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Harper (Jacob Chandler) Papers
mssHarper
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Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Jacob Chandler Harper papers
Creator:
Harper, J. C. (Jacob Chandler), 1858-1939
Identifier/Call Number: mssHarper
Physical Description:
0.2 Linear Feet
(1 box)
Date (inclusive): 1908-1939
Abstract: Primarily the correspondence of Jacob Chandler Harper from 1908 to 1921, including 10 William H. Taft letters. Also present
are several items relating to the Scripps family dated 1921 and 1939.
Language of Material: Materials are in English.
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more
information.
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.
[Identification of item]. Jacob Chandler Harper papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Mitchell Heath Hudnall, January 1974.
Jacob Chandler Harper (1858-1939) was general counsel for the E.W. Scripps Company, a newspaper and media company that began
in 1878 when journalist E.W. (Edward Willis) Scripps (1854-1926) started the Penny Press newspaper in Cleveland, Ohio. The
company expanded, acquiring and founding more newspapers and later radio stations, and creating the United Press news agency
(now UPI) in 1907 and the United Feature Syndicate in the 1920s. Harper was also a friend and business advisor to journalist
and philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps (1836-1932), a half-sibling of E.W. Scripps who was instrumental in the growth of
the E.W. Scripps Company as an investor and supporter. In addition, Harper served on the board of trustees of the Claremont
Graduate School and as an advisory board member of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. He died in La Jolla, California
at age 80.
William Howard Taft (1857-1930), the twenty-seventh president of the United States, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1886,
he married Helen Herron. After an early career as lawyer and judge in Ohio, Taft was named solicitor general of the United
States in 1890. From 1892 to 1900 he served on the federal circuit court for the Sixth District. Taft spent four years in
the U.S. territory of the Philippines and was named civil governor there in 1901. In 1904, he returned to the U.S. to serve
as secretary of war in the Theodore Roosevelt administration. During his tenure, Taft pursued American interests in the Philippines,
Cuba, and the Far East, as well as Panama Canal construction. Taft was elected president in 1908 and served one term from
1909 to 1913. His presidency involved railroad regulation, such as the 1910 Mann-Elkins act; enforcement of anti-trust laws;
efforts to increase government efficiency; and diplomacy in Latin America, Asia, and Europe. He ran for reelection in 1912
but was defeated. In 1921 he was named chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, a position he held until just before his death
in 1930 in Washington, D.C. at age 72.
This collection primarily contains the correspondence of Jacob Chandler Harper from 1908 to 1921. There are 10 William H.
Taft letters (two of which were written by his secretary Fred W. Carpenter) that concern a 1908 proposed amendment to the
Ohio constitution providing for a general referendum and to Taft's successful 1908 presidential campaign. Also present are
several items regarding Scripps family members dated 1921 and 1939, including material about the death of Eliza Virginia Scripps
(1852-1921) and a genealogy report.
This collection was reprocessed in 2022 by Melissa Haley as part of the American Presidential Papers Project. The items had
been physically assembled and arranged by former Huntington Library staff in 1974; material was rehoused during reprocessing.
Previously assigned item-level call numbers have been retained. The number of pages for each item is noted in parentheses
in item-level Scope and Contents notes; page totals include enclosures if present. Items marked
autograph indicate the item is in the handwriting of the author of the letter or document.
- William H. Taft, Washington, D.C., telegram to Jacob Chandler Harper, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1908 February 20, mssHM 41538.
- William H. Taft, War Department, Washington, D.C., letter to Jacob Chandler Harper, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1908 March 31, mssHM 29209.
- Ellen Browning Scripps, 1836-1936, RB 258049.
- Ellen Browning Scripps Collection, Ella Strong Denison Library, Libraries of the Claremont Colleges, Scripps College, Claremont, California, D1981.1.
Arranged chronologically.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Presidents -- United States -- Election -- 1908
Ohio -- Politics and Government -- 1865-1950
Genealogies (histories) -- United States
Letters (correspondence) -- United States -- 20th century
Scripps, E. W. (Edward Willis), 1854-1926
Scripps, Eliza Virginia, 1852-1921
Scripps, Ellen Browning, 1836-1932
Scripps (Family : San Diego, Calif.)
Taft, William H. (William Howard), 1857-1930