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Hoffman (Claire G.) Papers
BANC MSS 98/178 c
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Contributing Institution:
The Bancroft Library
Title: Claire Giannini Hoffman papers
Identifier/Call Number: BANC MSS 98/178 c
Physical Description:
14 linear feet
(7 cartons, 2 boxes, 5 oversize boxes, 1 oversize folder)
Date (inclusive): 1887-1999
Abstract: The Claire Giannini Hoffman Papers (1887-1997) consist of correspondence; biographical materials, including writings related
to economic issues, clippings about Hoffman, the Bank of America, and her father, Amadeo Peter Giannini; and a small amount
of family papers.
Physical Location: For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog
Language of Material:
English
.
Collection is open for research.
The Claire Giannini Hoffman Papers were given to The Bancroft Library in April and June 1998 at the bequest of the Claire
G. Hoffman estate. Additions were received from the Estate in 2014. In 2018, additions were received from an anonymous donor.
Claire Evelyn Giannini was born on December 30, 1904 to Amadeo Peter Giannini (died 1949) and Clorinda Agnes Cuneo (also called
Clara Cuneo ; died 1941) in San Mateo, California. She was educated at San Mateo Grammar School, Rosemary Hall in Greenwich,
Connecticut, Ransom School in Piedmont, California, Mills College in Oakland, California; she also attended business school
in Beverly Hills, California. Hoffman's father, A.P. Giannini was the founder of the Bank of Italy, later renamed Bank of
America, and of the Banca d'America e d'Italia. Her brother, L. M. Giannini, was president of the Bank of America from 1936
to his death in 1952. Her husband, Clifford P. Hoffman, was an investment banker. He died in 1954. Since an early age, Claire
Giannini Hoffman accompanied her father on business trips nationwide and abroad. She was appointed on June 14, 1949 to a seat
on the Board of Directors of the Bank of America left vacant by the death of her father, from which she resigned in 1985.
Upon the death of her brother in 1952, she became a member of the General Executive Committee of the Bank of America. In 1957,
she was elected a Director of the Banca d'America e d'Italia. She was also Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Bank
of America-Giannini Foundation, established in 1945. Claire Giannini Hoffman was active in many national and international
banking organizations, where she often was the only woman member. She was a United States delegate to the Atlantic Congress
held in London in 1959. In 1960, she was appointed as a member to the Council of Consultants on the U.S. Small Business Administration.
In 1973, she was the first woman to be asked to be a governor of the Federal Reserve Bank. Claire Giannini Hoffman was a committed
supporter of women pursuing careers and strove to secure equal opportunities for women in business. She was committed to continuing
her father's legacy until her death in 1997 at her childhood home in San Mateo.
[Identification of item], Claire Giannini Hoffman Papers, BANC MSS 98/178 c, The Bancroft Library, University of California,
Berkeley.
Funding for processing provided by the Estate of Claire Giannini Hoffman.
Giannini Hoffman pictorial collection, BANC PIC 1998.075
Scope and Content of Collection
The Claire Giannini Hoffman Papers (1887-1997) consist of correspondence; biographical materials, including writings related
to economic issues, clippings about Hoffman, the Bank of America, and her father, Amadeo Peter Giannini ; and a small amount
of family papers. Most of the correspondence in this collection is from Hoffman's friends and colleagues, rather than her
family. The majority of the correspondence concerns Hoffman's social activities and her father A.P. Giannini. There is a small
amount of correspondence that relates to Hoffman's business life, however, very few letters document her activities as bank
director. No banking papers are held in this collection. Except for a speech about her father, Hoffman's writings are about
the economic issues and policies of the 1970's. The collection contains a small amount of writings about Hoffman, such as
interviews with her regarding her involvement in Bank of America, and those related to her experiences with her father. The
biographical materials are comprised mostly of newspaper and magazine clippings dating from the 1960s-1970s. They are further
subdivided into clippings about Hoffman, clippings about Bank of America, and materials regarding legislation. Clippings about
Hoffman detail her social activities and opinions about economics and about her father's work. Clippings about the Bank of
America are concerned particularly with books published about Bank of America, including Roller Coaster by Moira Johnston,
and Breaking the Bank: The Decline of BankAmerica , by Gary Hector, and Hoffman's opinions on issues related to Bank of America
and her father. These clippings illustrate Hoffman's opinions on bank policy and her committed interest in preserving her
father's legacy. The small amount of legislation and related clippings are concerned with the control and regulation of bank
holding companies and the gold reserve requirement. The Giannini family papers include materials related to A.P. Giannini
and Hoffman's mother, Clorinda Agnes Cuneo Giannini, and miscellaneous materials about Hoffman's husband, Clifford P. Hoffman,
and her niece, Anne Giannini. The materials concerning A.P. Giannini are comprised mostly of newspaper and magazine clippings
about him, with very few letters or personal biographical materials. The small amount of materials about Clorinda Agnes Giannini
(also called Clara Cuneo) consist of a book of school work, an autograph book, and a memoriam of her death. Hoffman's papers
reflect her opinions about the development of the Bank of America from the 1950's, when she assumed the position of director,
to her resignation in 1985. They illustrate Hoffman's consistent efforts to maintain her father's standards in both her personal
and professional life and her devotion to preserving his legacy of equality and fairness in banking.
Printed materials have been transferred to the Book Collection of The Bancroft Library.
Photographs have been transferred to Pictorial Collections of The Bancroft Library.
Videotapes/sound recordings have been transferred to the Microforms Collection of The Bancroft Library.
Medals have been transferred to the Objects Collection of The Bancroft Library.
Some materials in these collections 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.
For additional information about the University of California, Berkeley Library's permissions policy please see: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/about/permissions-policies
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Italian Americans -- California
Bankers -- United States
Bankers -- California
Bankers -- California -- San Francisco
Banks and banking -- United States -- History
Banks and banking -- California -- History
Hoffman, Claire Giannini, 1904-1997
Giannini, Amadeo Peter., 1870-1949
Giannini family.
Bank of America
Bank of Italy, San Francisco.
Banca d'Italia.