspondence and recommendation letters. The second subseries includes incoming correspondence, newspaper clippings, addresses
and speeches beyond the topic of life insurance, condolence and birthday letters, collected poetry, reprints, and publications,
and photos. Also within this subseries are printing blocks and plates.
The ninth and last series contains many collected materials from his son, Keesling Jr., which are mostly U.S. Navy records.
It also includes Keesling Sr.'s earlier attorney work unrelated to life insurance, his entrepreneurial work, and investments.
Lastly, this series includes the letter books of Herman H. Grau, Keesling Sr.'s father-in-law. Since these materials were
all part of an accession from 1973, they have been retained in this collection rather than separately.
Related Materials
Related materials at Stanford University Libraries include:
- Francis V. Keesling Sr. diaries and reprints (M0261): https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8r21889/
- Francis V. Keesling Jr. papers (M0258): https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf700005hc/
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Speeches.
Primaries.
Golden Gate Bridge (Calif.)
Maps
California -- Politics and government -- 1850-1950.
San Francisco Earthquake and Fire, Calif., 1906
Reports.
Life insurance
Life insurance claims
Life insurance policies