Collection on Henry Cantwell Wallace

Collection

Identifier: MS0108

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Henry Cantwell Wallace (1866-1924) served as the Secretary of Agriculture from 1921 until his death in 1924. The collection contains transcripts of addresses and statements made by Wallace during his tenure as Secretary of Agriculture, copies of letters by Wallace that were released to the press, a newspaper clipping of a New York Times article about the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and information from the Conference of Agricultural Editors Association with the Department of Commerce, held in Washington D.C. in 1923.

The bulk of the collection consists of copies of speeches, most of them dating from 1921-1923, and copies of press releases, most dating from 1922-1923. The collection is divided into four series. Series I contains transcripts of speeches and addresses, including speeches concerning farmers' cooperatives and strikes, the economic development of Alaska, the meatpacking industry, and the effect of the federal government on agriculture. Series II contains copies of official statements by and about Wallace released to the press, as well as one newspaper clipping of a New York Times article explaining Wallace's stance on government aid for farmers. Subjects include farm credit and loans, Alaskan development, fire prevention, and agricultural production. Series III is composed of letters written by Wallace and released to the press. Subjects include Alaskan development, farm credit and loans, and agricultural exports. Series IV contains tables of agricultural statistics from the Conference of Agricultural Editors Association that Wallace attended in 1923.

Dates

Creation: 1921-1924

Conditions Governing Access

Contact Special Collections for access.

Biographical Sketch

Henry Cantwell Wallace (1866-1924) was the United States Secretary of Agriculture from 1921 to 1924. Prior to this appointment, Wallace was part-owner and publisher of the agricultural journal, Farm and Dairy, which was later called Wallaces' Farm and Dairy, and then became Wallaces' Farmer. After the death of his father, Wallace replaced him as editor. The journal gained a reputation as one of the leading agricultural periodicals in the United States. After being appointed as Secretary of Agriculture, Wallace continued to assist farmers by developing improved systems of marketing, establishing the Bureau of Agricultural Economics and the Bureau of Home Economics, and initiating the USDA radio service for market reports. His son, Henry Agard Wallace, served as Secretary of Agriculture from 1933 to 1940, and Vice President of the United States from 1941 to 1945 (see manuscript collection MS 192).

Biographical / Historical

May 11, 1866: Born Henry Cantwell Wallace in Rock Island, Illinois, to Nancy and Henry Wallace.

1885-1887: Attended the Iowa State Agricultural College, now the Iowa State University College of Agriculture.

November 24, 1887: Married Carrie May Broadhead of Muscatine, Iowa.

1891-1892: Returned to Iowa State Agricultural College and completed his degree.

1893-1894: Served as Associate Professor of Dairy Science in the Agricultural Department at Iowa State Agricultural College.

1894: Became one of the owners and publishers of the Farm and Dairy journal, with his father, Henry Wallace, and his brother, John P. Wallace. The journal's name was changed to Wallace's Farm and Dairy, and later changed again to Wallace's Farmer.

1916: Became head editor of Wallace's Farmer upon his father's death.

1921: Appointed Secretary of Agriculture by President Warren Gamaliel Harding. During his time in office, he re-structured and re-organized the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). He also played a role in framing agricultural legislation, inaugurated radio service for Market Reports, and successfully blocked attempts by Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall to have the U.S. Forest Service transferred to the Department of the Interior.

July 1, 1922: Established the Bureau of Agricultural Economics.

July 1, 1923: Established the Bureau of Home Economics.

1924: Re-appointed in his position as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture by President Calvin Coolidge.

October 25, 1924: Died in office following gall bladder surgery.

1925: A book by Wallace, Our Debt and Duty to the Farmer, was published posthumously.

Total Size of Collection

1 letter_document_box

0.5 Linear Feet (1 box)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Content Description

The Collection on Henry Cantwell Wallace consists of press releases of addresses and statements made by Wallace while he was the United States Secretary of Agriculture.

Bibliography

Sources Used for Finding Aid:

Malone, Dumas, ed. Dictionary of American Biography, Vol. X (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1964).

United States, Agricultural History Branch. A Century of Service: The First 100 Years of the United States Department of Agriculture. (Washington, DC: Centennial Committee, USDA, 1963).

Related Collections at the National Agricultural Library:

USDA History Collection. (Series I, II, III). Manuscript Collection 182.

Wallace, Henry Agard Collection. Manuscript Collection 192.

Wallace, Henry Cantwell, Papers 1904-1930 [microform]. Film 1631.

Publications by Wallace at the National Agricultural Library:

Wallace, Henry C. Investigations of cheese-making. Ames, Iowa : Iowa Agricultural College, Experiment Station, 1893. NAL call number: 100 Io9 no.21

Wallace, Henry C. Our debt and duty to the farmer. New York & London: The Century Co., 1925 NAL call number: 281 W15

Wallace, Henry C. Review of agricultural credits acts of 1923 by the Secretary of Agriculture. Washington: Government Printing Office, April, 1923. NAL call number: 284.2 W152

Wallace, Henry C. A study in churning. Ames, Iowa : Iowa Agricultural College, Experiment Station, 1893. NAL call number: 100 Io9 no.22

Wallace, Henry C. The wheat situation. A report to the president by Henry C. Wallace. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1923. NAL call number: 1 Ag86W

Related Collections at Other Institutions:

Wallace, Henry Cantwell, Papers 1904-1930. Manuscript Collection 179. Located in the University of Iowa Libraries Special Collection Department, catalog of finding aids on the web at http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/sc/

For further research on Henry Cantwell Wallace:

Lord, Russell. The Wallaces of Iowa. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1947 NAL call number: 120 W155W

Winters, Donald L. Henry Cantwell Wallace, as Secretary of Agriculture, 1921-1924. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1970 NAL call number: S417.W34W55

Iowa State University Department of Animal Science. "Henry Cantwell Wallace: 1866-1924: A Brief Biography." Accessed November 16, 2006 from http://www.ans.iastate.edu/history/faculty/wallacehc/wallace_hc.html.