Albert B. Fall papers, 1887-1941, bulk 1912-1923

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Summary

Creators:
Fall, Albert B. (Albert Bacon), 1861-1944
Abstract:
This collection contains the papers of New Mexican Senator Albert B. Fall (1861-1944) consisting of letters and documents related to the following subjects: Fall's terms of office as senator for New Mexico (1912-21) and secretary of the Interior (1921-23), family affairs (1907-41); personal business (1912-23); politics and government (both in New Mexico and on a national level); New Mexico (especially land, water, forest, and mineral questions); Mexico; reclamation projects (especially the Colorado River Project and Elephant Butte Dam); Indian Affairs (particularly with the Apache, Navajo, and Pueblo tribes); and Alaska.
Extent:
45.45 Linear Feet (109 boxes)
Language:
English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Albert B. Fall papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains letters and documents related to the following subjects: Fall's terms of office as senator for New Mexico and secretary of the Interior (1912-23), family affairs (1907-41), and personal business (1912-23); politics and government (both in New Mexico and on a national level); New Mexico (especially land, water, forest, and mineral questions); Mexico (including the testimony before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee Investigating Mexican Affairs); reclamation projects (especially the Colorado River Project and Elephant Butte Dam); Indian Affairs (particularly with the Apache, Navajo, and Pueblo tribes); Alaska. Significant persons represented in the collection include: Holm Olaf Bursum (31 pieces), Thomas Benton Catron (5), George Curry (20), Harry Micajah Daugherty (15), Henry Ossian Flipper (25), Warren Gamaliel Harding (25), Herbert Clark Hoover (10), Charles Evans Hughes (23), Franklin Knight Lane (24), Robert Lansing (21), Henry Cabot Lodge (13), Stephen Tyng Mather (10), Theodore Roosevelt (10), Woodrow Wilson (15).

Biographical / historical:

Albert B. Fall (1861-1944), senator from New Mexico (1912-1921) and secretary of the Interior (1921-1923), came to the West from his native Kentucky, entered the field of law, purchased a large cattle ranch, and entered New Mexico politics. He was one of the state's first senators and chairman of the Senate Subcommittee Investigating Mexican Affairs. As secretary of the Interior he concentrated his efforts on the development of the nation's resources, such as the controversy over Alaskan resources, the transfer from the Forestry Bureau to the Interior Department, the building of Boulder Dam, and the leasing of the Elk Hills (CA) and Teapot Dome (WY) Naval Oil Reserves. These oil leases ended his career and Fall, deemed guilty of having accepted a bribe, was sentenced to prison and died in 1944.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Mahlon T. Everhart, Jr., 1952-1963.
Processing information:

This finding aid was updated in 2022 by Melissa Haley as part of the American Presidential Papers Project with enhanced description of the presidential material present.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged in the following 4 series:

  1. Personal Correspondence (Boxes 1-12)
  2. Political Correspondence (Boxes 13-43)
  3. Natural resources (Boxes 44-70)
  4. Mexican affairs (Boxes 71-109)
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Albert B. Fall papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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