Logo for Louis McHenry Howe Personal Papers, 1847-1958 | Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum

Louis McHenry Howe Personal Papers, 1847-1958 | Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum

Collection Overview

Title: Louis McHenry Howe Personal Papers, 1847-1958Add to your cart.

Primary Creator: Louis McHenry Howe (1871-1936)

Extent: 13.15 Cubic Feet

Arrangement: The materials in this collection were organized prior to their deposit at the Library by the Howe family and by historian Alfred B. Rollins, Jr., who was given special access to the papers for his book Roosevelt and Howe. Because of the unusual provenance and ownership circumstances of this collection, these folder titles and the basic arrangement have been retained. Researchers are encouraged to browse the entire finding aid as materials related to each other can be found throughout the collection rather than grouped.

Date Acquired: 07/00/1958

Abstract

This collection contains materials primarily related to the personal life of Louis McHenry Howe.

Scope and Contents of the Materials

This collection contains materials primarily related to the personal life of Louis McHenry Howe. In addition, this collection contains correspondence and other materials related to Howe’s father, E. P. Howe; the life and political career of Howe’s wife, Grace Hartley Howe, and her family; and the two Howe children, Mary and Hartley. There is a minimal amount of material related to Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. Many of the older materials show clear signs of water damage, mildew staining and dirt. It was determined during processing and review that parts of the collection suffered damage during the great northeastern hurricane of 1938 that affected the Howe family residence in Massachusetts. Additional materials related to Howe’s official involvement in government activities and interaction with Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt are located in a separate collection of Louis McHenry Howe Official Papers.

Collection Historical Note

Louis McHenry Howe was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on January 14, 1871. When Louis was five years old, financial reversals forced the family to move to Saratoga Springs, New York. As a young man, he attended the Saratoga Institute, a private day school, but he had no formal college training. His father had purchased the Saratoga Sun in 1882 and Louis worked for him, eventually taking charge of the publication when his father became ill. He also assumed his father's supplemental position as local reporter for the New York Herald.

In 1906, Howe became involved in an attempt to reform the Democratic Party in New York State. As a newspaperman, Howe was able to serve the anti-Tammany Hall organization in many ways. In 1910, he met the young Senator from Dutchess County, Franklin D. Roosevelt. Drawn together by mutual political interests, the two became close friends. When Roosevelt was ill with typhoid fever during his 1912 campaign for re-election to the State Senate, Howe carried the campaign to a successful conclusion.

Howe went to Washington in 1913 as secretary, and later special assistant, to Assistant Secretary of the Navy Roosevelt. He was mainly a "trouble-shooter" using his political acumen to cut through government red tape.

The eight years in Washington were probably the most stable ones the Howe family ever enjoyed. When Roosevelt contracted polio in 1921, Howe committed himself to the job of secretary, friend and confidant to FDR, which was to be his role for the rest of his life. He was a nurse, business manager and morale booster for FDR. He encouraged FDR to make ship models, which were pitted against other models in challenge cup races. Howe wrote skits and poems and made up watercolor booklets about experiences he and Roosevelt shared. One such story was "The Log of the Houseboat Larooco," (located in the Roosevelt Family, Business and Personal Papers). He also managed to keep Roosevelt's name before the public in anticipation of the time when FDR would be ready to re-enter the political arena. Howe's timetable called for FDR to run for Governor of New York in 1932 and for the Presidency in 1936. The 1928 draft for Governor of Roosevelt changed the timetable, but not the program. Howe managed FDR's gubernatorial campaigns and acted as his secretary and chief advisor during the two terms as Governor of New York State. In 1932, he and James Farley went to the convention in Chicago to secure the presidential nomination for Roosevelt. After the election, Howe supposedly remarked that he had probably worked himself out of a job. To some degree this was true. Howe lived at the White House and had an office close to the President, but it was no longer possible for him to handle all the demands the job placed on a secretary. He established the first Press Intelligence Service; he was secretary and later executive director of the National Crime Commission; and he was actively involved in plans for the Civilian Conservation Corps and Subsistence Housing projects, particularly Arthurdale, West Virginia.

The heart condition and chronic asthma that had plagued Howe most of his life began to take its toll. He was dangerously ill by April 1935, but even after he was hospitalized in August of that year, he continued to be involved in affairs of government and the plans for the 1936 campaign. He suggested the creation of a Roosevelt Good Neighbor League to organize "non-partisan" clubs throughout the country. This was an effort to involve Republicans who supported Roosevelt but did not wish to be labeled Democrats. Howe did live to see Roosevelt re-elected. He died on April 18, 1936.

Administrative Information

Repository: Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum

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

Acquisition Source: Mrs. Mary Howe Baker and Mr. Hartley Howe

Acquisition Method: The Personal Papers of Louis McHenry Howe were deposited at the Library in July 1958 as a loan from Mrs. Mary Howe Baker and Mr. Hartley Howe, the children of Louis and Grace Howe.

Appraisal Information: The Personal Papers of Louis McHenry Howe were deposited at the Library in July 1958 as a loan from Mrs. Mary Howe Baker and Mr. Hartley Howe, the children of Louis and Grace Howe. At the time the materials were deposited at the Library, they were placed under restriction, with access by researchers subject to the approval of the Howe Family. In 2005, following a review by the National Archives and Records Administration general counsel and after repeated attempts at contact with the Howe Family, it was determined that physical and intellectual ownership in these papers was now vested in the government. They are now open and available for researchers use without restriction.

Related Materials: Numerous collections including: President’s Official, Personal and Secretary’s Files, FDR Assistant Secretary of the Navy Papers, FDR Family, Business and Personal Papers, FDR Papers as Governor of New York, Louis McHenry Howe Official Papers, Eleanor Roosevelt Papers.

Box and Folder Listing


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Box 9Add to your cart.

Works Progress Bulletin, MassachusettsAdd to your cart.

Historical InterestsAdd to your cart.

Howe, Louis: Correspondence, 1932-1936Add to your cart.

Democratic Women's Club of Fall River: Recording Secretary's Minute Book, 1925-1932Add to your cart.

Howe, Grace: Campaign Materials, 1936Add to your cart.

Politics, 1929-1930Add to your cart.

Howe, Grace: Campaign - Massachusetts, 1928Add to your cart.

Requests for Help, 1934-1939Add to your cart.

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