Guide to the Claire Giannini Hoffman Papers, 1887-1997
Processed by Marianne Clatin
The Bancroft Library.
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California, 94720-6000
Phone: (510) 642-6481
Fax: (510) 642-7589
Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu
URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu
© 2003
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Guide to the Claire Giannini Hoffman Papers, 1887-1997
Collection number: BANC MSS 98/178 c
The Bancroft Library
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Contact Information:
- Collection Processed By:
- Marianne Clatin
- Date Completed:
- December 2004
- Finding Aid written by:
- Marianne Clatin; completed by Anna Laszcz
© 2003 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Collection Summary
Collection Title: Claire Giannini Hoffman papers,
Date (inclusive): 1887-1997
Collection Number: BANC MSS 98/178 c
Creator:
Hoffman, Claire Giannini
Extent:
2 cartons, 1 oversize box
Repository: The
Bancroft Library
Berkeley, California 94720-6000
Abstract: The Claire Giannini Hoffman Papers (1887-1997) consist of correspondence; biographical materials, including writings related
to economic issues, clippings about Hoffman, the Bank of America, and her father, Amadeo Peter Giannini; and a small amount
of family papers.
Physical Location: For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog
Languages Represented:
English
Information for Researchers
Access
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Copyright has not been assigned to The Bancroft Library. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts
must be submitted in writing to the appropriate curator or the Head of Public Services for forwarding. Permission for publication
is given on behalf of The Bancroft Library 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 by the reader.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Claire Giannini Hoffman Papers, BANC MSS 98/178 c, The Bancroft Library, University of California,
Berkeley.
Related Collections
Giannini Hoffman pictorial collection, BANC PIC 1998.075
Separated Material
Printed materials have been transferred to the Book Collection of The Bancroft Library.
Photographs have been transferred to Pictorial Collections of The Bancroft Library.
Videotapes/sound recordings have been transferred to the Microforms Collection of The Bancroft Library.
Medals have been transferred to the Objects Collection of The Bancroft Library.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Hoffman, Claire Giannini, 1904-1997.
Giannini, Amadeo Peter, d 1870-1949.
Giannini, Amadeo Peter, d 1870-1949 x Family.
Giannini family.
Italian Americans z California.
Bankers z United States.
Bankers--California.
Bankers z California z San Francisco.
Bank of America.
Bank of America x History.
Bank of Italy, San Francisco.
Banca d'Italia.
Banks and banking z United States x History.
Banks and banking z California x History.
Administrative Information
Provenance
The Claire Giannini Hoffman Papers were given to The Bancroft Library in April and June 1998 at the bequest of the Claire G. Hoffman estate.
Funding
Funding for processing provided by the Estate of Claire Giannini Hoffman.
Biographical Information
Claire Evelyn Giannini was born on December 30, 1904 to Amadeo Peter Giannini (died 1949) and Clorinda Agnes Cuneo (also called Clara Cuneo; died 1941) in San Mateo, California.
She was educated at San Mateo Grammar School, Rosemary Hall in Greenwich, Connecticut, Ransom School in Piedmont, California,
Mills College in Oakland, California; she also attended business school in Beverly Hills, California.
Hoffman's father, A.P. Giannini was the founder of the Bank of Italy, later renamed Bank of America, and of the Banca d'America e d'Italia. Her brother, L. M. Giannini, was president of the Bank of America from 1936 to his death in 1952. Her husband, Clifford P. Hoffman, was an investment banker. He died in 1954.
Since an early age, Claire Giannini Hoffman accompanied her father on business trips nationwide and abroad. She was appointed
on June 14, 1949 to a seat on the Board of Directors of the Bank of America left vacant by the death of her father, from which
she resigned in 1985. Upon the death of her brother in 1952, she became a member of the General Executive Committee of the
Bank of America. In 1957, she was elected a Director of the Banca d'America e d'Italia. She was also Vice Chairman of the
Board of Trustees of the Bank of America-Giannini Foundation, established in 1945.
Claire Giannini Hoffman was active in many national and international banking organizations, where she often was the only
woman member. She was a United States delegate to the Atlantic Congress held in London in 1959. In 1960, she was appointed
as a member to the Council of Consultants on the U.S. Small Business Administration. In 1973, she was the first woman to be
asked to be a governor of the Federal Reserve Bank.
Claire Giannini Hoffman was a committed supporter of women pursuing careers and strove to secure equal opportunities for women
in business. She was committed to continuing her father's legacy until her death in 1997 at her childhood home in San Mateo.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Claire Giannini Hoffman Papers (1887-1997) consist of correspondence; biographical materials, including writings related
to economic issues, clippings about Hoffman, the Bank of America, and her father, Amadeo Peter Giannini; and a small amount of family papers.
Most of the correspondence in this collection is from Hoffman's friends and colleagues, rather than her family. The majority
of the correspondence concerns Hoffman's social activities and her father A.P. Giannini. There is a small amount of correspondence
that relates to Hoffman's business life, however, very few letters document her activities as bank director. No banking papers
are held in this collection.
Except for a speech about her father, Hoffman's writings are about the economic issues and policies of the 1970's. The collection
contains a small amount of writings about Hoffman, such as interviews with her regarding her involvement in Bank of America,
and those related to her experiences with her father.
The biographical materials are comprised mostly of newspaper and magazine clippings dating from the 1960s-1970s. They are
further subdivided into clippings about Hoffman, clippings about Bank of America, and materials regarding legislation. Clippings
about Hoffman detail her social activities and opinions about economics and about her father's work. Clippings about the Bank
of America are concerned particularly with books published about Bank of America, including
Roller Coaster by Moira Johnston, and
Breaking the Bank: The Decline of BankAmerica, by Gary Hector, and Hoffman's opinions on issues related to Bank of America and her father. These clippings illustrate Hoffman's
opinions on bank policy and her committed interest in preserving her father's legacy. The small amount of legislation and
related clippings are concerned with the control and regulation of bank holding companies and the gold reserve requirement.
The Giannini family papers include materials related to A.P. Giannini and Hoffman's mother, Clorinda Agnes Cuneo Giannini,
and miscellaneous materials about Hoffman's husband, Clifford P. Hoffman, and her niece, Anne Giannini. The materials concerning
A.P. Giannini are comprised mostly of newspaper and magazine clippings about him, with very few letters or personal biographical
materials. The small amount of materials about Clorinda Agnes Giannini (also called Clara Cuneo) consist of a book of school
work, an autograph book, and a memoriam of her death.
Hoffman's papers reflect her opinions about the development of the Bank of America from the 1950's, when she assumed the position
of director, to her resignation in 1985. They illustrate Hoffman's consistent efforts to maintain her father's standards in
both her personal and professional life and her devotion to preserving his legacy of equality and fairness in banking.
Container List
Ctn. 1, folders 1-28
SERIES 1:
Correspondence, 1937-1997
Arrangement
Divided into incoming and outgoing correspondence.
Scope and Content Note
Includes correspondence with friends and colleagues.
Ctn. 1, folders 1-27
Incoming correspondence, 1937-1997
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by name of writer or company. Each folder is then arranged chronologically.
Scope and Content Note
Though one incoming letter is dated 1927 and some date from the 1980's, most letters date between 1949 and the 1970's, or
1994-1997. There is a small amount of correspondence from Presidents Nixon and Reagan. Some are copies of letters not directly
addressed to Hoffman.
carton 1, folder 27
Unidentified correspondence, n.d.
Ctn. 1, folder 28
Outgoing correspondence, 1954-1996
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically.
Scope and Content Note
Includes fourteen letters, including some addressed to presidents Eisenhower and Reagan, and to the board of directors of
the Bank of America.
Ctn. 1, folders 29-39
SERIES 2:
Biographical Materials, n.d.
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically.
Ctn. 1, folders 29-30
Writings, ca. 1970-1985
Arrangement
Divided into two subject folders: Writings by Hoffman and writings about Hoffman. Arranged chronologically.
Scope and Content Note
Includes the press release upon Hoffman's resignation from Bank of America, a speech about World Bank and International Monetary
Fund, and about her father, A. P. Giannini.
carton 1, folder 29
Writings by Hoffman, ca. 1970's-1980's
carton 1, folder 30
Writings about Hoffman, n.d.
Ctn. 1, folders 31-37, oversize box 1
Clippings, n.d.
Arrangement
Subdivided into: About Claire Giannini Hoffman, About Bank of America, and Legislation. Each sub-sub series is arranged chronologically.
Scope and Content Note
Includes a scrapbook of clippings and loose clippings regarding Claire Giannini-Hoffman; the Bank of America; and two subject
folders on economic legislation. The scrapbook of clippings relate to Hoffman's election to the board of directors of Sears,
Roebuck & Co. in 1963. After this, most of the clippings date 1963-1975 (and especially 1970-1971). None of the articles date
from the eighties and only one is dated 1991. Most of the articles are concerned with Hoffmans' business travel, her various
awards and elections, her opinions about economic issues, meetings and social events, and her father A.P. Giannini. Some articles
are written in Spanish or Italian. A small amount of U.S. Congress bills, clippings about bank holding companies and booklets
about gold show Hoffman's interest in economic legislation.
Ctn. 1, folders 31-33, oversize box 1
About Claire Giannini Hoffman, n.d.
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically.
Scope and Content Note
Clippings about Claire Giannini Hoffman's position as a director of Bank of America and her social activities.
othertype OS Box 1
Scrapbook: Election to Board of Directors of Sears, Roebuck and Co., 1963
carton 1, folder 31-33
Clippings about Hoffman, n.d.
Ctn. 1, folders 34-35
About Bank of America, 1969-1990
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically.
Scope and Content Note
Includes publicity booklets about Bank of America, and clippings regarding Bank of America issues as well as Claire Giannini's
disagreements with bank policy.
carton 1, folder 34
Clippings about Bank of America, 1982-1990
carton 1, folder 35
Publicity Booklets, 1969-1989
Ctn. 1, folders 36-37
Legislation, 1955-1973
Arrangement
Divided into Legislation and Clippings about Legislation. Arranged chronologically.
Scope and Content Note
Includes reprinted government legislation and clippings regarding specific legislation.
carton 1, folder 37
Clippings about legislation, 1955-1973
Ctn. 1, folders 38-39
Miscellaneous Biographical Materials, 1904-1993
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically.
carton 1, folder 38-39
Miscellaneous biographical materials, 1904-1993
Scope and Content Note
Copy of birth certificate (1904), marriage license (1930); awards; pedigree of Hoffman's dog; minutes from the Sixteen Club
(1959-1969), booklet on the Francisca Club; inventory of jewelry and coins.
Ctn. 2
SERIES 3:
Family Papers
Arrangement
The Family Papers are divided into three sub-series: A.P. Giannini, Clorinda "Clara" Cuneo, and miscellaneous family papers.
Scope and Content Note
The materials about A.P. Giannini, Hoffman's father, consist mostly of clippings about Giannini; a small amount of correspondence;
and materials relating to A.P. Giannini commemorative programs and the A.P. Giannini stamp. The materials relating to Hoffman's
mother, Clorinda Agnes Cuneo Giannini (also called "Clara" Cuneo) include a book of school work completed as a student at
Notre Dame College; a book of autographs and texts written by friends; and a memoriam commemorating her death. There are some
miscellaneous materials relating to other family members such as Anne Giannini, granddaughter of A.P. Giannini, and Clifford
P. Hoffman, Claire Giannini Hoffman's husband.
Ctn. 2, folders 1-7
A.P. Giannini, 1916-1994
Arrangement
Each folder is divided according to subject, then arranged chronologically.
Scope and Content Note
Includes clippings about A.P. Giannini; a small amount of correspondence; and materials relating to commemorative programs
and the A.P. Giannini postal stamp.
carton 2, folder 1
Correspondence, 1916, n.d.
carton 2, folder 5
Miscellaneous biographical materials, 1930-1949
carton 2, folder 6
A.P. Giannini commemorative program, 1983
carton 2, folder 7
A.P. Giannini postage stamp, 1973
Ctn. 2, folders 8-10
Clorinda Agnes Cuneo Giannini (also called "Clara Cuneo"), ca. 1895-1941
Arrangement
Divided by subject, then arranged chronologically.
carton 2, folder 8
School work by Clorinda Cuneo, ca. 1895
carton 2, folder 9
Autograph book, 1887-1891
carton 2, folder 10
Memoriam for Clorinda A. Giannini, 1941
Ctn. 2, folder 11
Miscellaneous family papers, 1916-1989
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically.
Scope and Content Note
Materials relating to Anne Giannini and Clifford P. Hoffman.
