U.S. Food Administration--North Carolina Records, WWI 8
Abstract
The U.S. Food Administration of North Carolina Records is composed of the original
correspondence, photographs, press releases, government reports, bulletins, books,
pamphlets, leaflets, and newspaper clippings, used by and retain in the office files
of the United States Food Administration in North Carolina during World War I. The
United States Food Administration was established by the Food and Fuel Control Act
on August 10, 1917, by President Woodrow Wilson's Executive Order 2679 A, in response
to the growing threat of food shortage for the Allied cause in World War I. The Food
Administration utilized volunteer administrative workers in each state, including
North Carolina, who volunteered their time to assist in the cooperation of farmers,
householders, and food traders, to ensure food stores were being maintained by farmers
and citizens. Also, food conservation education for the public was a major part of
the Food Administration's mission during the war.
With the approval of the North Carolina governor, a Federal Food Administrator was
appointed to oversee the operations of the U.S. Food Administration within the state.
The Administrator picked local authorities to lead the Food Administration within
each county and large city. North Carolina Governor Thomas W. Bickett recognized the
necessity for increasing the production of food crops in a state that focused upon
the growing of cotton and tobacco. In April 1917, he established a state food commission
that had no authority and no state funding; but, it set to work creating a statewide
organization of county food commissions to encourage the agricultural production and
conservation for the war effort. The state and county organizations of the Food Conservation
Commission were folded into the U.S. Food Administration in North Carolina upon the
creation of that body as a state agent of the federal administration in August 1917.
Henry A. Page was then named state food administrator for North Carolina on September
1, 1917. The records in the collection document all of the coordinated efforts between
the federal Food Administration and the state Food Administration.
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- U.S. Food Administration--North Carolina Records
- Call Number
- WWI 8
- Creator
- United States Food Administration
- Date
- 1914-1919
- Extent
- 6.850 cubic feet
- Repository
- State Archives of North Carolina
Restrictions on Access & Use
Access Restrictions
There are no restrictions of accessing this collection.
Use Restrictions
There are no restrictions of using this collection.
Preferred Citation
[Item name or title], [Box Number], [Folder Number], US Food Administration-North
Carolina Records, WWI 8, WWI Papers, Military Collection, State Archives of North
Carolina, Raleigh, N.C.
Collection Overview
The collection is composed of correspondence, photographs, press releases, government
reports, bulletins, books, pamphlets, leaflets, and newspaper clippings, documenting
the United States Food Administration in North Carolina during World War I from 1917
to 1919. The collection consists of the original operational records of the state's
wartime Food Administration. The collection is arranged in the following series and
subseries: Series I: North Carolina Food Conservation Commission Correspondence; Series
II: U.S. Food Administration in North Carolina; Series III: Press Releases; Subseries
IIIA: Federal Press Releases; Subseries IIIB: North Carolina Press Releases; Subseries
IIIC: Miscellaneous Press Releases; Series IV: Divisions of the US Food Administration;
Series V: Conference Reports and Memos of the US Food Administration; Subseries VA:
Federal Conferences; Subseries VB: North Carolina Conferences; Subseries VC: Miscellaneous
Conferences; Series VI: Regulations; Series VII: U.S. Food Administration College
Course Materials; Series VIII: U.S. Food Administration Subject Files; Series IX:
Publications; Series X: Miscellaneous Materials; and Series XI: Oversized Materials.
Arrangement Note
The collection is arranged in eleven series and six subseries, by format of the materials
or division of the Food Administration organizational structure, then organized chronologically
within each file folder. The series and subseries are as follows:
Series I: North Carolina Food Conservation Commission Correspondence
Series II: U.S. Food Administration in North Carolina
Series III: Press Releases
Subseries IIIA: Federal Press Releases
Subseries IIIB: North Carolina Press Releases
Subseries IIIC: Miscellaneous Press Releases
Series IV: Divisions of the US Food Administration
Series V: Conference Reports and Memos of the US Food Administration
Subseries VA: Federal Conferences
Subseries VB: North Carolina Conferences
Subseries VC: Miscellaneous Conferences
Series VI: Regulations
Series VII: U.S. Food Administration College Course Materials
Series VIII: U.S. Food Administration Subject Files
Series IX: Publications
Series X: Miscellaneous Materials
Series XI: Oversized Materials
Historical Note
The United States Food Administration was established by the Food and Fuel Control
Act on August 10, 1917 by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson's Executive Order 2679 A,
in response to the growing threat of food shortage for the Allied cause in World War
I. The executive order also called for the appointment of a federal administrator,
for which position Herbert Hoover was chosen as United States Food Administrator.
The order also called for the creation of the United States Fuel Administration. Executive
Order 2679 A required the Food Administration to meet the following program obligations:
a) assure the supply, distribution, and conservation of food during the war; b) facilitate
transportation of food and prevent monopolies and hoarding; and c) maintain governmental
power over foods by using voluntary agreements and a licensing system.
However, even before this time, President Wilson had laid the foundations for the
bill's passage. Immediately following the United States' entrance into World War I
on April 6, 1917, Hoover was overseeing the Commission for Relief in Belgium. At the
President's insistence, Hoover left Europe in May of 1917 to return to the United
States to help control the market on foodstuff in America. Volunteer run Food Administration
organizations were operating in each state prior to August 1917, trying to fulfill
the immediate needs of military enlistees and draftees heading to training camps.
Due to the growing demand from the Allied nations, the United States' saw its food
supplies depleting in addition to rising costs for American citizens. By that time,
U.S. Congressmen sought to give the President authority to conserve food, protect
producers, and protect consumers; while at the same time continuing to provide valuable
resources to the Allies. This broad authority was controversial, and it required extensive
debate in Congress, which explains the belated passage of the Food Control Act on
August 10, 1917.
The U.S. Food Administration immediately faced severe challenges as soon as it was
established. The most pressing issue was the crop shortage in the United States during
1917, which was countered by an intense campaign of food conservation and waste prevention.
In addition, the Food Administration sought to stop the hoarding of foodstuffs and
wartime profiting of supplies by food dealers. These measures had to be balanced with
the task of also ensuring that America's civilians had sufficient food stores on the
home front, and at the same time continuing to sustain the Allies' fighting men. These
issues were exacerbated by the Central Powers cutting off supply lines that connected
the Allies with other supply countries, such as Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia,
and Turkey, which had produced wartime goods and foods. The increased threat of naval
control of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans during the war threatened trade to other
counties, including Australia, China, and Argentina. This left North America as the
nearest market for food production to sustain the Allies during World War I.
The Food Administration was made up of administrative workers who volunteered their
time to assist in the cooperation of farmers, householders, and food traders. The
administration was divided into different division to increase productivity. These
divisions included the following Divisions: Cereals; Meats and Fats; Vegetables and
Fruits; Sea Food; Dairy Products; Sugar; Enforcement of Regulations; Exports and Imports;
Storage; Conservation; Railway Transportation; Overseas Transport; Distributions;
Licensing; Statistics; and various others. Hundreds of volunteer committees of workers
in the U.S. food industry, in addition to scientists, politicians, and farmers, interacted
to establish lines of communication and cooperation during the war.
Also at the state level, with the approval of the North Carolina governor, a Federal
Food Administrator was appointed to oversee the operations of the U.S. Food Administration
within the state. The Administrator picked local authorities to lead the Food Administration
within each county and large city. In total, around 8,000 volunteers served the Food
Administration nationally; while another 3,000 were paid salaries (mostly clerical
assistants received salaries). A total of around 750,000 part-time committee members
served the Food Administration nationally. Notably, most of the local committee members
were women.
Even before the United States entered the war, North Carolina Governor Thomas W. Bickett
recognized the necessity for increasing the production of food crops in a state that
focused upon the growing of cotton and tobacco. In April 1917, he established a state
food commission, composed of the state's commissioner of agriculture, William A. Graham;
director of the Agriculture Extension Service, B. W. Kilgore; president of the State
College of Agriculture and Engineering, W. C. Riddick; presidents of the Farmers'
Union, Dr. H. Q. Alexander; the State Farmers' Convention, John Paul Lucas; director
of the Home Demonstration and Canning Club Work, Jane S. McKimmon; and director of
Farm Demonstration Work in the state, C. R. Hudson. Attorney John Paul Lucas, a former
newspaper man, was designated as the commission's full-time executive secretary.
The commission had no authority and no state funding, as the commission was formed
during the adjournment of the North Carolina state legislature. However, they set
to work creating a statewide organization of county food commissions, to encourage
the conversion from cash to food crops, the tilling of vacant lands, the heavy use
of fertilizers to increase productivity, and the consumption of food products in the
vicinity in which they were grown. Chambers of commerce, local boards of trade, clergymen,
leading merchants, businessmen, and farmers, were engaged by the commission to forward
the work. In the four months of its existence, the Food Conservation Commission increased
the value of the state's food crop by an estimated $80 million.
The state and county organizations of the Food Conservation Commission were folded
into the Food Administration in North Carolina upon the creation of that body as a
state agent of the U.S. Food Administration in August 1917. Henry A. Page of Aberdeen,
N.C., was named as the state food administrator for North Carolina on September 1,
1917. Soon after, the Food Administration ordered the organization of county administrators
to oversee food conservation efforts in each of the counties in the state. This measure
of organization from North Carolina was later recommended by the Food Administration
in Washington for all of the states' food administrations.
After several efforts to reach out to the local communities in the state, the Food
Administration in North Carolina held its first Conference of County Food Administrators
in February of 1918, and later a second conference was held in June of the same year.
These conferences were opportunities to advance the mission of the federal Food Administration
at the local level, and assist county and town administrators in knowing how to conduct
their work in accordance with federal directives.
The North Carolina Food Administration (as it was informally referred to) would continue
to operate under the federal oversight of Herbert Hoover. An Executive Order dated
August 21, 1920, terminated the remaining branches of the U.S. Food Administration
both federally and at the state level. With the announcement of the coming Treaty
of Versailles that would officially end WWI, the North Carolina Food Administration
began shuttering its operations in early January 1919. During the war, the Food Administration
had been the largest administrative body in North Carolina, and was also one of the
most powerful in how it affected the daily lives of the state's citizens. On February
1, 1919, all remaining Food Administration staff (apart from Executive Secretary John
Paul Lucas and chief clerk Frances P. W. Adickes, and administrator Henry Page) were
released from their positions. As the war period wound down, Page and his remaining
staff kept their eyes on the stability of the cottonseed industry, and watching for
flagrant cases of war profiteering in food and foodstuffs. By spring of 1919, the
U.S. Food Administration in North Carolina's offices were closed.
Contents of the Collection
1. Box 1
North Carolina Food Conservation Commission Correspondence
Scope and Content:
Series I consists of letters, postcards, and telegrams, related to the creation and
running of the North Carolina Food Conservation Commission from April to August 1917,
prior to the official formation of the federal U.S. Food Administration in North Carolina.
The Food Conservation Commission was an all-volunteer run organization that saw the
state through the first four months of America's entrance in WWI, during which time
they worked to organize throughout the state at the local level in order to meet federal
food and foodstuff regulations.
Particular interesting topics discussed in Series I include a letter dated May 19,
1917, that speaks of the role of the housewife in conserving food and gaining the
participation of the African-American population (see Box 1, Folder 7). There is also
a typed letter, dated June 11, 1917, that was produced by secretary John Paul Lucas,
summarizing the potential of the North Carolina Food Conservation Commission during
the war (see Box 1, Folder 10). Another interesting item is a letter dated June 19,
1917, from Asbury F. Lever, the namesake of the Lever Act which created the United
States Food Administration (see Box 1, Folder 11). The series includes a brief outline
of the North Carolina Food Conservation Commission organization and mission in a July
6, 1917, letter (see Box 1, Folder 14). Finally, there is an August 18, 1917, letter
addressed to N.C. Governor Thomas W. Bickett that relates to the creation of the Negro
Conservation Club of Duplin County for food conservation efforts amongst the local
African American population in the county (see Box 2, Folder 1).
Because of the acidic nature of some of the documents, particularly items sent from
the North Carolina Food Conservation Commission (labeled in the box and folder list
as "Sent Correspondence"), these particularly acidic items were separated, being grouped
together in chronological order as "Sent Correspondence", arranged following the "Received
Correspondence" which relates to the Food Conservation Commission's reply to correspondence
from members of the public and public officials.
2. Box 2
U.S. Food Administration in North Carolina
Scope and Content:
Series II contains correspondence, photographs, and other materials related to the North Carolina Food Conservation Commission becoming part of the official federal U.S. Food Administration in North Carolina beginning in August 1917. Items of interest include: photographs and short biographies of the administrators of the U.S. Food Administration in North Carolina; lists of county food administrators in North Carolina; and a timeline of events of the U.S. Food Administration in North Carolina (see Box 2, Folder 4). There is also a plan of organization for the State Executive Committee of the Food Commission, which was sent to the various county administrators of North Carolina (see Box 2, Folder 12).
Press Releases
Scope and Content:
Series III is the largest series of the collection. It contains official press releases in a variety of formats that were distributed as part of the U.S. Food Administration's campaign to conserve food and foodstuffs during World War I. This series has been divided into three subseries: Federal Press Releases; State Press Releases; and Miscellaneous Press Releases.
Federal Press Releases
Scope and Content:
Subseries IIIA contains press releases sent by the U.S. Food Administration during World War I. The federal government would produce their original press releases, sending duplicate press releases to each state's Food Administrator for local publication of the releases in newspapers and other periodicals. Included in the subseries are the original indexes to the press releases. These indexes can help navigate through the press releases, which are organized numerically. Each press release index lists the press releases alphabetically by title, not by their date of publication, but does include the press release number. There are different indexes for federal and state press releases.
3. Box 3
4. Box 4
5. Box 5
6. Box 6
North Carolina Press Releases
Scope and Content:
Subseries IIIB contains press releases that were produced at the state level in North Carolina by the U.S. Food Administration in North Carolina. The releases could be either made in Raleigh, N.C., at the Food Administration's headquarters (where the majority of the press releases were issued from) or other cities in North Carolina. Subseries IIIB also contains an index to the state press releases; yet, the index does not cover the whole range of dates of the releases in the subseries. The index starts with September 1917 and ends with January 1919, giving very generic information on press releases and no exact dates for the months of September through December 1917. In addition, Subseries IIIB differs from Subseries IIIA in that Subseries IIIB has no formal system of numbering the press releases that the state officials used. For that reason, the subseries was organized chronologically by the date of the press releases (see Box 6, Folder 11-12).
Miscellaneous Press Releases
Scope and Content:
Subseries IIIC contains miscellaneous press releases and other documents related to
various aspects of the operation of the U.S. Food Administration during World War
I. Items of interest include in the subseries include: a typescript of an interview
with Dr. Ray L. Wilbur, who served as the chief of Food Conservation for the Food
Administration during World War I (see Box 7, Folder 7); a copy of a letter from U.S.
President Woodrow Wilson concerning the supply of food products, and undated notes
related to the participation of African-Americans with the food conservation effort
(see Box 7, Folder 9); and advertisements from the Food Administration (see Box 7,
Folder 10).
7. Box 7
U.S. Food Administration Divisions
Scope and Content:
Series IV contains correspondence, booklets, administrative documents, federal laws
and orders, organizational records, promotional materials, and other materials, related
to the formation and operation of the different divisions of the U.S. Food Administration
during World War I. At the height of its activities in September 1918, there were
44 divisions of the federal Food Administration. However, not all of these divisions
are represented within Series IV.
In addition, there are relatively few records for some divisions as compared with
others, such as the Statistical Division. The largest collection of materials related
to a single division of the U.S. Food Administration is the Statistical Division.
The smaller divisions' records include the following divisions: Accounting; Canned
Foods; Collateral Commodities; Coordination of Purchasing; Cottonseed Industry; Distribution;
Fishing Industry; Garbage Utilization; Groceries and Wholesale Distribution; Retail
Stores; Steamship; and Transportation. These divisions' records were compiled together
in the folders labeled "Miscellaneous Divisions" (see Box 8 Folders 8-9).
8. Box 8
U.S. Food Administration Conferences
Scope and Content:
Series V contains reports, memos, meeting minutes, and correspondence, related to
various official conferences held by the U.S. Food Administration during WWI. The
majority of the series concerns the Food Administration conferences at the federal
level (see Box 8, Folder 10; and Box 9 Folders 1-7). There is also documentation of
two conferences that the state of North Carolina held for its Food Administration
program.
In addition, a folder containing materials on various conferences held around the
U.S., including the proceedings of the Southeastern Food Conference held in Atlanta,
Georgia, on April 5, 1917; and the Conference of Wholesale and Retail Grocers, Hotel
and Restaurant Proprietors, held in Orlando, Florida, on December 19, 1917 (see Box
9, Folder 10). Series V was organized chronologically according to the conference
date(s), as opposed to the original arrangement of the conferences alphabetically
by conference name (that was used under the previous arrangement scheme).
9. Box 9
U.S. Food Administration Regulations
Scope and Content:
Series VI contains correspondence, official Food Administration records, and other documents related to the federal governmental regulations placed upon foodstuffs during World War I. The regulations are organized alphabetically by the name of the foodstuffs or topic they relate to, with general regulations arranged first within the series.
10. Box 10
11. Box 11
U.S. Food Administration College Course Materials
Scope and Content:
Series VII contains correspondence and college food conservation course materials, documenting the U.S. Food Administration's efforts to educate college students on food conservation and preservation during World War I. Items of interest in the series include a college course outline related to State Normal College (modern-day University of North Carolina-Greensboro), where Minnie L. Jamison served as the Assistant Home Demonstration Agent (see Box 11, Folder 6). There is also a two-part series written by Charles R. Van Hise, devoted to Higher Education Course Lecture Outlines to be used by the colleges (see Box 11, Folder 7). The course outline from the U.S. Food Administration for their college courses contains descriptions of the courses represented by individual lessons within this series (see Box 11, Folder 8). Each course is organized to showcase the progression of lectures for each week of the specific course. Organized in the end of each folder containing the course lessons are the blank examinations the Food Administration created for colleges to give at the end of the food conservation course. These are actual lessons given throughout the state of North Carolina in 1918.
U.S. Food Administration Subject Files
Scope and Content:
Series VIII contains a photograph, correspondence, government records and forms, and
typescripts, organized as subject files relating to various food and foodstuffs' topics.
The subject files contain miscellaneous materials used by the federal and state Food
Administrations in operating food conservation programs (see Box 11, Folder 12). The
subject files are organized alphabetically by topic, then chronologically within each
folder. The series also contains original price reports on various foods and foodstuffs
within North Carolina during World War I from 1917 to 1919.
Items of interest in this series include a world map illustrating the food situation
in Europe (see Box 12, Folder 6), and lists of North Carolina bankers, merchants,
and businessmen during WWI (see Box 13, Folder 4). There are also questionnaire reports
that Henry A. Page, state food administrator, compiled in order to summarize North
Carolina's wartime activities with the U.S. Food Administration (see Box 14, Folder
3).
12. Box 12
13. Box 13
14. Box 14
15. Box 15
Publications
Scope and Content:
Series IX contains publications in various formats and sizes-such as official statements, bulletins, books, pamphlets, and leaflets-used by the federal and state U.S. Food Administration to promote various aspects of food conservation, alternative cooking options, foodstuffs facts, and other aspects related to the Food Administration's wartime mission. Additionally, a group of publications were produced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and used by the Food Administration for farm crops (see Box 16, Folders 12-15). The series is organized by format of the publications.
Bulletins
Books
16. Box 16
Pamphlets
Leaflets
Department of Agriculture Publications
17. Box 17
Miscellaneous Materials
Scope and Content:
Series X consists of correspondence, form letters, press releases, lists, and other miscellaneous items, related to the U.S. Food Administration's operations during World War I that do not fit within any other series of this collection. Items of interest include: a letter dated November 21, 1918, from James B. Dudley of the Negro Agricultural and Technical College of North Carolina (present-day North Carolina A & T State University) (see Box 17, Folder 9); an original national draft bowl number that was drawn during the federal draft for World War I (see Box 17, Folder 10); and a labor advertisement for African-American farm laborers in New Hanover County, N.C. (see Box 17, Folder 15).
18. Oversized Materials
Scope and Content:
Series XI consists of oversized materials which were originally folded and stored in regular file folders within the collection. The oversized items have been arranged by size within the corresponding size of archival storage boxes and acid-free folders. The series includes oversized publications, documents, lists, posters, and bulletins. All of these materials were removed from the original U.S. Food Administration in North Carolina's office files (the boxes and folders from which the oversized items were removed are listed in brackets after the oversized item description).
Acquisitions Information
This collection was acquired in multiple parts by the North Carolina Historical Commission from 1918 to 1926. The bulk of the collection was acquired by Fred A. Olds, collector for the North Carolina Historical Commission's Hall of History, prior to the publication of the 1918-1920 North Carolina Historical Commission Biennial Report in 1920. The materials were donated by Henry A. Page, North Carolina Food Administrator for the U.S. Food Administration during World War I. This acquisition was described in the report under the heading U. S. Food Administration as follows: "Complete record of the U. S. Food Administration in North Carolina, 10,000 pieces, 1917-1920, turned over by Col. F. A. Olds from Henry A. Page, Food Administrator. Miscellaneous material, 500 pieces, 1917-1920."All of the materials in this collection were acquired or collected as part of the North Carolina Historical Commission's on-going World War historic materials collection project, which was authorized by Sections 3 and 4 of Chapter 144 of the North Carolina Public Laws and Resolutions in 1919.
Processing Information
In 1964, Maurice S. Toler and John R. Woodard of the North Carolina Department of Archives and History prepared a finding aid for the "World War I Papers, 1903-1933," which consisted of thirteen series of records. This was the first known formal organization of the World War I materials, and a basic finding aid for these papers completed to the box and item level was finalized on June 30, 1964. The state's Food Administration records had been organized originally under the "series" labeled "Food Administration Papers," and as series eleven (written in Roman numerals).
The collection was originally organized based on titled subject files, as used by the North Carolina food administrators during World War I. The subject file labeling was an in-house system that state administrator Henry Page and his staff relied on to access press releases, correspondence, bulletins, and other materials by the subject coverage of the materials-rather than by the formats, dates, or series arrangement. This resulted in a collection with various formats intermingled throughout, with photographs, newspaper clippings, publications, government reports, and press releases not organized according to their format. Often, the subjects listed on the folders had no relevancy to a large number of materials within the folders themselves. None of the subject folders had dates, either, making accessing the items more difficult. As of May 2017, this collection was infrequently used by researchers, as they did not understand what was in the collection from the arrangement and description that existed.
This collection was reprocessed in 2017 to improve the description of the collection, and better organize the materials for easier access by researchers. To maintain the preservation of the collection and increase accessibility to the collection, a processing plan was formed around the original history of the U.S. Food Administration in North Carolina. The goal was also to help properly store different formats separate from one another within the appropriate archival enclosures. Added detailed description was provided at the item level for photographs and oversized materials. Oversized items such as posters and oversized documents-originally folded and stored in regular file folders in the collection-have been relocated to Oversized Folders 1-5
Certain measures were taken to separate formats further within a series, such as in "Series I: North Carolina Food Conservation Commission Correspondence." Copies of correspondence sent from the North Carolina Food Conservation Commission were made on very acidic paper, and this was previously filed alongside the corresponding letter that North Carolinians sent to the Commission on much better quality paper. To remove the risk of acid transfer, these correspondence copies were stored together at the folder level as "Sent Correspondence, and filed chronologically along with correspondence received (listed as "Correspondence Received") by the North Carolina Food Conservation Commission.
Paper clips and rusted metal fasteners were removed (where possible) from the items in the collection. Original materials were removed from bindings that were turning acidic, causing damage to the materials. Newspaper clippings and newspaper articles which were retained were photocopied as preservation copies, to protect other archival materials in a given folder from being further discolored by the acidity in the newspaper clippings. Newspaper citations were retained on the preservation copy if such information was pre-existing on the original newspaper clippings. A number of badly torn or faded documents were photocopied as preservation copies, to save the informational content of the records for collection users. Some torn documents or pages of letters were placed in acid-free archival plastic photograph sleeves.
All of the photographs have been numbered with a soft HB No. 2 pencil on the back, according to the collection number, the folder number, and an individual image number. For example, the number "WWI 8.B2.F4.1" should be interpreted as "WWI 8 collection, Box 2, Folder 4, Photograph 1." The identification of these images has been created in the finding aid, but not written on the photographs themselves. Historical research was conducted to provide dates and descriptions of the images where none was written on or attached to the photographs.