Finding Aid to the Gump family papers, 1871-1990, bulk 1920-1970
Finding Aid written by Sibba Hartunian
The Bancroft Library
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California, 94720-6000
Phone: (510) 642-6481
Fax: (510) 642-7589
Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu
URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/
© 2013
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Finding Aid to the Gump family papers, 1871-1990, bulk 1920-1970
Collection Number: BANC MSS 2013/156
The Bancroft Library
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California
- Finding Aid Written By:
- Sibba Hartunian
- Date Completed:
-
August 2013
© 2013 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Collection Summary
Collection Title: Gump family papers
Date (inclusive): 1871-1990,
Date (bulk): bulk 1920-1970
Collection Number: BANC MSS 2013/156
Creators:
Gump family
Extent:
Number of containers: 4 cartons, 2 oversize boxes, 1 box, 1 volume, and 1 oversize folder
(Linear feet: 6.4)
Repository: The Bancroft Library
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California, 94720-6000
Phone: (510) 642-6481
Fax: (510) 642-7589
Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu
URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/
Abstract: Papers of the Gump family of San Francisco, consisting of family correspondence and other personal documents as well as some
Gump's Department Store correspondence and business records.
Languages Represented: Collection materials are in English
Physical Location: Many of the Bancroft Library collections are stored offsite and advance notice may be required for use. For current information
on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Information for Researchers
Access
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Head
of Public Services, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, 94720-6000. Consent is given on behalf of The
Bancroft Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission from the copyright
owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright owner. See:
http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html.
Restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research
and educational purposes.Materials in this collection may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition,
the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor
restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected
by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public
domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively
with the user.
All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from, or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the
Head of Public Services, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley 94720-6000. See:
http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html .
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Gump family papers, BANC MSS 2013/156, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
Alternate Forms Available
There are no alternate forms of this collection.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Gump family--Archives
Gump, Richard, 1906-1989
Gump, Albert Livingston, 1869-1947
Gump, Peter, b. 1931
Gump, Robert Livingston, 1903-1981
Gump's (Department store)
Gump's (Department store)--Catalogs
Guckenheimer Sour Kraut Band
Department stores--California--San Francisco
Jews, German--California--San Francisco
Jewish businesspeople--California--San Francisco
Jewish families--California--San Francisco
Business records--California--San Francisco.
Family papers--California--San Francisco.
Ledgers
Audiocassettes
Advertisements
Clippings
Phonograph records
Sheet music
Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
The Gump family papers were gifted to the Bancroft Library by Marilyn Gump in 2013.
Accruals
No future additions are expected.
Processing Information
Processed by Sibba Hartunian in 2013.
Biographical Information
After buying out his brother in-law’s mirror and frame shop in 1861, immigrants Solomon Gump and his brother Gustav founded
the S and G Gump Company. They remained owners of the shop until Solomon’s son, Abraham Livingston (widely referred to as
A.L.), took over at the turn of the century. When the 1906 earthquake demolished the store, A.L. was forced to start anew.
It was this event and his love for far Eastern design that made Gump’s the high-end, San Francisco attraction it came to be.
The launch of their catalog in the 1950s made their store nationally recognizable as their goods were now accessible across
the country. Following his father, A.L.’s, death in 1947, Richard Gump took control and became president of the company until
he retired and sold the store in 1975. Two years later, he began communicating with UC Berkeley about donating his property
on the island of Moorea. As of the official signing in 1981, the property became the Richard B. Gump South Pacific Research
Station. The Bancroft Library conducted an oral history with Richard Gump in 1989.
Scope and Content of Collection
While a portion of the Gump Family Papers collection includes correspondence and documents related to the S and G Gump Company,
the majority of the collection is comprised of Gump family papers. The business papers make up the first series. They consist
of financial documents and promotional material (including catalogs) as well as less formal correspondence and memos, documenting
the ways in which the business was run. The business papers also document the Gumps’ real estate business and work in Honolulu.
Although a majority of the correspondence centers around the Gumps’ store, it also includes World War II related correspondence
and business correspondence with William Randolph Hearst. Most business records are from the 20th century. The second, larger
series is dedicated to family papers, which also includes correspondence, financial documents, and other family papers. These
papers document the Gumps’ charitable involvement, family dynamics, and other aspects of their personal lives. A subseries
is dedicated to Richard Gump, as his personal papers are a large portion of the series. The Richard Gump series exhibits his
more creative pursuits; much of the material is related to his band, the Guckenheimer Sour-Kraut band and his Polynesian Symphony.
Other family members with a significant presence in the collection include Abraham Livingston Gump, his son Robert Gump, and
Richard’s son Peter Gump.
Series 1:
Business,
1871-1990
Physical Description:
carton 1; carton 4, folder 1-11; oversize folder 1
Subseries 1.1:
Correspondence,
1892-1968
Physical Description:
carton 1, folder 1-18
Subseries 1.2:
Administrative and financial,
1871-1976
Physical Description:
carton 4, folder 1-11; volume 1
Carton 4, Folder 1
Gump Company bylaws,
1947
Carton 4, Folder 2
Gump Company Notarial records,
1952-1976
Carton 4, Folder 3-4
Gump Company meeting minutes,
1922-1933,
1941-1947
Carton 4, Folder 5
Gump Company Los Angeles real estate,
1935
Carton 4, Folder 6
Gump Company purchase orders,
1946
Carton 4, Folder 8
Gump Realty Company ledger,
1911-1925
Carton 4, Folder 9
Gump Realty Company meeting minutes,
1911-1941
Carton 4, Folder 10
Gump Realty Company property appraisals,
1941
Carton 4, Folder 11
Other financial documents,
1871-1959
Subseries 1.3:
Other business records,
1895-1990
Physical Description:
carton 1, folder 19-31, oversize folder 1
Carton 1, Folder 19-27
Catalogs,
1957-1990,
undated
Carton 1, Folder 28, Oversize Folder 1
Advertisements,
1895-1962
Carton 1, Folder 30
Assorted promotional materials,
1949-1973
Carton 1, Folder 31, Oversize Folder 1
Miscelleneous business documents,
1914-1968
Series 2:
Family,
1906-1984
Physical Description:
carton 2-3; carton 4, folder 12; box 1; oversize folder 1; oversize box 1-2
Subseries 2.1:
Correspondence and invitations,
1920-1977
Physical Description:
carton 2; carton 3, folder 1-18
Subseries 2.2:
Financial,
1925-1954
Physical Description:
carton 3, folder 19; carton 4, folder 1; oversize folder 1
Carton 3, Folder 19, Oversize Folder 1
Personal financial documents,
1925-1954
Carton 4, Folder 12
Robert Gump ledger,
1934-1936
Subseries 2.3:
Richard Gump,
1922-1984
Physical Description:
carton 3, folder 20-35; box 1; oversize box 1-2; oversize folder 1
Carton 3, Folder 20-22, Oversize Folder 1
Personal documents,
1922-1964
Carton 3, Folder 23
Donation receipts,
1949-1955
Box 1, Folder 1-10, Oversize Folder 1
Guckenheimer Sour Kraut Band,
1950-1984
Oversize Box 2
Guckenheimer Sour Kraut Band audio materials,
1956-1958
Box 1, Folder 11-12
Other music,
1939-1965,
undated
Oversize Box 1-2
Other music audio materials and sheet music,
1941-1976
Carton 3, Folder 24, Oversize Folder 1
Marin Golf Club,
1958-1966
Carton 3, Folder 25-27
Lake Merced Golf Club,
1944-1958
Subseries 2.4:
Other family papers,
1944-1958
Physical Description:
carton 3, folder 28-35; oversize folder 1
Carton 3, Folder 28
Albert Livingston Gump,
1906-1963
Carton 3, Folder 32, Oversize Folder 1
Legal documents,
1904-1937
Carton 3, Folder 34
Nancy Reagan gift to governors and other Reagan-related documents,
1968-1977
Carton 3, Folder 35
Miscellaneous family papers,
1928-1958
