Henry Lewis Stimson Papers, 1846-1966
The October 20, 1950 death of Henry Lewis Stimson (1867-1950) marked the end of an extraordinarily long career of public service. A Republican, Stimson served as Secretary of War under William H. Taft (1911-1913), Secretary of State under Herbert Hoover (1929-1933), and Secretary of War under Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman (1940-1945). Stimson, an early proponent of military preparedness, fought in World War I, headed a special electoral mission to Nicaragua in 1927, served as Governor General of the Philippines from 1927-1929, and was an active public commentator and informal advisor on foreign affairs during the building international crisis of the 1930s and after World War II. The papers consist of correspondence, letter books, speeches, articles, letters to the editor, statements prepared for presentation to Congress and substantial subject files with clippings, printed matter, reports, memoranda and photographs related to Henry Stimson's various public offices.