Overview
This collection contains ephemera, photographs, and related records acquired by Leverett Franklin Hooper while he was a student at Harvard University and serving in the United States Army during World War I. The bulk of the records date from 1914 to 1919 documenting Hooper’s involvement in World War I as a first lieutenant and member of the United States Army 351st Field Artillery Regiment. Also included is Hooper’s Harvard College undergraduate diploma (AB 1915), and Harvard diplomas for Hooper’s uncle, William Robert Hooper (AB 1871) and father, Franklin Henry Hooper (AB 1883).
Dates
- Creation: 1871, 1883, 1915-1919
Creator
Researcher Access:
Open for research.
Extent
5 cubic feet ((6 portfolio folders, 2 document boxes, 2 flat boxes) )This collection contains ephemera, photographs, and related records acquired by Leverett Franklin Hooper while he was a student at Harvard University and serving in the United States Army during World War I. The bulk of the records date from 1914 to 1919, including photographs, military field orders, and service bulletins, documenting Hooper’s involvement in World War I as a first lieutenant and member of the United States Army 351st Field Artillery Regiment. Of particular interest are two group panoramic photographs (1919) in the collection entitled “Back from France” of Battery B of the 351st Field Artillery Regiment (92nd Division), a unit composed entirely of African-American troops; and several photographs of Hooper in uniform. Field maps and a French travel map note Hooper’s movements during the war. The collection also contains a French World War I promotional poster calling upon French citizens to deposit their gold coins for use by the French government to purchase wartime supplies from the United States and other countries. A small group of records including Hooper’s undergraduate diploma (1915) and photographs of the Harvard College Fox Club (1914-1915) document Hooper’s connection with Harvard University. Also included in the collection are Harvard undergraduate diplomas for Hooper’s uncle William Robert Hooper (AB 1871) and father Franklin Henry Hooper (AB 1883).
Biographical note for Leverett Franklin Hooper
Leverett Franklin Hooper (1893-1975), a banker, was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Franklin Henry Hooper (AB 1883) and Grace Martin Sessions Hooper (born 1858). He attended Montclair High School in New Jersey and graduated from Harvard University in 1915. When the United States entered World War I, Hooper attended military training camp in Plattsburgh, New York and was commissioned a first lieutenant in the United States Army 351st Field Artillery Regiment (92nd Division) at Camp Meade, Maryland. This unit was one of three artillery regiments in the army composed of African-American troops, commanded by white officers. In June 1918, Hooper and the 351st sailed for France on the Leviathan, trained at La Courtine, and in October moved to the front lines opposite the city of Metz as the first completely mechanized regiment of field artillery, equipped with 155 mm howitzers. The principal areas of operation of the 351st were in the Argonne forest and Marbache sector in France. In February 1919, Hooper and the 351st returned to the United States. After the war, Hooper worked in various banking positions eventually becoming a vice-president for the First National Bank of New York.
Hooper married Lucia L. Gates (1893-1967) on October 1, 1921. They had two adopted children: Gerald (born 1932) and Gail (born 1936).
Biographical note for William Robert Hooper
William Robert Hooper (1849-1884), Episcopal minister, was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, the son of William Robert Hooper (1819-1891) and Martha Nelson Hooper (1823-1849). Hooper attended the Episcopal Theological School (STB 1875) and became Rector of St. John’s Church in Gloucester, Massachusetts, remaining there until June 11, 1884, when he resigned on account of ill-health. Stricken with paralysis at a diocesan convention in Washington, D.C., Hooper died on July 6, 1884.
Biographical note for Franklin Henry Hooper
Franklin Henry Hooper (1862-1940), an editor, was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, the son of William Robert Hooper (1819-1891) and Frances Nelson Hooper (1832-1904). After graduating from Harvard College (AB 1883), Hooper worked for the Century Company (1883-1896) as editor of the Century Dictionary. In 1896 he became literary advisor and manager for publishers James Clark and Company. In 1899, Hooper joined the American staff of Encyclopedia Britannica, where he remained for thirty-nine years, and edited five editions of the encyclopedia. Hooper was also editor-in-chief (1932-1938) of the Encyclopedia Britannica and editor of The World Today (1933-1938). Hooper was accidentally killed by a milk truck on August 15, 1940.
Hooper married Grace Martin Sessions (born 1858) on October 19, 1887. They had two children: Catherine B. Hooper (born 1889) and Leverett Franklin Hooper (1893-1975).
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in three series:
- Leverett Franklin Hooper Harvard college student and World War I ephemera, printed materials, and photographs, 1914-1919
- William Robert Hooper Harvard College undergraduate diploma, 1871
- Franklin Henry Hooper Harvard College undergraduate diploma, 1883
Acquisition information
The Leverett Franklin Hooper personal archive was donated to the Harvard University Archives.
- Accession number: 17152; 2005 July 19.
References
- Hooper, Leverett in the U.S. Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014. AncestryLibrary.com (accessed July 6, 2018).
- Hooper, Leverett Franklin. Harvard Class of 1915, Fiftieth Anniversary Report. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Printed at the University, 1965.
- Hooper, Leverett Franklin. Harvard Class of 1915, Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Report. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Cosmos Press, 1940.
- Hooper, Leverett Franklin. Secretary’s First Report, Harvard College Class of 1915. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Crimson Printing Company, 1916.
- Hooper, Leverett Franklin. Harvard Class Album, edited for the Class by the Photograph Committee, Vol. 26. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Andover Press, 1915.
- Hooper, William Robert. Harvard University Archives. Harvard University Biographical files (i.e. "Quinquennial files"), circa 1700- : an inventory (HUG 300).
- Hooper, William Robert. Eleventh Report of The Class of 1871 of Harvard College June 1921 Fiftieth Anniversary. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Riverside Press, 1921.
- Hooper, Franklin Henry. Harvard University Archives. Harvard University Biographical files (i.e. "Quinquennial files"), circa 1700- : an inventory (HUG 300).
- Pope, Charles Henry and Thomas Hooper, ed. Hooper Genealogy. Boston, Massachusetts: Published by Charles H. Pope, 1908.
Processing Information
The Leverett Franklin Hooper personal archive was processed in July 2018 by Dominic P. Grandinetti. Processing included rehousing materials in the appropriate containers, the establishment of a series hierarchy, and the creation of this finding aid. Folder titles and dates supplied by the archivist appear in brackets.
Processing and arrangement details of each series are noted at the series level.
Creator
Subject
- Hooper, William Robert, 1849-1884. (Person)
- Hooper, Franklin Henry, 1862-1940. (Person)
- United States. Army. Field Artillery, 351st -- Photographs (Organization)
- United States. Army--African American troops -- Photographs (Organization)
- Harvard College (1780- ). Class of 1871 (Organization)
- Harvard College (1780- ). Class of 1883 (Organization)
- Harvard University -- Alumni and alumnae (Organization)
- Harvard University -- Student life (Organization)
- Harvard University -- Students (Organization)
- Title
- Leverett Franklin Hooper personal archive, 1871, 1883, 1915-1919 : an inventory
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- hua30018
Repository Details
Part of the Harvard University Archives Repository
Holding nearly four centuries of materials, the Harvard University Archives is the principal repository for the institutional records of Harvard University and the personal archives of Harvard faculty, as well as collections related to students, alumni, Harvard-affiliates and other associated topics. The collections document the intellectual, cultural, administrative and social life of Harvard and the influence of the University as it emerged across the globe.
Pusey Library
Harvard Yard
Cambridge MA 02138 USA
(617) 495-2461
archives_reference@harvard.edu