Herbert C. Holdridge papers , 1953-1974

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Holdridge, Herbert C. (Herbert Charles), 1892-1974
Title
Herbert C. Holdridge papers
Dates
1953-1974 (inclusive)
Quantity
9 linear feet, (7 containers)
Collection Number
Coll 124
Summary
Herbert C. Holdridge (1892-1974) was an author and presidential candidate, his main interests being conservative politics and fringe causes. The collection includes correspondence, background information for speeches, manuscripts, records for groups Holdridge founded, legal papers, pamphlets, reel-to-reel tapes, and copies of his published books.
Repository
University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives
UO Libraries--SCUA
1299 University of Oregon
Eugene OR
97403-1299
Telephone: 5413463068
spcarref@uoregon.edu
Access Restrictions

Collection is open to the public. Collection must be used in Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room. Collection or parts of collection may be stored offsite. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives in advance of your visit to allow for transportation time.

Additional Reference Guides

See the Collective Name Index to the Research Collection of Conservative and Libertarian Studies for a cross-referenced index to names of correspondents in this collection, if any, and 37 related University of Oregon collections, including dates of correspondence. See index instructions on use.

See the Current Collection Guide for detailed description and requesting options.

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

Historical NoteReturn to Top

Herbert Holdridge was born in Wyandotte, Michigan, in 1892 and educated at the United States Military Academy, West Point, and Columbia University. Holdridge received an appointment as Assistant Professor of History and Social Sciences at West Point and also worked as a history instructor at Columbia University. He served as commandant of the Adjutant General's School, Ft. Washington, Maryland, and retired with the rank of brigadier general in 1944.

After his retirement, Holdridge became interested in fringe causes, conservative politics, the plight of Native Americans, and, in his view, the sinister influence of the Roman Catholic Church. He established the Holdridge Foundation for the Advancement of Social Sciences in 1953, and in 1957 founded another organization called Minute Men for the Constitution. As self-appointed president of this organization, he published two newsletters, News Notes and Reveille.

In 1958 and 1959 Holdridge announced his candidacy for the Presidency of the United States on an "independent, non-partisan platform." Sparse records of this campaign reveal his first attempts to elicit support from African Americans. He promised, if elected, to give $5,000 to each descendent of a slave. Little response came from the black community.

In 1960, Holdridge established the Constitutional Provisional Government of the United States, claiming that the Hopi Indians had never signed a peace treaty with the United States and therefore the Hopi constituted a sovereign nation. Holdridge established a new "legal" government and went through the motions of running it. It was beset with financial difficulties, which had not been overcome by the time of his death in 1974.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Herbert C. Holdridge Papers consist of approximately 3000 letters, 1954-1974; background material for speeches; manuscripts, including portions of an autobiography; organizational records for Holdridge's provisional government and other groups founded by Holdridge; legal papers; pamphlets; reel-to-reel tapes; and copies of Holdridge's books Fables of Moronia and How to Gain Freedom from Economic Slavery.

The collection includes five images dated from the 1930s to the 1960s. Four include tribal peoples and are assumed to relate to activism, including picketing the White House in 1959.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • African Americans
  • Catholic Church--Controversial literature
  • Conservatism
  • Conservative literature
  • Hopi Indians--Land tenure
  • Indians of North America--Public welfare
  • Presidential candidates--United States

Personal Names

  • Burton, Austin
  • Hall, Louis
  • Holdridge, Herbert C. (Herbert Charles), 1892-1974

Corporate Names

  • Holdridge Foundation for the Advancement of Social Sciences
  • Minute Men for the Constitution

Form or Genre Terms

  • Photographic prints
  • Sound recordings