Frank J. Hecker papers, 1868-1908 (majority within 1898-1905)

Summary

Creator:

Hecker, Frank Joseph, 1846-1927

Abstract:

The Frank J. Hecker papers are primarily made up of official letters and documents pertaining to his service during and following the Spanish-American war (1898-1899) as Chief of the Division of Transportation, Quartermaster's Department, and as a member of the Isthmian Canal Commission (1904). The collection also contains scrapbooks and newspaper clippings related to his work in these capacities, plus miscellaneous photographs, printed items, and ephemera.

Extent:

1.75 linear feet

Language:

English

Authors:

Collection processed and finding aid created by Cheney J. Schopieray

Background

Scope and Content:

The Frank J. Hecker papers are primarily made up of official letters and documents pertaining to his service during and following the Spanish-American War (1898-1899) as Chief of the Division of Transportation, Quartermaster's Department, and as a member of the Isthmian Canal Commission (1904). The collection also contains newspaper clippings related to his work in these capacities and miscellaneous photographs, printed items, and ephemera.

Frank Hecker's correspondence and documents begin in June 1898, as he began to manage the purchase of transport ships. Correspondents include Hecker, Russell Alexander Alger (Secretary of War), Charles Patrick Eagan (Commissary General of Subsistence), George D. Meiklejohn, Nelson A. Miles (Commander, U.S. Army), William Giles Harding Carter, and many representatives of companies in business with the government. The letters are all official, mostly regarding the purchase and charter of ships; the inspection of ships; and the procurement of laborers, construction materials, and equipment throughout the campaigns in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and elsewhere.

The letters and documents include Frank Hecker's appointment as Chief of the Division of Transportation within the Quartermaster Department; J. M. Ceballas and Company's report of expenses for the transportation of prisoners of war from Santiago de Cuba to Spanish ports, September 1898; correspondence regarding proposed stations for U.S. troops in Cuba and the construction of railways and piers; and other communications respecting transportation, supplies, and storage.

Frank Hecker's two letter books consist of retained copies of his official War Department letters to governmental and military personnel and various businesses. This correspondence contains additional detailed information on the purchase, charter, and maintenance of transport ships and equipment, as well as administrative and financial decisions related to them.

From 1899 to 1903, the collection's correspondence and documents follow up on Hecker's work during the Spanish-American War. Among these are legal documents regarding the John C. Calhoun v. Atlantic Transport Company case (including Hecker's testimony before the Supreme Court, New York County). John Calhoun brought suit with the transport company for commission related to the sale of several vessels to the U.S. government during the war. The correspondence and documents also include one small, undated, Spanish-American War-era notebook, marked "Col. F.J. Hecker. U.S. Vols." Each of approximately 50 pages in this volume contains a ship's name, owning company, tonnage, size, speed, claimed capacity, and cost of charter.

The correspondence and documents dated 1904ff. begin with President Theodore Roosevelt's appointment of Col. Hecker to the (second) Isthmian Canal Commission and a letter specifying the responsibilities of the Commission. The bulk of this material is made up of the proceedings of the Isthmian Canal Commission. The proceedings (meetings 1-49, 53-55, 60) consist of minutes and resolutions, awarded contracts, financial distributions, subcommittee appointments, and other administrative paperwork. Hecker's letter of resignation to Theodore Roosevelt (November 11, 1904) is present, as is the President's letter of acceptance and a series of letters to Hecker, lamenting his decision to leave the commission. Several of them (particularly Russell Alger's of December 1, 1904, and George W. Davis' of January 17, 1905) suggest that Hecker's resignation was in part the result of confusion and turmoil caused by the allegations made against him by the newspapers.

The collection also includes two scrapbooks with content largely related to Frank Hecker's unsuccessful run for Congress (Detroit, Michigan) in 1892, his service on the Isthmian Canal Commission (1904ff.), and the World War I service of his son Christian Henry Hecker, in the 338th Infantry. Other materials include loose clippings from Detroit and New York newspapers with content concerning Hecker's resignation from the Isthmian Canal board. Please see the detailed box and folder listing for a complete list of photographs, printed items, and ephemera.

Biographical / Historical:

Frank J. Hecker was born in Freedom, Michigan, in 1846. In August 1864, at the age of 18, he enlisted in Company K of the 41st Missouri Infantry. From December 1864 to 1866, he served under Grenville M. Dodge in the Department of Missouri Headquarters as a clerk. Once his service had been finalized, Hecker worked for the Union Pacific Railroad (1866-c. 1870); for several railroad construction projects of Major Thomas C. Cornell (1870-1876); and as superintendent of the Detroit, Eel River, & Illinois Railroad (c. 1876-1879).

In December 1879, T. D. Buhl and Frank Hecker established the Peninsular Car Works for the manufacture of freight cars, with Mr. Buhl as president, and Mr. Hecker as vice president and treasurer. Frank Hecker worked alongside Charles L. Freer; James F. Joy and General Russell A. Alger were company directors. In 1884 or 1885, Hecker and Freer purchased Buhl's stock and changed the name of the organization to the Peninsular Car Company. The Peninsular Car Company combined with a competitor, the Michigan Car Company, in 1892 to form the Michigan-Peninsular Car Company. Frank Hecker remained president of the Michigan-Peninsular Car Company until 1899.

In June 1898 (during the Spanish-American War), Secretary of War Russell A. Alger gave Frank Hecker the authority to purchase and charter ships for the transportation of troops and supplies for the United States government. On July 18, 1898, William McKinley commissioned Mr. Hecker as a Colonel of Volunteers, Chief of the Division of Transportation, Quartermaster's Department (official order dated August 18, 1898). In this capacity, Col. Hecker continued his purchasing and hiring duties, outfitted transports for conveying troops to and from Cuba and Manila, arranged for the transportation of troops by rail, contracted for the movement of Spanish prisoners from Santiago to Spain, and conducted inspections. His resignation was approved May 1, 1899.

When Theodore Roosevelt established the second Isthmian Canal Commission to supervise the construction of a canal and establish the Canal Zone government in March 1904, Colonel Frank J. Hecker was among the men appointed to serve in the group. However, in October 1904, newspaper allegations claimed that the Commission purchased construction and other supplies without public advertisement and suggested that Col. Hecker may have mishandled lumber contracts to suit the business interests of his friend, Senator Russell A. Alger, and himself. Col. Hecker resigned the next month, citing illness related to the Canal Zone climate (despite encouragement from President Roosevelt to remain in his position).

While Frank Hecker never held another public office, he remained active in Michigan industry and business. From May 1905 to December 1906, Col. Frank Hecker, Truman H. Newberry, William C. McMillan, and Charles L. Freer owned a controlling share of capital stock of the Detroit Free Press. Among Frank Hecker's many other affiliations, he was on the original Board of Directors of the Union Trust Company of Detroit (October 1891), Detroit Lumber Company (December 1899), and Alger-Sullivan Lumber Company (1900). He also served on the Boards of Directors of the Detroit Copper and Brass Rolling Mills, LaSalle County Carbon Cola Company, and State Savings Bank (later the Peoples State Bank). Col. Hecker was also one of the organizers and the president of the Woodlawn Cemetery Association (1895ff.) and was appointed to the Metropolitan Police Commission of Detroit, 1888-1891.

Frank J. Hecker married Anna Maria Williamson on January 8, 1868, in Omaha City, Nebraska, and the couple had at least six children, including Frank Clarence Hecker (1868-1939), Anna Cynthia Hecker (1871-1923), Alice May Hecker (1872-1872), Louise May Hecker (1874-1959), Grace Clara Hecker (1879-1858), and Christian Henry Hecker (1881-1963). Colonel Frank Hecker died on June 26, 1927, and is recognized for his Detroit home, built in 1888, which is now in the State and National Registries of Historic Sites.

Acquisition Information:

Donated, 1952 and 2021. M-910 and M-7295 .

Custodial History:

Gift of Christian Henry Hecker, 1952, and Thomas R. Crompton, Jr., 2021.

Arrangement:

The Frank J. Hecker papers have been organized into the following series:

• Series I: Correspondence and documents
• Series II: Photographs
• Series III: Scrapbooks
• Series IV: Ephemera, printed materials, and miscellany

Rules or Conventions:

Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Related

Additional Descriptive Data:

Alternate Locations

The following items are housed in the Clements Library Book Division:

Hecker, Frank J. Activities of a lifetime, 1864-1923 (Detroit: privately printed, 1923)

Hecker, Frank J. Recollections of my service and experiences in the Spanish-American war 1898-1899 (Detroit: privately printed, 1913)

Related Materials

185.6 Records of the Second Isthmian Canal Commission, 1904-16. Records of the Panama Canal, National Archives.

Bibliography

Hecker, Frank J. Activities of a lifetime, 1864-1923 (Detroit: privately printed, 1923)

Hecker, Frank J. Recollections of my service and experiences in the Spanish-American war 1898-1899 (Detroit: privately printed, 1913)

Partial list of company names represented in the Frank J. Hecker papers:

• American Indies Company.
• Baker-Whiteley Coal Company.
• E. J. Codd Company.
• Hamburg-American Steamship Company.
• H. W. Coffin & Company.
• International Navigation Company.
• J. B. King Transportation Company.
• Panama Railroad Company.
• Wagner Palace Car Company.

Subjects

Click on terms below to find any related finding aids on this site.

Subjects:

Spanish-American War, 1898--Equipment and supplies.
Spanish-American War, 1898--Transportation.
World War, 1914-1918.

Formats:

Contracts.
Ephemera.
Financial records.
Invitations.
Legal documents.
Letter books.
Maps.
Military records.
Orders (military records)
Photographs.
Scrapbooks.
Telegrams.

Names:

Isthmian Canal Commission (U.S.)
United States. Army. Quartermaster's Dept.
United States. Army--Equipment and supplies.
United States. Army--Transportation.
Hecker, Frank Joseph, 1846-1927--Archives.
Alger, Russell Alexander, 1836-1907.
Dodge, Grenville Mellen, 1831-1916.
Hecker, Frank Joseph, 1846-1927.
McKinley, William, 1843-1901.
Pershing, John J. (John Joseph), 1860-1948.
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919.
Bird, Charles, 1839-1930.
Bryson, George Eugene, 1864-1912.
Burr, William H. (William Hubert), 1851-1934.
Carter, William Giles Harding, 1851-1925.
Clous, J. W.
Corbin, Henry Clarke, 1842-1909.
Cortelyou, George Bruce.
Crawford, Joseph U.
Davis, George Whitefield, 1839-1918.
Drake, Edward A.
Eagan, Charles Patrick, 1841-1919.
Griscom, Clement Acton, 1841-1912.
Grunsky, C. Ewald.
Harrod, Benjamin Morgan, 1837-1912.
Hay, John Milton, 1838-1905.
Hayes, Rutherford Birchard, 1822-1893.
Loeb, William, 1866-1937.
Ludington, Marshall I., 1839-1919.
Meiklejohn, George de Rue, 1857-1929.
Miles, Nelson Appleton, 1839-1925.
Murphy, Dominic Ignatius.
Parsons, William Barclay, 1859-1932.
Shafter, William Rufus, 1835-1906.
Walker, John Grimes, 1835-1907.
Webb, William Seward, 1851-1926.
Young, Samuel Baldwin Marks, 1840-1924.

Places:

Detroit (Mich.)--Politics and government.