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Richard A. Ballinger papers, 1879-1929

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Ballinger, Richard Achilles, 1858-1922
Title
Richard A. Ballinger papers
Dates
1879-1929 (inclusive)
Quantity
16.65 cubic feet (25 boxes, 2 vertical files)
13 positive microfilm reels, 13 negative microfilm reels
Collection Number
0015 (Accession No. 0015-001)
Summary
Papers of Mayor of Seattle, 1904-1906; Commissioner of the General Land Office, 1907-1908; and the Secretary of the Interior, 1909-1911
Repository
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions

Open to all users.

Request at UW

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

Richard Achilles Ballinger was mayor of Seattle, Washington from 1904–1906 and United States Secretary of the Interior from 1909–1911. He was born on July 9, 1858 in Boonesboro, Iowa, and graduated from Williams College in 1884. After serving as mayor of Seattle, Ballinger attracted the attention of President Theodore Roosevelt's administration and was appointed commissioner of the General Land Office from 1907 to 1909. In 1909, President William Howard Taft appointed him Secretary of the Interior. During his term, Ballinger sought to make public resources more available for private interests. He ran afoul of Gifford Pinchot, chief of the Division of Forestry in the Department of Agriculture, in a highly publicized controversy. Ballinger was accused of interfering in an investigation into the legality of private interests in coal reserves in Alaska. Taft supported Ballinger, and a congressional committee exonerated Ballinger. Nevertheless, Ballinger resigned in March 1911. During the investigation, Ballinger made known his views against conservationism. The controversy caused a rift between conservative Republicans led by Taft and progressive Republicans loyal to Roosevelt. The incident split the Republican Party and helped turn the election of 1912 against Taft. Ballinger died on June 6, 1922, in Seattle, Washington.

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Content Description

The papers contain approximately 8,087 items of correspondence plus a few related documents, newspaper clippings and other printed miscellany. The main portion, 6,542 items, concerns Ballinger's term as Secretary of the Interior, 1909-1911. Documentation of his earlier life is restricted primarily to the period 1907-1908 during which time he served as Commissioner of the General Land Office (797 items). Miscellaneous sections (748 items) include letters of condolence received by the family upon Ballinger's death in 1922; business letters pertaining to the Lake Ballinger Land Company, 1914-1920; memoranda on the Forest Service; records of miscellaneous hearings; and drafts of speeches prepared during Ballinger's service as Secretary of the Interior.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.

Preferred Citation

Richard A. Ballinger papers. Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries, Seattle, Washington.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Arranged in 14 series:

  • Biographical and family background information
  • Pre-Secretary of the Interior group correspondence
  • Pre-Secretary of the Interior group miscellaneous files
  • Secretary of the Interior group correspondence
  • Secretary of the Interior group miscellaneous files
  • Memoranda regarding United States Forest Service
  • Records of hearings at which Ballinger was a principal
  • Speeches
  • Biographical memoranda
  • Miscellaneous files retained intact from Ballinger's files
  • Miscellaneous files
  • Lake Ballinger Land Company
  • Clippings
  • Miscellaneous publications

Ballinger's penchant for preciseness is reflected in the correspondence files. While Secretary of the Interior, he made a practice of answering every letter, no matter how trivial, the day it was received. If this were impossible, a reply would be sent as soon as the staff could furnish the required information. All replies were attached to the incoming letter. If memoranda had been supplied by the staff or queries made to other executive departments in response to the original missive, these too would be appended.

The essence of the original organization of the papers was retained by treating an incoming letter as a basic piece of correspondence and filing this by the name of the author. Replies, enclosures and pertinent papers were then retained with each basic element. Individual folders were assigned to those authors whose correspondence was of large volume or of special significance. Consistent with the method of handling replies, outgoing letters which are not classified as replies were filed by the name of the addressee. Within each folder a chronological order was adhered to, disregarding the outgoing or incoming status of the item. Where the author of a letter was acting as the agent of another party, the name of the latter was used for filing purposes. Miscellaneous folders follow the individual name folders and are arranged alphabetically by correspondent within each letter group.

Acquisition Information

Gift of Ballinger's widow, Mrs. Richard A. Ballinger, on December 6, 1958.

Processing Note

The Ballinger papers are described to bring out name of persons and the general topics that are the subject of individual letters. The description adheres to the organization of the papers and lists the correspondence in the individual name folders of the pre-Secretary of Interior and Secretary of Interior groups, the memoranda on the Forest Service, records of hearings, drafts of speeches and miscellaneous intact files.

Although they are nominally separated by the beginning date of the Taft administration, March 4, 1909, some overlapping will be found in the breakdown of the pre-Secretary and Secretary groups. All material dated subsequent to March 3, 1909 is with the latter group. However, a few letters dated prior to March 4, 1909, discussing Ballinger's potential as Secretary of Interior, are closely related to and therefore included with the Secretary group.

Four kinds of information are given: name of correspondent; orientation of letter with respect to Ballinger, that is, whether incoming, outgoing, replies to incoming letters ("Response") or enclosures; respective dates of each item; and brief subject identifications. Contextual comment has been deliberately avoided in the subject identification.

The volume of correspondence and the overall time period reflected in each folder for a particular correspondent is indicated on the heading preceding the itemized letters. An enclosure is listed immediately after the parent item with which it was enclosed. Subject identification is consolidated for an incoming letter and the reply to it, but the subjects of enclosures, when available, are separately identified.

When it is apparent that the author of an enclosure is not the originator of the basic letter and can be identified, his or her name indicated in the scope and content note by "From" preceding the name . If the correspondent enclosed a letter he had written to some party other than Ballinger, the addressee is indicated by "To" preceding his name. The name of an agent who signs for another person or corporate body is also shown by "From".

There were some cases in which items that normally would have been enclosures were received by Ballinger without forwarding letters. These are to be found under the name of the person from whom Ballinger received that particular item. They are listed as "Incoming" letters with the author or addressee indicated by "From" or "To."

Where more than one subject is listed, the subjects are generally discussed in relation to each other. Where the number of pages indicate that all the material in the folder has not been listed, it may be assumed that the subject of the omitted correspondence was either too vague or too insignificant to list.

A small number of topics were the subject of a large volume of correspondence. Amplification of a few of the subject terms is given below. The amplification applies when the respective terminology is used without qualification.

  • "Appointment": : Alone or with "Congratulations" denotes references to Ballinger's appointment as either Commissioner of the General Land Office or as Secretary of the Interior.
  • "Committee": : Indicates the Joint Committee of the 61st Congress, 3rd Session, charged with the Investigation of the Interior Department and of the Bureau of Forestry.
  • "Committee report":: Refers to the majority report of the above Committee issued in December 1910.
  • "Controversy": : The classic controversy between Pinchot and Ballinger with all of its ramifications.
  • "GLO":: This is an abbreviation used throughout the correspondence to signify General Land Office.
  • "Investigation":: Either alone or modified by "Congressional" refers to the investigation conducted by the Joint Congressional Committee referred to above.
  • "Invitation": : Invitations to assemblies, to speeches and to various social affairs are numerous. If the authors were not otherwise represented in the collection, routine invitations were merely filed together in one folder and given no further processing.
  • "Land Office":: Used variously by different correspondents to mean either the General Land Office, a local Land Office or any branch of the field service of the General Land Office.
  • "Letter of introduction":: Ballinger received numerous requests for letters of introduction and was, of course, the recipient of many such letters.
  • "Patronage":: Requests or endorsements for various government posts are designated "Patronage." In most cases the locality and pertinent position are also noted. The range of interest extends from doorman to territorial governors.
  • "President's action": : Identifies those letters which comment on the administrative action taken in September 1910 by President Taft in response to charges brought by Louis R. Glavis against Ballinger and other officers in the Interior Department.
  • "President's letter":: Without further identification this entry signifies the letter from Taft to Ballinger dated September 13, 1910, referring to the above charges and action.
  • "Resignation": : From the beginning of the Controversy rumors of Ballinger's imminent resignation were widely spread. Hence he received many letters protesting or otherwise commenting on this likelihood.
  • "Sentiment": : Supporters endeavored to provide Ballinger with an idea of public reaction to the Controversy, frequently giving him their observations of local sentiment.
  • "Support": : From the outbreak of the Controversy, Ballinger received many letters from individuals asserting their support of his policies either in general or with respect to some specific action..

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Detailed Description of the Collection

 


2007 (Last modified: 10/3/2023)

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