Description
The papers of William Hewlett document his professional and personal life, covering his many activities outside of Hewlett-Packard
Company, how he invested his time and money, and his engagement with many organizations and individuals in business, politics,
science, and academia.
Background
William Hewlett was the co-founder of Hewlett-Packard, one of the most successful technology start-up companies in the history
of Silicon Valley. He and his business partner and longtime friend David Packard flipped a coin to determine the order of
their names when starting their company. Following the tremendous success of Hewlett-Packard, he became well known for his
philanthropy, donating millions of dollars from his fortune to support various causes. In 1966, he and his wife established
the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Today the private foundation is among the largest in the United States.
Extent
314 Linear Feet
(714 manuscript boxes, 3 card boxes, 11 flat boxes, 9 record cartons, and 19 map folders)
Restrictions
While Special Collections is the owner of the physical and digital items, permission to examine collection materials is not
an authorization to publish. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. Any transmission
or reproduction beyond that allowed by fair use requires permission from the owners of rights, heir(s) or assigns.
Availability
The collection is open for research, with the exception of a few boxes. Both Series 2: Financial and Series 4: Properties
and Rentals each contain one box closed until the year 2050 because of sensitive material related to litigation. All items
in Series 15: Audiovisual Materials were digitized and should be viewed or listened to through the reading room. The box containing
the original audiovisual media is closed. Series 16: Original Correspondence is also closed to researchers, and only meant
for use by staff, due to fragility; photocopies have been made available.