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Finding aid for the Allan Hancock Foundation Archive
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Title: Allan Hancock Foundation Archive
Collection number: 0257
Contributing Institution:
USC Libraries Special Collections
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
740.92 Linear feet
363 boxes, 86 film boxes, 652 film reels
Date: 1823-2005
Abstract: The Allan Hancock Foundation Archive contains records of the Foundation set up at the University of Southern California by
G. Allan Hancock for the purpose of furthering oceanographic studies. These records also include those materials from the
library and museum that were associated with the Foundation, as well some personal mementos of Captain Hancock's and the Hancock
family. Also included are extensive records of the research ship Velero IV, as well as sound recordings, photographs and films
produced by and related to the Allan Hancock Pacific Expeditions of the Foundation (1925-1960). The expeditions explored the
eastern Pacific coast into South America, visiting the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, Panama, and Baja California.
creator:
Allan Hancock Foundation.
creator:
Garth, John S., (John Shrader), 1909-1993
creator:
Hancock, Allan, 1875-
creator:
Schmitt, Waldo L., (Waldo Lasalle), 1887-1977
creator:
Swett, W. Charles
creator:
Taylor, William Randolph, 1895-
creator:
Ulrey, A.B., (Albert Brennus), 1860-1932
[Item/Box/Folder number], Allan Hancock Foundation Archive, Collection no. 0257, Special Collections, USC Libraries, University
of Southern California
Advance notice required for access.
The Hancock Foundation Archive consists of correspondence, reports, clippings, photographs, sound recordings, film, and other
materials, 1823-2005, documenting the activities and history of the Hancock Foundation at the University of Southern California,
its founder G. Allan Hancock, and the Hancock family. Included are records of the Foundation's scientific and research activities
in marine biology and zoology; the Foundation's Library; the Hancock Museum, housed in the Foundation building on the USC
campus; and the research vessel Velero IV, the second of Captain Hancock's ships put into service for research purposes. Also
included are historical documents regarding the Hancock family's land interests in Los Angeles, and material documenting the
non-scientific interests of Captain Hancock.
George Allan Hancock was born on 26 July 1875, the heir to the Hancock family's extensive Los Angeles land holdings, including
Rancho La Brea. Hancock expanded the family fortunes through oil exploration on the Rancho beginning in 1901, and continued
to increase those fortunes for the next two decades. In 1920, he founded the California Bank. By the middle of the 1920's
he also had significant holdings in railroads and communications.
In addition to his business skills, Hancock was an accomplished cellist and an avid sailor. He formed the Hancock Ensemble,
later associated with the Foundation, and captained many of the Foundation's early scientific expeditions, including those
to the Galapagos Islands. In 1934, as a result of an early Foundation expedition, he became involved in a tabloid sensation
concerning Germans living in a "Garden of Eden" nudist colony on Galapagos. There were several mysterious murders in the colony,
and Hancock was said to have "rescued" the companion of one of the victims.
Hancock also served on the University of Southern California's Board of Regents, and in 1937 was granted an honorary doctoral
degree in Business Administration by the University. Very soon thereafter Hancock initiated plans to establish a Foundation
for Oceanography at USC. The Allan Hancock Foundation continued the work begun by USC's Venice Marine Station and Professor
Albert Ulrey. In turn, it was ultimately superceded in the 1990's by the Catalina Station.
In 1939 Hancock funded the construction of a new building for the Foundation. The building was dedicated in 1941 and included,
in addition to an auditorium and laboratories, a museum and a library. The Hancock Museum became a showplace for Hancock's
and USC's collection of fine artifacts, especially furnishings from the Hancock residence in Hancock Park (demolished), some
of the rooms of which are recreated in the museum. The Library gained its first large collection in the 1943 when it purchased
much of the nineteenth century serials collection of the Boston Society of Natural History. Subsequent purchases continued
to expand the Library's collections. The collection has now been subsumed by the USC Libraries.
With the dedication of the new Foundation building, Hancock also donated his yacht, the Velero III, to USC for oceanographic
studies. The Velero III had been in service for oceanographic studies since the early 1930s with the first Hancock Pacific
Expeditions. In 1948 a new ship, the Velero IV, was commissioned exclusively for the use of the Foundation; it remained in
service until the mid-1980's.
Hancock died on 1 June 1965. The Foundation, Museum, and Library he established continued to function in their original forms
for three more decades until they were absorbed into other USC operations.
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Manuscripts Librarian.
Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended
to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
The first 20 boxes of the archive's records were processed by John Fowler in 2005. Most of the sound recordings, negatives
and films were inventoried by Special Collections staff prior to the creation of this finding aid. In 2011-2012, Sue Luftschein
completed the processing of the bulk of the collection, encoded the original inventory, and produced this finding aid.
The Hancock Foundation Archive originally included many linear feet of journals and off-prints of Foundation publications.
These were separated from the collection to be cataloged individually for inclusion in USC Librariers' OPAC, Homer.
Albert B. Ulrey and Florence Speicher Ulrey papers, Collection no. 0258, University Archives, Special Collections, USC Libraries,
University of Southern California
KUSC records, Collection no. 5133, University Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California
The Allan Hancock Foundation Archives are organized into 6 series: 1. Foundation; 2. Library; 3. Museum; 4. Velero IV; 5.
Hancock Estate; and 6. G. Allan Hancock personal.
In general, files within each series and subseries are arranged alphabetically unless otherwise stated.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Allan Hancock Foundation. -- Archives
Anton Dohrn (Ship). -- Archives
Boston Society of Natural History. -- Archives
Eltanin (Ship). -- Archives
Garth, John S., (John Shrader), 1909-1993 -- Archives
Halmos, Dorothy M. -- Archives
Hancock family -- Archives
Hancock, Allan, 1875- -- Archives
KUSC (Radio station : Los Angeles, Calif.). -- Archives
McCulloch, Irene Agnes, b. 1886 -- Archives
R/V Velero IV (Cruiser). -- Archives
Schmitt, Waldo L., (Waldo Lasalle), 1887-1977 -- Correspondence
Ulrey, A.B., (Albert Brennus), 1860-1932 -- Archives
University of Southern California. Marine Biological Station. -- Archives
University of Southern California. -- Faculty
University of Southern California. -- History
Velero III (Ship). -- Archives
Actions and defenses--California--Los Angeles--Archival resources
Biological specimens--Collection and preservation--Photographs
Bolivia--Photographs
Cocos (Keeling) Islands--Photographs
Collection management (Libraries)--California--Los Angeles--Archival resources
Colombia--Photographs
Correspondence
Costa Rica--Photographs
Diaries
Ecuador--Photographs
Financial records
Galapagos Islands--Photographs
Inventories
La Brea Pits (Calif.)--History--Archival resources
Lantern slides
Legal documents
Libraries--California--Los Angeles--Archival resouces
Library administration--California--Los Angeles--Archival resources
Logs (records)
Los Angeles (Calif.)--History--Archival resources
Marine biology research vessels--California--Archival resources
Marine biology--Research--California--Archival resources
Memorandums
Mexico--Photographs
Motion pictures (visual works)
Museums--California--Los Angeles--Archival resources
Negatives (photographic)
Nicaragua--Photographs
Panama--Photographs
Peru--Photographs
Photographs
Science and technology libraries--California--Los Angeles--Archival resources
Scientific expeditions--Galapagos Islands--Archival resources
Scientific expeditions--Galapagos Islands--Photographs
Scientific expeditions--Mexico--Archival resouces
Scientific expeditions--Mexico--Photographs
Seri Indians--Mexico--Photographs
Slides (photographs)
Sound recordings
Underwater exploration--California--Archival resources
Underwater exploration--California--Photographs
Zoological specimens--Collection and preservation--Archival resources
Zoological specimens--Collection and preservation--Photographs