John Gilbert Winant Papers, 1916-1947 | Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum

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Collection Overview

Title: John Gilbert Winant Papers, 1916-1947

Primary Creator: John Gilbert Winant (1889-1947)

Extent: 147.26 Cubic Feet

Date Acquired: 00/00/1948

Scope and Contents of the Materials

The Winant Papers include correspondence, memoranda, reports, financial papers, campaign records and literature, appointment books, drafts of speeches and other writings, newspaper clippings and other printed material. Early papers relating to Winant’s government service in New Hampshire are of an official nature and deal with matters such as old-age insurance, unemployment relief, and conservation of natural resources; papers from later years, including the Ambassadorial period, are mainly personal files dealing with social invitations, speaking engagements and requests for recommendations, jobs, or assistance. Personal papers dealing with family affairs and financial matters are filed at the end of each series.

Collection Historical Note

John Gilbert Winant was born in New York City on February 23, 1889. He attended St. Paul’s School in Concord, New Hampshire and entered Princeton University as a member of the Class of 1913.

After withdrawing from Princeton in late 1912, Winant returned to St. Paul’s School as a history teacher. He became active in local politics and was elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives in 1917. When the United States entered World War I, Winant enlisted in the American Expeditionary Forces and was assigned to the 1^st Aero Squadron. By the time he left the service in 1919, he had risen to the rank of Captain of the 8^th Aero Squadron. After the war he returned to St. Paul’s school as a teacher and Second Vice-Rector. He reentered New Hampshire politics in 1920 and was elected to a term in the State Senate. Later he served a second term in the House and three terms as Governor of the state, 1925-26, 1931-32, and 1933-34.

Throughout his career, Winant was interested in social and labor legislation. During his Governorship, the State Legislature passed a Minimum Wage bill, a State Relief bill, an Aid to Dependent Children bill and established a State Planning Board. Winant also unsuccessfully supported the passage of a 48-Hour bill. In 1931, he proposed the “New Hampshire Plan” which urged a nationwide four-day work week as a means of solving the nation’s economic ills. At this time, Winant was also active in the National Recreation Association, the National Consumers’ League, the American Association for Labor Legislation, and the Young Men’s Christian Association.

Although a Republican, Winant became a supporter of Franklin D. Roosevelt and his New Deal policies. In 1934 Roosevelt appointed him to an Advisory Council to the Committee on Economic Security which assisted the Labor Department in drafting national social security legislation.

After successful intervention in the 1933 strike of textile workers in Manchester, New Hampshire, Winant became head of a Special Board of Inquiry into the United Textile Workers’ Strike of 1934. His work on this committee gave rise to a movement to have him nominated as the 1936 GOP Presidential candidate. Winant refused to run for the Presidency or for a fourth term as Governor. Instead, he accepted the post of Assistant Director of the International Labor Office in Geneva in April 1935 but stayed in Geneva only a few months before returning to Washington to become the first chairman of the Social Security Board. Continuing his contacts with the International Labor Organization, he served as chairman of the American Delegation to the 1936 Labor Conference in Geneva. After Landon attacked the Social Security Act during the 1936 Presidential campaign, Winant resigned as Chairman of the Social Security Board to freely defend the Act and President Roosevelt; he later returned to the Chairmanship. Resigning from the Board a second time in early 1937, he returned to Geneva as Assistant Director of the I.L.O. He was made Director of the organization in February 1939. With the coming of the second World War, Winant assured the continuance of the I.L.O. by engineering the transfer of the Office to Montreal.

President Roosevelt appointed Winant to replace Joseph P. Kennedy as Ambassador to Great Britain in 1941. Winant advocated increased aid to Great Britain and Russia before the United States officially entered the war. He was extremely popular with the British people however his authority as Ambassador was often overshadowed by the dispatch of special missions to London and the personal relationship which developed between President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill. Winant was also interested in post-war planning, particularly as it affected Russia and in November 1943 was named as Untied States representative on the European Advisory Commission which considered post-war treatment of Germany.

Early in 1946, President Truman appointed Winant to be the United States representative to the United Nations Economic and Social Council which dealt with refugees, displaced persons and other post-war problems. Resigning as Ambassador, Winant returned to the United States in May 1946. He continued to serve on the Economic and Social Council until January 1947.

Though officially retired, Winant accepted the chairmanship of National Brotherhood Week in February 1947, making an exhausting cross-country speech-making tour. At that time he was also working on a series of books describing his Ambassadorial experiences. The first volume, entitled Letter From Grosvenor Square, was completed and he had begun work on the second when he died on November 3, 1947.

Administrative Information

Repository: Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum

Access Restrictions: This collection is available for use by the general public.

Use Restrictions: Material in this collection is subject to the Copyright Law, Title 17 U.S. Code.

Acquisition Source: Constance Winant, Rivington Winant and others

Acquisition Method: The papers of John Gilbert Winant were deposited in the Library by his widow, Constance Winant, in 1948 and 1949, and donated to the Library by his son, Rivington Winant, acting on behalf of himself and the other descendants of John G. Winant, in April 2000.

Related Materials: President’s Secretary’s File: Great Britain; President’s Secretary’s File: Great Britain: Winant; President’s Personal File 42 John G. Winant; President’s Official File 48 Great Britain; President’s Official File 1710 Social Security Board; President’s Official File 4281 John G. Winant; Bernard Bellush Papers; Isador Lubin Papers.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Early Papers, 1916-1930],
[Series 2: Governorship: Second Term, 1931-1932],
[Series 3: Governorship: Third Term, 1933-1934],
[Series 4: Papers, 1935-February 1941],
[Series 5: Internal Labor Organization, 1935-1941],
[Series 6: Ambassador to Great Britain, 1941-1946],
[Series 7: Post-Ambassadorial Period, 1946-1947],
[Series 8: Speeches and Writings, 1916-1947],
[Series 9: Printed Matter],
[All]

Series 4: Papers, 1935-February 1941

Series 4 holds incoming and outgoing correspondence, memoranda and reports arranged alphabetically by subject or surname of correspondent. Includes material concerning the Social Security Board, the National Consumers’ League and other organizations that Winant was associated with as well as family, business and personal correspondence. Similar material is found in the International labor Organization files in Series 5.

Box 153

A (General)
Administrative Management
Aid and/or Assistance, Requests for
Airport, Boston Metropolitan (Willard P. Fuller)
American Association for Labor Legislation
American Foundation Studies in Government - Esther Everett Lape (1)
American Foundation Studies in Government - Esther Everett Lape (2)
American Labor Party
American National Committee
"American" - Miscellaneous
Anonymous Correspondence
Applications and Recommendations Received
Articles Requested of John G. Winant
Asbury Grove, Massachusetts - Speech, 1936

Box 154

Ba-Bo (General)
Babcock, E. C., 1936-1937
Baker, Cecil R. (re Clinton Winant), 1935-1937
Bar Association of the City of New York
Benson, Mrs. R. Laurence, 1935-1936
Biddle, Eric, 1936
Bond, Marshall, 1936-1937
Book: The ABC of Social Security by Winant
Boudreau, Frank G., 1936-1939
Bower, B. O., 1936-1937
Boy Scouts of America
Br-Bz (General)
Braucher, Howard - National Recreation Association, 1936-1937
Brin, Leonard, 1936
Brookings Institution (1)
Brookings Institution (2)
Brookings Institution (3)

Box 155

Building Products Company
Bull Terrier Club of America
Ca-Cl (General)
Chapel Hill, March 3, 1937
Christmas Acknowledgements
Churches - Conferences with Religious Leaders, March 28, 1936
Co (General)
Cohen, Ben V., n.d.
Colby Junior College
Committee on Coordination for Social Security Legislation of the Federal Bar Association
Committee on Economic Security
Congratulations on Social Security Board Appointment (1)
Congratulations on Social Security Board Appointment (2)
Corcoran, Thomas C. (Material Sent by Altmeyer re 1936 Republican Attack on Social Security Legislation)
Cory and Falk, Drs.

Box 156

Cotton Manufacturers, National Association of (Robert Huse)
Council of State Governments, 1935
Council of State Governments, 1936
Council of State Governments, 1937
Council of State Governments - Printed Matter
Coyle-Concord Oil Company, 1935-1938
Cr-Cz (General)
Da-Di (General)

Box 157

Dalls, Rev. J. T., 1935-1936
Diatomite - New Hampshire Diatomite Company
Diatomite - New Hampshire Diatomite Company, F. H. Emerson, 1937
Diatomite - New Hampshire Diatomite Company, F. H. Emerson, 1939
Diatomite - John Sise and Company
Diatomite - Robert O. Underwood
Do-Du (General)
Donaldson, Ray, 1937
Drury, Rev. Samuel S. and Family, 1935-1936
E (General)
Eight Aero Squadron
Executive Reorganization
Fa-Fl (General)
Fair, Harry, 1935-1939
Farjeon, Ballin and Company
Federal Housing Administration (Stewart McDonald)

Box 158

First National Bank, Concord, NH
Fo-Fu (General)
Fuller, Willard, 1936-1937
G (General)
Georgetown Gaslight Company
Gifts (Flowers Sent)
Ha-Hi (General)
Hall, Richard, 1936
Harlan, Laura, 1935-1937
Harvard University, February 26-27, 1937
Healy, Mary C., 1937
Hitchcock, Thomas, Jr., 1936-1939
Ho-Hu (General)
Holderness School
Huberth and Huberth, Inc.

Box 159

I (General)
International Committee of YMCA (Springfield College)
International Committee of YMCA's
International Labor Conference, 1936
International Silcosis Conference, 1938
International Textile Conference - Correspondence, 1937
International Textile Conference - Drafts of Speeches, etc., 1937
International Textile Conference - Reports, etc., 1937
International Textile Conference - Rosters and Administration, 1937
Interviews, Requests for
Invitations - Formal

Box 160

Invitations to Speak, 1935-1937
Irvin, Warren, 1936
J (General)
Judicial Reorganization
K (General)
L (General)
Labor's Non-Partisan League
Langley, James M., 1936
Lape, Esther (See also The American Foundation), 1937
Layman's Association Convention (Methodist Episcopal Church, Poughkeepsie, NY), November 11, 1936
League of Nations Association
Lebeau, Roland E., 1940
Letters of Introduction Written by Mr. Winant
Mac-Mc (General)
MacMurphy, Allen, 1935-1936

Box 161

Ma-Mi (General)
Madariaga, S. De, 1936
Matthews, Benjamin A., 1936-1937
Michigan Conference of Social Work, October 9, 1936
Milbank Memorial Fund, 1937
Milk Study - NRA (Irene Till)
Miller, Spencer, 1935-1936
Mo-Mu (General)
Moffett, Guy, 1936-1937
N (General)
National Child Labor Committee
National Committee for Clarifying the Constitution Amendment
National Consumers' League

Box 162

National Institute of Social Sciences
National League of Women Voters
National Municipal League
National Policy Committee, Special Committee on Labor
National Recreation Association, 1935
National Recreation Association, 1936
National Recreation Association, 1937
National Recreation Association, 1938
National Recreation Association, 1939-1940
National Tuberculosis Association
"National" - Miscellaneous
New England Council

Box 163

New Hampshire
New York Edison Company
Nichols Engineering and Research Corporation
Nyman, Carter, 1936
O (General)
Oberlin College
Old South Forum
P (General)
Pearson, John, 1934-1937
Pension (Old Age) Report
Perkins, Frances, 1936
Presidential Campaign (Mock Republican Convention), 1936

Box 164

Press
Princeton University
Pryll, Walter, 1939
Q (General)
R (General)
Rauch, Stewart, 1936
Recommendations Written by JGW
Resettlement Administration (Low-cost Housing)
Riegelman, Carol, 1936
Rochester, University of
Roosevelt, President Franklin D. and Eleanor
Roosevelt Memorial Association
Sa-Sl (General)
Scribner and Sons
Second National Conference on Labor Legislation
Sm-Sz (General)

Box 165

Smith, Geoffrey, 1935-1937
Smith, Phil, 1935-1936
Social Science Research Council
Social Security Act
Social Security Board: General
Social Security Board: Appointment as Chairman of
Social Security Board: Altmeyer/Winant Messages
Social Security Board: Clippings
Social Security Board: Resignation, September 1936
Social Security Board: Congratulatory Letters re Resignation
Social Security Board: Vandenburg Letter re Resignation
Social Security Board: Anti-Social Security Material
Social Security Board: Speaking Engagements in Defense of Social Security Act

Box 166

Social Security Board: Speech Materials for Defense of the Board
Social Security Board: First Annual Report - Acknowledgements of
Social Security Board: Final Resignation, 1937
Social Security Board: Statement of JGW as Chairman
Social Security Board: Miscellaneous
Speeches: Correspondence re
State Compacts
Stevens, Raymond B., 1936
Straus, Roger, 1937-1939
Study of the Financing of Old-Age Security
Swift, O. P. and Johnson, Robert W., 1935
T (General)
Twentieth Century Fund, Inc. (Wagner Bill)

Box 167

U (General)
U.S. Department of Labor
V (General)
Vouchers, Claims for Reimbursement, etc.
Wa-Wi (General)
Washington Cathedral
Weddings
Whitehouse, C. E. "Deacon", 1936-1937
Winant, Mrs. John G.
Winant, John G., Jr.
Winant, Frederick, Jr.
Winant, Jeannette (Mother)
Winant, John G. (Personal) - Financial Matters, Bills, etc.
Winant, John G. - Miscellaneous Personal Matters

Box 168

Winant, John G. "For Presidency", 1935-1936
Wo-Wz (General)
Woodbury Forest School, VA (re Speech), June 12, 1936
X-Y-Z (General)
Christmas Cards (1)
Christmas Cards (2)
Social Security Board: Clippings
New York Herald Tribune: Clippings
New York Times: Clippings
Press Clippings: Miscellaneous, 1935-1937