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 4: Microfilm, 1941-1955
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MICROFILM: The Hassett Papers contain three rolls of microfilm.
Microfilm NO. 46-1 (two rolls) consists of Hassett’s correspondence with family and friends filmed by the Library and returned to him. Roll 1 covers the period 1941-1955, and includes correspondence with Mr. and Mrs. C. I. Frost, Warren Frost, Fred A. Howland and Mrs. C. E. Dorothy, Maxine and Wilson C. McNamara. Roll 2 covers the period 1944-1952 and contains correspondence with Wilson C. McNamara, Mrs. Lawrence Morah and Hassett personal papers relating to real estate, finance, travel, insurance and medical matters. Microfilm No, 46-2 (one roll) consists of material copied from the Hassett Papers in the Library of Congress. Included are a number of FDR memoranda, an invitation to the Truman-Barkley inauguration, an address by Hassett on the eighth anniversary of FDR’s death and material related to the FDR Memorial Commission. Some of this material is duplicated in the manuscript collection.
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]