Harold L. Ickes: A register of his papers in the Library of Congress

Sullivan, Joseph; Miller, Michael; Kells, Laura

A finding aid for the papers of Harold LeClair Ickes (1874-1952), secretary of the interior (1933-1946), held by the manuscript division of the Library of Congress. The papers of Harold LeClair Ickes (1874-1952), secretary of the interior, were given to the Library of Congress by Jane Dahlman Ickes in 1952. Subsequent installments were given to the Library by the Ickes family from 1952 to 1972. Small amounts of additional material were purchased from Paul H. North, Jr., in 1984 and given to the Library by Frances W. Saunders in 1985. The Harold LeClair Ickes papers span the years 1815-1969, with most of the material concentrated in the period 1933-1951. Almost all aspects of his career are illuminated in the papers through letters to friends and critics, through official correspondence while he was secretary of the interior, in his diary, in unpublished and published memoirs and autobiographical sketches, and by his speeches and statements. Ickes's diary is especially revealing, not only of his own life and career, but also for his observations on affairs of state and comments on prominent public figures. The collection includes little family correspondence, although his personal memoirs in the Speeches and Writings File contain information regarding his family life and early years.