Albert B. Fall Papers: Finding Aid mssFA
Finding aid prepared by Huntington Library staff; machine-readable finding aid encoded by Diann Benti in 2017.
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Note
Finding aid last updated on June 13, 2022 by Melissa Haley.
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Albert B. Fall papers
Creator:
Fall, Albert B. (Albert Bacon), 1861-1944
Identifier/Call Number: mssFA
Physical Description:
45.45 Linear Feet
(109 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1887-1941
Date (bulk): 1912-1923
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.
Language of Material: English.
Conditions Governing Access
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader
Services.
Conditions Governing Use
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.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Mahlon T. Everhart, Jr., 1952-1963.
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.
Scope and Contents
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).
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.
General
Former call number: mssFA Boxes 1-109.
Other Finding Aids
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in the following 4 series:
- Personal Correspondence (Boxes 1-12)
- Political Correspondence (Boxes 13-43)
- Natural resources (Boxes 44-70)
- Mexican affairs (Boxes 71-109)
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Cabinet officers -- United States -- Archives
Conservation of natural resources -- West (U.S.)
Indians of North America -- New Mexico
Legislators -- United States -- Archives
Natural resources -- West (U.S.)
Oil industries -- West (U.S.)
Teapot Dome Scandal, 1921-1920 -- History -- Sources
Water reuse -- New Mexico
Mexico -- Foreign relations -- United States
Mexico -- History -- Revolution, 1910-1920
New Mexico -- History -- 1848- -- Sources
New Mexico -- Politics and government -- 1848-1950
United States -- Foreign relations -- Mexico
Letters (correspondence) -- United States -- 19th century
Letters (correspondence) -- United States -- 20th century
Bursum, Holm Olaf
Catron, Thomas Benton, 1840-1921
Curry, George, 1861-1947
Daugherty, H. M. (Harry Micajah), 1860-1941
Flipper, Henry Ossian, 1856-1940
Harding, Warren G. (Warren Gamaliel), 1865-1923
Hoover, Herbert, 1874-1964
Hughes, Charles Evans, 1862-1948
Lane, Franklin K.
Lansing, Robert, 1864-1928
Lodge, Henry Cabot, 1850-1924
Mather, Stephen Tyng, 1867-1930
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919
Taft, William H. (William Howard), 1857-1930
Wilson, Woodrow, 1856-1924
United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Foreign Relations
United States. Department of the Interior
Box 1
Personal correspondence, A-Br
Box 2
Personal correspondence, Bu-Cu
Box 3
Personal correspondence, D-E
Box 4
Personal correspondence, Fall (Appointments and invitations)
Box 5
Personal correspondence, Fall (Automobile-Mining Properties)
Box 6
Personal correspondence, Fall (Mining properties in Mexico-Westmoreland Apartments)
Box 7
Personal correspondence, Fall, Anna-Fr
Box 8
Personal correspondence, G-K
Box 9
Personal correspondence, L-Par
Box 10
Personal correspondence, Pat-Ta
Box 11
Personal correspondence, Th-Tr
Box 12
Personal correspondence, Tu-Z
Box 13
Political correspondence, A-Br
Box 14
Political correspondence, Ba-Bo
Box 15
Political correspondence, Br-Cer
Box 16
Political correspondence, Cat-Co
Box 17
Political correspondence, Cr-Eg
Box 18
Political correspondence, Elks-Fall (political appointments)
Box 19
Political correspondence, Fall (political correspondence to Fall)-White House Conference
Scope and Contents
Folder 8 includes Woodrow Wilson typecript letter signed to Albert B. Fall, 1919 August 20 (4 pages).
Box 20
Political correspondence, Fallon-For
Box 21
Political correspondence, Fow-Gra
Box 22
Political correspondence, Gre-Haw
Box 23
Political correspondence, Hay-Ho
Box 24
Political correspondence, Hu-Ka
Scope and Contents
Folder 4 contains three typescript copies of Woodrow Wilson letter to Albert B. Fall, 1913 April 29 (1 page).
Box 25
Political correspondence, Ke-Lem
Box 26
Political correspondence, Lev-McT
Box 27
Political correspondence, Ma-Moo
Box 28
Political correspondence, Mor-New Mexico (Secretary of State)
Scope and Contents
Folder 21 contains Woodrow Wilson typescript letter signed to Albert B. Fall, 1913 June 23 (2 pages). Folder 24 contains:
Woodrow Wilson typescript letters signed to Albert B. Fall, 1913 June 4 (1 page), 1913 June 19 (2 pages and addressed envelope),
1913 July 21 (1 page), 1913 November 12 (1 page), 1913 November 14 (1 page), 1914 February 19 (1 page); folder also includes
letters written on behalf of Wilson by his secretary and copies of letters from Fall to Wilson.
Folder 24 contains typescript copies of letters from William H. Taft to Franklin MacVeagh, 1912 April 15 (1 page), to Walter
L. Fisher, 1912 May 10 (1 page) and to Frank H. Hitchcock, 1912 May 10 (1 page).
Box 29
Political correspondence, New Mexico (State politics)-New York Times
Box 30
Political correspondence, New York World-Otero, E. M.
Box 31
Political correspondence, Otero, M. R.-Po
Box 32
Political correspondence, Pr-Rei
Box 33
Political correspondence, Rep-Rey
Box 34
Political correspondence, Ri-Ro
Scope and Contents
Folder 19 contains items pertaining to and copies of Fall's correspondence with Theodore Roosevelt; items concern the situation
in Mexico, the 1916 presidential election, and Roosevelt's death and the Roosevelt Memorial Association. Included are typescript
copies of letters and telegrams from Roosevelt to Fall dated: 1914 December 8, 1915 February 22, 1915 February 26, 1915 March
13, 1915 December 27, 1916 January 7, 1916 June 17, 1916? July 26, and 1918 October 29.
Box 35
Political correspondence, Sa-Sal
Box 36
Political correspondence, San-Sme
Box 37
Political correspondence, Smi-Sz
Box 38
Political correspondence, Ta-Tu
Box 39
Political correspondence, Ty-United States Department of Justice
Box 40
Political correspondence, United States Department of Labor-United States Post Office Department
Box 41
Political correspondence, United States Public Health-United Staets Veterans' Bureau
Box 42
Political correspondence, United States War Department-Wilson, Percy
Scope and Contents
Folder 4 contains Woodrow Wilson typescript letter signed to Albert B. Fall, 1913 July 31 (1 page).
Box 43
Political correspondence, Woodrow Wilson
Scope and Contents
Primarily copies of Wilson correspondence, speeches, and clippings. Original items are in folder 1: Wilson typescript letter
to Albert B. Fall, 1913 July 18 (1 page) and folder 2: Wilson typescript letter signed to Fall, 1919 December 8 (2 pages).
Box 44
Political correspondence, Win-Z; and Miscellaneous Correspondence, A-Z
Box 48
Natural Resources, Cr-Ele
Box 49
Natural Resources, El Paso-Fa
Box 50
Natural Resources, Fe-Gam
Box 51
Natural Resources, Gar-Hi
Box 52
Natural Resources, Ho-Indian Depredation
Box 53
Natural Resources, Indian Medical-Indians, Osage
Box 54
Natural Resources, Indians, Pueblo-Land Grants
Box 55
Natural Resources, Lang-Ma
Scope and Contents
Items in folder 12 pertain to a request from Victor M Locke, Principal Chief of the Choctaw Nation, to organize an army battalion
under Theodore Roosevelt and includes a typescript letter signed from Roosevelt to Albert B. Fall, 1917 May 23 (1 page).
Box 56
Natural Resources, Me-National Forests (Alamo)
Box 57
Natural Resources, National Forests (Carson)-National Parks (Mescalero)
Box 58
Natural Resources, National Parks (Platt)-Oa
Box 59
Natural Resources, Oil File, A-Cl
Box 60
Natural Resources, Oil File, Co-N
Box 61
Natural Resources, Oil File, O-Z
Box 62
Natural Resources, Oil and Gas-Pr
Box 64
Natural Resources, Re-Roach
Box 65
Natural Resources, Roads-Sa
Box 67
Natural Resources, Ta-United States Breau of Reclamation
Box 68
Natural Resources, United States Bureau of the Budget-United Staets Fish and Wildlife Service
Box 69
Natural Resources, United States Forest Service-United States Office of Indian Affairs
Box 70
Natural Resources, United States War Mineral-Z
Box 74
Mexican Affairs, Bur-Cara
Box 75
Mexican Affairs, Carl-Coll
Box 78
Mexican Affairs, Ed-Fall (Lists of Casualties)
Box 79
Mexican Affairs, Fall (Press Statements)-Fall (Speeches on Mexico)
Box 80
Mexican Affairs, Fall, W. S.-Fu
Box 84
Mexican Affairs, Im-Jones, Gus
Box 85
Mexican Affairs, Jones, Guy-La
Box 87
Mexican Affairs, Man-Mexico (Finances)
Box 88
Mexican Affairs, Mexico (Government)-Mor
Box 89
Mexican Affairs, Mos-New York Times
Box 90
Mexican Affairs, New York Tribune-Ol
Box 92
Mexican Affairs, Pr-Rober
Box 93
Mexican Affairs, Robi-Shi
Box 95
Mexican Affairs, Swe-Thomp
Box 96
Mexican Affairs, Thoms-United States Congress (Lists of Witnesses)
Box 97
Mexican Affairs, United States Congress (Reports of…)-United States Congress (Subcommittee Subpoenas)
Box 98
Mexican Affairs, United States Congress (Subcommittee Testimony, Volumes 1-7)
Box 99
Mexican Affairs, United States Congress (Subcommittee Testimony, Volumes 8-20)
Box 100
Mexican Affairs, United States Congress (Subcommittee Testimony, Volumes 21-28)
Box 101
Mexican Affairs, United States Congress (Subcommittee Testimony, Volumes 29-43)
Box 102
Mexican Affairs, United States Congress (Subcommittee Testimony, Volumes 44-59)
Box 103
Mexican Affairs, United States Congress (Subcommittee Testimony, 2nd and 3rd series)
Box 104
Mexican Affairs, United States Congress (Subcommittee Vouchers)-United States War Department
Box 105
Mexican Affairs, Univ-Walker, G.
Box 106
Mexican Affairs, Walker, H.-Wile
Box 108
Mexican Affairs, Lane File, A-G
Scope and Contents
Folder 1 contains Woodrow Wilson typescript letter signed to Franklin K. Lane, 1916 August 31 (1 page).
Box 109
Mexican Affairs, Lane File, H-Z
Scope and Contents
Folder 65 contains Woodrow Wilson typescript letters signed to Franklin K. Lane, 1916 December 5 (1 page) and 1917 May 1 (1
page).