Manuscript Collections - Wiiliam B. Causey Papers

WIILIAM B. CAUSEY PAPERS, 1890-1935
3 linear feet, 1 linear inch (7 manuscript boxes)
Herbert Hoover Presidential Library

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

William B. Causey was born in 1865 in Suffolk, Virginia and educated in private schools. In 1883 he began his career as a chairman for the Atlantic and Danville Railroad in Virginia. He later worked as an engineer and superintendent for several railroads. From 1914 to 1917 he was vice president and general manager of the Norwood-White Coal Company in Des Moines, Iowa.

Causey joined the army in 1917 and was assigned to the Seventeenth Engineers. He was appointed by Herbert Hoover in December 1918 to the American section in the Inter-Allied Mission sent to Vienna to investigate economic conditions. For the next five years he was also part of the American Relief Mission and a technical advisor to Austria.

In 1923 Causey was appointed City Manager of Norfolk, Virginia. In 1925 he joined the White Construction Company a general contractor in Chicago. He died in 1936.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

The papers primarily document William Causey’s work as technical advisor to Austria, his investigative trip through Europe, and the difficulties post war relief. The correspondence between Causey and James Logan provide insights into the reconstruction of Austria. In addition, the papers contain Causey’s reminiscence of the American Relief Association in Russia and a first-person account of the Russian revolution. The collection is arranged alphabetically, either by topic or by type of material.  

FOLDER LIST

Box Contents

1

Allied Railway Mission

Correspondence, 1919 (3 folders)
History, 1919
Log of Travel, 1919
Plan for Transportation Advisors, 1919

 American Relief Administration, 1919-1923 (2 folders)
Austria

Correspondence – Alphabetical

Atwood, William, 1919-1921
Castle, William, 1921
Dent, Francis, 1919-1923
Logan, James, 1919-1920 (3 folders)

2

Logan, James, 1920-1923 (3 folders)
Roosevelt, Nicholas, undated (Ford mission)

Correspondence – General, 1919-1923 (7 folders)

3

Luxemburg Protocol, 1919
Medal of Honor, 1925
Miscellaneous, 1921-1923
Praise for Work Done, 1923
Reports on Problems and Conditions in Austria, 1921
Resume of Work in Central Europe, 1919-1923
Social obligations, 1922-1923
Weiner Bank statements, 1919-1923 (3 folders)

League of Nations, 1922-1923 and undated (2 folders)

4

Miscellaneous

Austrian Railway Memorabilia, 1919-1923
Causey, J. C. circa 1924 (Florida timber investment),
Causey, W. B., Rehabilitation of the Austrian Railroad, 1932
Donau Korrespondnez, News Out of Middle and Southeast Europe, 1924
Moore, M. J. (Millard John), 1929
Russian Revolution – Anonymous First Person Account, circa 1917-1919
Thompson, Dorothy, 1923
United States Engineers – Ooh la la times, 1918-1919
Villach Region Engineering Drawings, 1920

Norfolk City Manager

Correspondence, 1923-1925
Newspaper Clippings, 1923-1925
Retirement, 1925

5

Personal

American Relief Association Review, 1931 (includes Causey reminiscence)
Biographical Information, 1936
Chicago Railway Company, 1911-1913
Comments on Speech Made at Monday Club, 1924 (Causey, ARA)
Correspondence – Army, 1916-1921
Correspondence, 1890-1935 (6 folders)
Hoover Inauguration, 1929
Recommendations for Engineering Jobs, 1890-1896
Seventeenth Engineers Regiment – Roster and Reminiscences, 1917-1919

6

Photographs

General, 1918-1934 and undated (3 folders)
Austrian Railways, 1918-1923 (2 folders)
Autographed Portraits, 1918-1924 (includes HH, John Pershing)
Unidentified, undated
Pan-American Trip to Virginia, 1925

7

Oversized items

Army Commission Certificate, 1900
Army Citation for Service, 1919
Order of Railway Conductors Testimonial, 1901
Serbian Order of St. Sava Award, circa 1921