William D. Hassett Papers | Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum
Collection Overview
Title: William D. Hassett Papers
Primary Creator: William D. Hassett (1880-1965)
Extent: 13.0 Cubic Feet
Date Acquired: 06/02/1958
Scope and Contents of the Materials
Collection Historical Note
William D. Hassett was born in Northfield, Vermont, on August 28, 1880. He attended Clark University from 1902-04, then became a reporter for the Burlington Free Press.
In 1909, Hassett went to Washington, D.C., where he continued his newspaper career with the Washington Post and the Associated Press, and also served as Washington correspondent for the Cincinnati Enquirer and the New York Telegram. From 1921 to 1925, her served in London as correspondent for the Philadelphia Public Ledger and the Associated Press.
Hassett began his government career in 1933 with the National Recovery Administration. In 1935 he became an Assistant Secretary to the President. On February 19, 1944, President Roosevelt appointed him Secretary to the President. Hassett also served occasionally as White House press secretary and it was he who announced the President’s death in Warm Springs, Georgia. He was appointed Secretary to President Truman on April 16, 1945, and held this post until his retirement in 1952.
Hassett was a director of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial Foundation, a trustee of Norwich University (Vermont), and a member of the Board of Management of the Cosmos Club, Washington, D.C. He wrote several articles and books, the best known being Off the Record with FDR (New Brunswick, Rutgers University Press, 1958).
Mr. Hassett died on August 29, 1965, in Northfield Vermont.
Administrative Information
Repository: Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum
Access Restrictions: Certain materials have been closed on the instructions of the donor.
Use Restrictions: The literary property rights in them have not been donated to the United States Government.
Acquisition Source: William D. Hassett
Acquisition Method: Mr. Hassett donated his papers to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library on June 2, 1958.
Related Materials: Materials relating to William Hassett will be found in PPF 5125 (William D. Hassett), OF 5485 (William D. Hassett) and the Oscar Cox Papers (William D. Hassett). There is also material at the Library of Congress and copies of material at the Truman Library in Independence, Missouri.
Box and Folder Listing
Browse by Series:
[Series 1: General Correspondence, 1911-1965],
[Series 2: Personal File, 1903-1961],
[Series 3: Clippings File, 1910-1960],
[Series 4: Microfilm, 1941-1955],
[All]
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Series 2: Personal File, 1903-1961
- Messages of congratulations, greeting cards, diary material, date and guest books, invitations, memorabilia and writings of Hassett and others. The diary is a marked copy which Hassett used in preparing Off the Record with FDR. The only material before 1933 is a Clark College notebook (1903) and White House invitations (1914 and 1917). (Containers 20-24)
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Box 20
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Box 21
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Box 22
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Box 23
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Box 24
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Press Conferences, 1939, 1946, 1947, 1949
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Speech - Hassett, June 16, 1954
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Writings - "The Lengthening Shadow of FDR"
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Writings - "Walking with the Devil"
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Writings - "Off the Record with FDR" - Correspondence re
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Writings - "Off the Record with FDR" - Material re
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Writings - "Off the Record with FDR" - Galley Proof
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Writings - "Off the Record with FDR" - Reviews
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Writings - "The President was My Boss" - Article in the Saturday Evening Post
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Reviews of Books about FDR
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Writings of Others - Miscellaneous
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Publications - "Confessions Of A Young Man" and "La Peinture de Michel'Ange"
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Browse by Series:
[Series 1: General Correspondence, 1911-1965],
[Series 2: Personal File, 1903-1961],
[Series 3: Clippings File, 1910-1960],
[Series 4: Microfilm, 1941-1955],
[All]