Description:

Hearst William



William Randolph Hearst's $13,000,000 Depression Era Budget, & Sympathetic Assessment of Axis Powers

 

Small archive relating to media tycoon William Randolph Hearst (1863-1951). Comprised of three handwritten manuscripts (140+ words); carbons of typed internal financial documents; and unused stationery, ca. 1939. Almost all the pieces were numbered by Joseph Willicombe, Sr. (1874-1948), Hearst's longtime personal assistant. In mostly very good condition, with expected wear including light paper folds, chipped edges, isolated minor loss, and scattered repairs. Provenance: From the family of Joseph Willicombe, Sr.

 

This fascinating archive gives us eye-opening insights into Hearst's Depression era finances. Hearst suffered serious financial reversals beginning in the early 1930s, impacting his ability to maintain multiple palatial properties, bankroll his wife, mistress, and children, and continue collecting art and antiques. As is reflected in the 1939 budget here enclosed, Hearst's collecting interests were diverse. He collected furniture, paintings, sculpture, jewelry, silver, tapestries, rugs, religious accoutrements, arms, rare books, autographs, and architectural elements liked stained glass. Many of his pieces were displayed at Hearst Castle at San Simeon, or housed in storage facilities like San Francisco's Haslett Warehouse.

 

Depression era realities forced the millionaire mogul to belt-tighten, first by mortgaging his real estate, including Hearst Castle, and later by liquidating some of his art collection. Hearst sold pieces in private sales between 1937-1941. For example, George Washington's waistcoat and Thomas Jefferson's Bible were sold to the highest bidders, as well as eighteenth-century vertu to living-history museum Colonial Williamsburg.

 

The archive also contains documents representing Hearst's political shift from left to right. Hearst had traveled to Europe in the mid-1930s to report on its political situation. Many condemned Hearst's sympathetic treatment of the Nazis and Fascist dictators, and his controversial decision to publish unedited excerpts of their speeches in his papers. Hearst's characterization as France as a "gigantic vampire" and Hitler's Germany as "an enlightened…and…modern" nation can be seen below.

 

Reproduced with unchanged spelling and punctuation. The lot includes:

 

1. (Willicombe number 598) 1p undated manuscript pencil-inscribed by Hearst on the back of German cruise liner stationery. The partly printed letterhead bears a "Nord Deutscher Lloyd Bremen" anchor and key logo verso. The heavily edited manuscript appears to be part of an article or speech, and discusses 1930s European affairs.

 

In part: "Germanys financial difficulties are far greater than Englands because France like a gigantic vampire is draining the life blood in reparations out of Germany…Yet one feels that under present conditions Germany may come out of her difficulties better than England because Germany is hardly complicated her problems in a more enlightened and more modern manner. Italy has her difficulties too but Mussolini…"

 

2. (Willicombe number 596) 1p undated manuscript pencil-inscribed by Hearst. On cream paper. Reading: "nor can I commit myself to implicit confidence in your denials." 8.5" x 5.375".

 

3. (Willicombe number 171) 1p undated manuscript pencil-inscribed by Hearst, on watermarked golden rod paper. In part: "But sometimes I am inclined to believe such a happy day is far distant."

 

4. (Willicombe number 205) 7pp typed retained carbon copy of an internal memo dated April 28, 1939 and entitled "W.R.H. BUDGET 1939 - PROPOSED REVISIONS." The document was drafted by Hearst's lawyer Geoffrey Konta, secretary Joseph Willicombe, Sr., and Hearst employee (and later one of Hearst's estate executors) H.S. Mackay, Jr.

 

In part: "It should of course be remembered that the tentative budget was set up without any assurance that assets would be available to meet the indicated expenditures, but rather on the expectation that sufficient liquidation of antiques would be accomplished during the course of the year to provide, in addition to other available resources, sufficient funds for this purpose…" (p. 2).

 

Hearst's spending allowance in 1939 was projected at $738,000 (or the equivalent of $13,400,000 in 2019 currency.) Of this astronomical sum, a full 22% ($160,000) were earmarked for Hearst's antique collections. The document forecasted the sale of Hearst's antiques at three upcoming spring sales at Christie's and Sotheby's would yield $250,000-500,000 (p. 7).

 

Hearst was also responsible for providing regular "Payments to M.V.H." Although the couple was separated, Hearst's wife Millicent Veronica Hearst (1882-1974) was still allotted 11% of Hearst's annual budget. Another major part of Hearst's budget was the payment of rent at various properties. Hearst's heavily mortgaged estates at San Simeon and Wyntoon needed to be paid for, as well as expenses related to his palatial beach-front property in Santa Monica, California. Called the "Beach House" or "Ocean House," the 100+ room Georgian Revival mansion was built after 1926 for Hearst's mistress actress Marion Davies.

 

5. (Unnumbered) An unused cream envelope embossed "William Randolph Hearst" along the return address flap.

 

William Randolph Hearst, whose publishing company still operates today, began his media conglomerate Hearst Communications in 1887, after taking on the San Francisco Examiner. Hearst's newspapers and magazines were extremely popular, thanks in part to his editorial emphasis on “yellow journalism.” This sensationalist way of reporting news events aimed to increase circulation and sales. 

 

Joseph Willicombe, Sr., a World War I veteran sometimes called "the Colonel," joined Hearst Corporation in 1915. He served as Hearst's secretary, amanuensis, adviser, and friend for more than 30 years.

 



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