A guide to the Robert Stanley Dollar Christmas card and Marco Polo club membership card, 1934
Processed by: Historic Documents Department Staff (Brogden).
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
2013
Building E, Fort Mason
San Francisco, CA 94123
Phone: 415-561-7030
Fax: 415-556-3540
SAFR_Historic_Documents@nps.gov
URL: http://www.nps.gov/safr
A Guide to the Robert Stanley Dollar Christmas card and Marco Polo club membership card
HDC1667
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, National Park Service2013, National Park Service
Title: Robert Stanley Dollar Christmas card and Marco Polo club membership card
Date: 19341934
Identifier/Call Number: HDC1667 (SAFR 23826)
Physical Description:
2 items.
Repository:
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, Historic Documents Department
Building E, Fort Mason
San Francisco, CA 94123
Abstract: The Robert Stanley Dollar Christmas card and Marco Polo club membership card collection (SAFR 23826, HDC 1667) consists of
an unsigned Christmas card and a membership card in the Marco Polo club of circumnavigators.
Physical Location: San Francisco Maritime NHP, Historic Documents Department
Language(s):
In English.
This collection is open for use unless otherwise noted.
Some material may be copyrighted or restricted. It is the researcher's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other
case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections.
The descriptions in this collection guide were compiled using the best available sources of information. Such sources include
the creator's annotations or descriptions, collection accession files, primary and secondary source material and subject matter
experts. While every effort was made to provide accurate information, in the event that you find any errors in this guide
please contact the reference staff in order for us to evaulate and make corrections to this guide.
Please cite the title and collection number in any correspondence with our staff.
[Item description], [Location within collection organization identified by Collection Number/Series Number/File Unit Number/Item
Number], HDC1667 (SAFR 23826), Robert Stanley Dollar Christmas card and Marco Polo club membership card, San Francisco Maritime
National Historical Park
SAFR-02202
Field collection
Historical or Biographical Note
Robert Stanley Dollar (1880-1958) was the son and successor to shipping magnate Robert Dollar (1844-1932). In 1894 Robert
Dollar was the manager of Usal Redwood Company when he decided that maritime commerce was an easier way of shipping lumber
from his mill to markets in San Francisco and along the California coast. By 1900, he had founded the Dollar Steamship Company.
The Dollar line was visually noticeable by the "$" sign on the funnels of all its ships. In 1923, Dollar purchased seven former
World War I 502 President type liners from the U.S. Shipping Board. In 1925, Dollar took over the Pacific Mail Steamship Company,
as well as the Admiral Oriental Line. In 1929, the company was changed to the Dollar Steamship Line Inc. Ltd. In 1929, two
more 502 President type ships were purchased as round the world liners including the SS PRESIDENT GARFIELD. With the two new
ships, the Dollar Steamship Line had the largest fleet of passenger and cargo liners operating under the U.S. flag.
On May 16, 1932, Robert Dollar died at the age of 88 and his son Robert Stanley Dollar took over the company. The Dollar Line
suffered from the effects of the Great Depression, as well as the maritime labor strikes of 1934 and 1936, and by 1938 the
line was so far in debt that the company was suspended from operation by bankruptcy proceedings. In August 1938, the Dollar
line was taken over by the Federal Maritime Commission and was renamed the American President Line.
The Robert Stanley Dollar Christmas card and Marco Polo club membership card collection (SAFR 23826, HDC 1667) consists of
an unsigned Christmas card and a membership card in the Marco Polo club of circumnavigators.
The Christmas card is unsigned and has a printed 32 line poem written by Charlotte Ward of Perryvale, Alberta to Captain Robert
S. Dollar and is with a blank envelope. The Marco Polo club honorary membership card for the society of circumnavigators is
signed by Gregory Cullen with a handwritten note on the back from Gregory Cullen to R. Stanley Dollar. The note thanks Dollar
for including Cullen in his message to Mr. Liddle and is dated 1934 January 31st. The collection is processed to the file
unit level item level and is open for use without restrictions.
The Marco Polo club membership card was printed by the Dollar Steamship lines and was presented to guests on the PRESIDENT
GARFIELD, a ship of the Dollar Steamship lines, that regularly circumnavigated the globe from east to west in the 1930's.
2 items with no arrangement
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Dollar Steamship Lines--public relations
Dollar, Robert, Jr.
Dollar Steamship Lines
Membership cards
Correspondence