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Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Hugh R. Jackson papers; Box and Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.
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Correspondence, minutes, documents, papers: Source of acquisition--Jackson, Mrs. Hugh R. Date of acquisition--1966.
Hugh Russell Jackson was born on October 14, 1912 in Kuttawa, Kentucky, the son of Dellem O. and Fannie Stillwell Jackson. He received a bachelor's degree from the University of Kentucky and a master's in public administration from Syracuse University. Jackson married Jean Forsch in 1937 and the couple would have two daughters, Pamela Jean and Patricia Ann.
From 1936 to 1939, Jackson was associate secretary of the State Charities Aid Association in New York, and was appointed director of public assistance for New York City by Mayor LaGuardia in 1939. In 1941, Jackson was appointed chief of operations of the civilian mobilization branch of the Office of Civilian Defense. He then served as assistant director of the U.S. Office of Foreign Relief and Rehabilitation Operations (OFFRO) from 1942 to 1943.
Jackson was involved in the creation of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA), which provided relief to refugees and other victims of World War II. He served as deputy director-general of UNRRA from 1942 to 1945, coordinating the distribution of food and supplies in series of missions throughout Europe.
Over the course of his life Jackson was also a governor of the Association of Better Business Bureaus, vice president of the Advertising Club of New York, president of the National Social Welfare Assembly, and director of United Community Funds and Councils of America.
Hugh Jackson died March 8, 1966.
Gift of Mrs. Jean Forsch Jackson, 1966.
Correspondence, minutes, documents, papers Surveyed Julie Miller 05/--/87.
Papers processed Tracy Thai, Barnard '12 2011.
Finding aid written Carolyn Smith 2013.
The collection consists of two boxes of material relating to Hugh Jackson's work as assistant director of the US Office of Foreign Relief and Rehabilitations Operations (OFRRO) from 1942 to 1943 and as deputy director-general of the United States Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) from 1942 to 1945. It contains information on the creation and operation of UNRRA and several folders on the UNNRA Balkan and Poland missions, and a smaller amount of material on OFRRO. Documents include correspondence, reports, meeting minutes, and photographs.
Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. Contact rbml@columbia.edu for more information.
This series contains several folders relating to the creation of UNRRA, including reports and correspondence that outline the scope of its responsibilities, its relationships with other relief organizations, and its interactions with the US military. There are also folders on the Balkan mission, which brought relief to Greece, Yugoslavia, and Albania, and the Poland mission. Both of these files cover the organization, goals, and plans of action involved in each mission.
This series is comprised of correspondence, memos, and reports filed by date. It contains documents from the day-to-day operations of UNRRA, such as requests for funds, clothing, food, or other items for specific groups, information on transporting refugees; staffing information, reports on food distribution, and plans for the organization. These memos were written to Herbert Lehman and other UNRRA officials. Also included are staff meeting minutes, which discuss UNRRA policy, budgets, and proposals, often at length and in great detail. Photographs of the first UNRRA meeting in Atlantic City, which include images of Lehman and Jackson, can be found in folder in this series.