Alfons Horten Papers, 1905-1926

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Horten, Alfons
Title
Alfons Horten Papers
Dates
1905-1926 (inclusive)
Quantity
2 containers., (1 linear feet of shelf space.), (1350 items.)
Collection Number
Cage 287
Summary
Correspondence with August, Fritz and Joseph Thyssen, mining reports and profiles; concerning mining concessions, in territorial politics, the iron and steel industry in Germany.
Repository
Washington State University Libraries' Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
Terrell Library Suite 12
Pullman, WA
99164-5610
Telephone: 509-335-6691
mascref@wsu.edu
Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research use.

Languages
German
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Alfons Horten (f1.1900-1930) was a German businessman at Hagendingen, in Lorraine, connected with the Thyssen steelworks, either as an employee or on a retainer basis. He bore the title "Bergassessor," and was largely concerned with the purchase of ores, mines, and mining concessions. His field of activities extended throughout Europe and into Western Asia. His son Alfons Horten, (b.1907) was subsequently (1976) an industrialist at Duisdorf near Bonn.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The papers consist largely of correspondence between Horten and August Thyssen (1842-1926), his son Fritz Thyssen (1873-1951) and officials of the Thyssen organization. A few items of correspondence with Chancellors Wilhelm Cuno (1876-1933) and Joseph Wirth (1879-1956) are included. Most of the correspondence relates to Horten's efforts to supply Thyssen's steel mills with raw materials, primarily from outside Germany. These activities placed him near the center of events associated with the German foreign policy of economic-based expansion, which characterized German foreign relations in the pre-World War I period, according to Modern European historians sympathetic to the controversial "Fischer Thesis." See Fritz Fischer, Griff nach der Weltmacht (Dusseldorf: Droste Verlag, 1961). Some items, especially letters from August Thyssen to Horten are preserved in both Thyssen's original handwriting and in typed transcripts.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

[Item Description]. Cage 287, Alfons Horten Papers. Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

The arrangement of the papers is largely chronological and preser ves the order in which they were found.

Acquisition Information

The provenance of the papers has not been determined.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Letters of August Thyssen to HortenReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
1 1
135 items.
September 1906-December 1908
1 2
180 items.
January 1909-January 1913

Correspondence among August Thyssen, Horten and others, including typed transcripts of some items in folders 1 and 2.Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
1 3
120 items.
August 31, 1906-December 31, 1907
1 4
100 items.
January 1, 1908-December 23, 1908
1 5
100 items.
January 1, 1909-December 28, 1909
1 6
125 items.
January 6, 1910-December 28, 1910
2 7
175 items.
January, 1911-December 31, 1911
2 8
120 items.
October 30, 1916-November 7, 1916; October 30, 1916-November 7, 1916

Letters of Horten to August Thyssen., September 10, 1909-December 22, 1912Return to Top

Container(s): Box 2, Folder 9

100 items.

Correspondence of Fritz Thyssen and Horten., August 13, 1907-February 13, 1912Return to Top

Container(s): Box 2, Folder 10

80 items.

Correspondence of officials of Gewerkschaft Deutscher Kaiser with Horten., December 31, 1906-October 14, 1913Return to Top

Container(s): Box 2, Folder 11

100 items.

Correspondence of Joseph Wirth and Wilhelm Cuno with Horten., January 29, 1924-September 24, 1926Return to Top

Container(s): Box 2, Folder 12

7 items.

Technical reports of mines and minerals, 1905Return to Top

Container(s): Box 2, Folder 13

5 items.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Iron industry and trade--Germany--Records and correspondence
  • Steel industry and trade--Germany--Records and correspondence

Personal Names

  • Horten, Alfons --Archives (creator)
  • Thyssen, August
  • Thyssen, Fritz, 1873-1951

Corporate Names

  • August Thyssen-Hütte (Firm)