WL Austin to Chief Clerk, Department of Commerce
Title
WL Austin to Chief Clerk, Department of Commerce
Creator
Austin, William Lane, 1871-1949
Identifier
CB121313a-b
Date
1913 December 18
Description
Letter from Acting Director, WL Austin, to Chief Clerk, Department of Commerce, regarding suggestion from Rev. Alexander Walters to establish a division in the Bureau of the Census to handle matters pertaining to African-Americans.
Source
US National Archives and Records Administration 570/1/12/2 box #96 file #6700142
Publisher
Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum
Subject
African-Americans--segregation
Contributor
Althea Cupo
Maria Matlock
Walters, Alexander, 1858-
Language
English
Provenance
Digital copy acquired from federal archives by previous WWPL Archivist, Heidi Hackford.
Text
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
Re suggestion of Rev. Alexander Walters, Bishop of 3rd Episcopal Dist. of the A.M.E. Zion Church, for establishment in the Bureau of the Census of a division to handle matters pertaining to negroes.
The Chief Clerk,
Department of Commerce:
I wish to acknowledge the receipt of the letter of Rev. Alexander Walters, Bishop of the Third Episcopal District of the A.M.E. Zion Church, 208 West 134th Street, New York City, addressed to Hon. Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States, and informally referred to this Bureau by the Department.
In the absence of the Director of the Census, I do not feel justified in expressing any opinion on so important a suggestion as that submitted by the writer of this letter and am not prepared to say what the attitude of the Census Bureau would be regarding it.
The Director is expected to return next Monday and no doubt will give the matter his immediate attention. In the meantime I am sending you this memorandum so that the Department may make such immediate acknowledgments to the President as may be deemed proper in order to inform him regarding the present disposition of the Bishop's letter.
W. L. Austin
Acting Director.
[Handwritten notes]
Mr. Austin will ack. today. Case is a letter sent the President and simply referred here.
C.C.W.
1/5/14
Subject: Establishment of a division to handle matters pertaining to negroes. Letter replied to by Census
EHL
Re suggestion of Rev. Alexander Walters, Bishop of 3rd Episcopal Dist. of the A.M.E. Zion Church, for establishment in the Bureau of the Census of a division to handle matters pertaining to negroes.
The Chief Clerk,
Department of Commerce:
I wish to acknowledge the receipt of the letter of Rev. Alexander Walters, Bishop of the Third Episcopal District of the A.M.E. Zion Church, 208 West 134th Street, New York City, addressed to Hon. Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States, and informally referred to this Bureau by the Department.
In the absence of the Director of the Census, I do not feel justified in expressing any opinion on so important a suggestion as that submitted by the writer of this letter and am not prepared to say what the attitude of the Census Bureau would be regarding it.
The Director is expected to return next Monday and no doubt will give the matter his immediate attention. In the meantime I am sending you this memorandum so that the Department may make such immediate acknowledgments to the President as may be deemed proper in order to inform him regarding the present disposition of the Bishop's letter.
W. L. Austin
Acting Director.
[Handwritten notes]
Mr. Austin will ack. today. Case is a letter sent the President and simply referred here.
C.C.W.
1/5/14
Subject: Establishment of a division to handle matters pertaining to negroes. Letter replied to by Census
EHL
Original Format
Letter
To
Havenner, George C.
Files
Collection
Citation
Austin, William Lane, 1871-1949, “WL Austin to Chief Clerk, Department of Commerce,” 1913 December 18, CB121313a-b, Race and Segregation Collection, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum, Staunton, Virginia.