Frank S. Horne papers, 1927-1974 | Amistad Research Center

By jha

Printer-friendly |

Collection Overview

Title: Frank S. Horne papers, 1927-1974

Creator: Horne, Frank S. (1899-1974)

Extent: 22.0 Linear Feet

Date Acquired: 01/01/1975. More info below under Accruals.

Languages: English

Scope and Contents of the Materials

The papers of Frank Smith Horne measure approximately 22 linear feet and consist of 30,000 items dated between 1927 and 1974. Over half of the papers of the collection is personal and business correspondence. The other half consists of financial records, lists, minutes, legal documents, writings, press releases, reports, general items, newspaper clippings, and various collected publications. The papers have been arranged topically and chronologically.

Biographical Note

The varied careers of Frank Smith Horne included tenures as an optometrist, college administrator, and housing official. Horne also enjoyed mild success as a poet. He held positions with the Federal Public Housing Administration, Housing and Home Finance Agency, and the National Committee Against Discrimination in Housing.

Frank Smith Horne was born in New York City on August 18, 1899. He was the third of four sons. His father was Edwin Fletcher Horne, a private contractor and builder. His mother was Cora Calhoun Horne. His brothers were Errol, John Burke and Edwin Fletcher Junior. He lived as an optometrist, poet, writer, college administrator and government official. On August 19, 1930, he married Frankye Priestly Burn in New York City's The Little Church Around the Corner. She later died at the Tuberculosis League Hospital in 1939. Horne remarried in 1950 to Mercedes Rector.

In 1921, he graduated with a Bachelors of Science degree from the City College of New York, currently known as the City College of the City University of New York. In 1922, he graduated with an Optometry degree from Northern Illinois College of Ophthalmology, currently known as the Illinois College of Optometry. For four years, 1922-1926, he engaged in a private practice in Chicago and New York City. In 1932, he graduated from the University of Southern California with a Master's Degree. From 1927 to 1936, he served as the dean and acting president of Fort Valley Normal and Industrial School in Fort Valley, Georgia, currently known as Fort Valley State College.

Horne was also a poet and writer who wrote during the Harlem Renaissance period. He won several Opportunity magazine awards for poetry and prose essays, including the George Bruckner Award for, "Conspicuous Promise for Essay." In 1930, his works appeared in James Weldon Johnson's anthology of Negro Poetry. Horne attempted to have a collection of his own poems published under the title, Black Arabesque, in 1940, but was unsuccessful.

In 1936, he accepted a call from Mary McLeod Bethune to work in Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s "Black Cabinet" as Assistant Director of the Division of Negro Affairs, National Youth Administration in Washington D.C. In 1938, he joined Robert C. Weaver as Assistant Director for the United States Housing Authority, later named the Federal Public Housing Administration (FHA). In addition, he was involved with the National Housing Agency and Office of Housing Expeditor. In 1949, he was designated a member of the Civil Service Committee of Expert Examiners for the Housing and Home Finance Agency (HHFA). In May of 1950, he conducted HHFA research into the economic situation of Negro war workers. Horne was noted as being one of the founders of the National Committee Against Discrimination in Housing (NCDH).

In October of 1953, Horne was reassigned as "Assistant to the Administrator" of the HHFA after the Eisenhower administration made a concentrated effort to dismiss him. Horne considered the reassignment a "demotion." In 1954, he participated and aided in the defense of Edward Rutledge, a colleague accused of being a communist sympathizer. In addition, he conducted an intermittent fight to protect the rights of Leon Condol, a disabled World War I veteran. In 1955, he was terminated from the HHFA along with assistant, Corrienne Morrow, because of hostility from the Republican National Committee towards Horne's policies and achievements. Horne moved back to New York City in 1956 to work for City Government. Mayor Robert Wagner appointed Horne as the Executive Director of New York City Commission on Intergroup Relations.

Horne suffered a stroke in 1960 and the right side of his body was partially paralyzed. He wrote a collection of poetry titled, Haverstraw, while in the hospital. From 1962 to 1973, he became a consultant in human relations in the Housing and Redevelopment Board (HRB) in New York City. In October of 1964, he helped to write the NCDH's Ten Year Plan to end discrimination in housing. In February of 1966, he attended the Notre Dame Conference on Civil Rights legislation. In 1967, he helped to set up the Metropolitan Applied Research Center (MARC) training of human relations workers in modern techniques of anti-bias organizations. Later that year, he was awarded the plaque of the Housing and Urban Renewal Conference for "dauntless courage... in the battle for open housing." John V. Lindsay, the mayor of New York City, appointed Horne as the Assistant Administrator for Equal Opportunity in the Housing and Development Administration (HDA). The HDA later absorbed all of the functions of the HRB. He also received the HOEY award for work in human relations. In April of 1969, he aided the establishment of the NCDH/MARC Joint Research Training Program. In June of 1970, he began the initial research for the history of Racial Relations Service. The NCDH moved to Washington, D.C. from New York City at the insistence of the Ford Foundation.

In 1972, he retired from the HDA and accepted a consulting job with the NCDH. He began taping interviews for proposed history of Racial Relations Service and he accepted the MARC commission to write the history. Horne died on September 7, 1974.

Administrative Information

Accruals: There are two additions to the collection dating 1993 and 1995.

Acquisition Source: Edward Rutledge

Acquisition Method: Gift

Appraisal Information: The collection pertains to Horne's work in housing and race relations, to his professional and advocational writings and to his personal affairs. Major correspondents of note, include Mary McLeod Bethune, Edwin R. Embree, Langston Hughes, James Weldon Johnson, Clarence R. Johnson, Arna Bontemps, Frank Lichtensteiger, Laila L. Long, Henry Lee Moon, Jason R. Nathan, George B. Nesbitt, Rosey E. Pool, A. Phillip Randolph, A. Maceo Smith, Albert Thompson, William R. Valentine, Robert C. Weaver.

Preferred Citation: Frank S. Horne papers, Amistad Research Center at Tulane University, New Orleans, LA

Processing Information: This collection was processed in 1975.

Other Note: Correspondence Index attached as PDF.

Other URL: http://www.amistadresearchcenter.org/pdfs/Archon/Frank_Horne_Correspondence_Index.pdf

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Correspondence, 1927-1974],
[Series 2: Finances, 1955-1970],
[Series 3: Lists, 1952-1971, undated],
[Series 4: Minutes, 1952-1974],
[Series 5: Legal Documents, 1962-1974],
[Series 6: Writings, 1931-1974],
[Series 7: Press Releases, 1933-1973],
[Series 8: Reports, 1949-1974],
[Series 9: Other Materials, 1955-1971, undated],
[Series 10: Newspaper Clippings and Collected Publications],
[All]

Series 6: Writings, 1931-1974

Boxes 33-36

The section entitled "Writings" contains four boxes that are almost evenly divided between items written by Horne and articles penned by friends and acquaintances. The material Horne produced includes poems, magazine articles, and speeches. The "non Horne" material is entirely composed of speeches by fellow workers in the civil rights movement. Of special interest among the Horne material is the unpublished collection of poetry entitled Black Arabesque, which contains every major piece of poetry Horne wrote. There are also of tape recordings. Horne conducted some transcriptions with the former workers in the Racial Relations Department and the so-called "Black Cabinet" of the Roosevelt administration. These documents, although poorly transcribed, provide a unique source for the study of this period. There are 200 items related to this material. There is also in this section some "Horne Juvenilia." These early attempts at composition are useful in evaluating the development of Horne's artistry.

Among the speeches and articles provided by Horne's co-workers are Robert Weaver's eulogy of Ted Poston, Kenneth Clark's remarks on the anniversary of the Brown vs. Board of Education decision, Daniel Moynihan's observations on the "Politics of Stability" and George Nesbitt's outline of "Provision for Open Occupancy." Numerous items in this series are undated.

Box 33

Folder 1: "On the Blessings of the Radio", 1931 January
Folder 2: Fragments of poems, 1938 December - 1970 October
Folder 3: "Racial Issues in Housing", circa 1946
Folder 4: "Role of Housing in Intergroup Relations", circa 1954
Folder 5: "Rainbow", 1955 January
Folder 6: "Our Responsibility to the People", 1955 June
Folder 7: "Neighborhood Organization and Urban Renewal", 1955 October
Folder 8: "Statement to the American Veterans Convention", 1955 November
Folder 9: "Cleveland Speech", circa 1955
Folder 10: "Planning for Public Housing", 1956 December
Folder 11: "Immortality of the Ghetto", 1959 October
Folder 12: "Immortality of the Ghetto", 1959
Folder 13: "Haverstraw: Lyrics for the Halt", 1960 June - August
Folder 14: "Haverstraw", 1960
Folder 15: "Primary Needs in Harlem", 1961 March
Folder 16: "General", 1961
Folder 17: "Whither Urban Renewal", 1962 February
Folder 18: "Ressurrection", 1963
Folder 19: "Balm in Gilead", 1964 January
Folder 20: "Lyndon Baines Johnson", 1964 April
Folder 21: "Handling Social Dynamite", 1964 May
Folder 22: "Negroes: The New Power", 1965
Folder 23: "Achieving Integration in Housing", 1965 June
Folder 24: "Achieving Integration in Housing", 1965 June
Folder 25: General notes, circa 1965
Folder 26: "Kid Stuff", 1966 December
Folder 27: "Lament", 1966
Folder 28: "Let Go", 1966
Folder 29: "Let Go", 1966
Folder 30: "Model Cities: Promise and Threat", 1967 April
Folder 31: "Model Cities: Promise and Threat", 1967 April
Folder 32: The Stanley M. Isaacs Award, 1967 May
Folder 33: "Resurrection" Hoey Award speech, 1967 October
Folder 34: "Resurrection" Hoey Award Speech, 1967 October
Folder 35: "Old Lady", 1967 October
Folder 36: Acceptance of award for Interracial Justice, 1967 October
Folder 37: Board Order for Housing Redevelopment Board (HRB), 1967

Box 34

Folder 1: "Hubie", 1970 October
Folder 2: "Ghetto Gotta Go", 1971 March
Folder 3: "Ghetto Gotta Go", 1971 March
Folder 4: Nomination for Stanley M. Isaacs Award, 1971 April
Folder 5: Notes on history of Racial Relations Service, 1972 -1973: Contains transcript and sound recording of dinner table conversation between Frank Horne, Henry Lee Moon, Ed Rutledge, Bill Trent, and Bob Warren. The tape indicates that the discussion took place at the home of Ella and Bob Warren. They discuss politics and race relations from the early twentieth century onward. Personnel discussed include Clark Foreman, Mary McLeod Bethune, and A. Philip Randolph.
Folder 6: Notes on history of Racial Relations Service, 1972 - 1973: Consists of two sets of sound recordings and transcripts. In the first, Clarence Johnson and Frank Horne discuss African Americans and the New Deal, including ample discussion on labor relations. The second tape is Clarence Johnson's response to Horne's book Race Relations Operatives.
Folder 7: Notes on history of Racial Relations Service, 1972 - 1973
Folder 8: Notes on history of Racial Relations Service, 1972 - 1973
Folder 9: Notes on history of Racial Relations Service, 1972 - 1973
Folder 10: Notes on history of Racial Relations Service, 1972 - 1973
Folder 11: Notes on history of Racial Relations Service, 1972 - 1973
Folder 12: "This Day", 1972 April
Folder 13: "Proposed History of Racial Relations Service", circa 1973
Folder 14: The Housing and Urban Development Act of 1973, 1973 October
Folder 15: Untitled manuscript, circa 1973

Box 35

Folder 1: "Mary McLeod Bethune", undated
Folder 2: "White Folks Nigger", undated
Folder 3: "Jest Too Smart", undated
Folder 4: "Home Grown Wildcats" and "A Plea for Noise", undated
Folder 5: "The Pipe" and "Extra Curricular Activities in High School", undated
Folder 6: Poetry, various titles, undated
Folder 7: "I Never Saw Him Before", undated
Folder 8: "Race Space", undated
Folder 9: General notes, undated
Folder 10: "Balm in Gilead", undated
Folder 11: "Celestial Dramatugy", undated
Folder 12: Fragments, undated
Folder 13: "Reward... and Punish", undated
Folder 14: "Hubie", undated
Folder 15: Black Arabesque, manuscript, undated
Folder 16: "Afro-Amerikaanse Poezie", undated
Folder 17: "The Open City: An Evolution of a Policy", undated
Folder 18: Untitled, undated
Folder 19: "Georgetown's Democratic Housing" (C.P. Johnson), 1944 October
Folder 20: "Urban Housing and Minorities" (R.C. Weaver), 1955 June
Folder 21: "Build as We Fight" (J.R. Ray), 1955 September
Folder 22: "Segregation, Housing, and the Horne Case" (C. Abrams), 1955 October
Folder 23: Negro Workers' Conference (Stanley M. Isaacs), 1955 November
Folder 24: "The New Look in Public Housing" (R.C. Weaver), 1955 November
Folder 25: Address by J.R. Ray of the Racial Relations Service (RRS), 1955 December
Folder 26: "Public Housing is a Success" (J. Ihlder), 1955
Folder 27: "The Right of Petition" (D.N. Beach), circa 1955
Folder 28: "The Termination of Employment of C.R. Morrow", 1956 January
Folder 29: Remarks by Mayor F. Wagnor, State Commission Against Discrimination (SCAD) Conference, 1956 October
Folder 30: "I Believe" (M. Engleman), 1958 January
Folder 31: "Questions on Race Ethnic Group" (D. Kenyon), 1961 April
Folder 32: "Creating the Image" (R. Seaver), 1962 February
Folder 33: Address by R.C. Weaver, Housing and Home Finance Agency (HHFA), 1962 September
Folder 34: Talk by R.K. Bernstein, City Planning Conference, 1963 March
Folder 35: "A Look to the Future" (Loren Miller), 1963 April
Folder 36: Some Grievances and Remedies (E.B. Schwulst), 1963 August
Folder 37: "1963, A Focal Point in Civil Rights Struggle", 1964 April
Folder 38: "Notes from Judge Kenyon" (D. Kenyon), 1964 February
Folder 39: "Poverty: Message from the President", 1964 March
Folder 40: Statement of R.C. Weaver, Housing and Home Finance Agency (HHFA), 1965 March
Folder 41: Remarks by M. Mollen, Housing and Development Administration (HDA), 1965 May
Folder 42: Statement by H.B. Evans, Housing Redevelopment Board (HRB), 1965 May
Folder 43: Remarks by Constance Baker Motley, 1965 June
Folder 44: Address by E.A. Gibbs, Neighborhood Conservation Bureau, 1965 June
Folder 45: Speech by R.L. Carter, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) General Counsel, 1965 June
Folder 46: "Operation Open Occupancy", 1965 June

Box 36

Folder 1: "The Great Society Focus in Housing" (B.T. McGraw), 1966 February
Folder 2: Woman of the Year Award (Lena Horne), 1966 March
Folder 3: "Desegregating the Metropolitan Area" (G. Schermer), 1966 April
Folder 4: Remarks of E.J. Logue, Boston Redevelopment Authority, 1966 May
Folder 5: Statement by H.M. Squadron, Civil Rights Act, 1966 June
Folder 6: "The New York Report" (J.R. Nathan), 1966 July
Folder 7: Statement by R.C. Weaver, Housing and Urban Development (HUD), 1967 February
Folder 8: Statement by P.M. Klutznich, Senate Finance Committee, 1967 September
Folder 9: "The Politics of Stability" (D.P. Moynihan), 1967 September
Folder 10: "Federal Housing Administration's (FHA) Job Today", 1967 October
Folder 11: Statement by George B. Nesbitt, Housing and Urban Development (HUD), 1967 November
Folder 12: Commencement address by A.F. Brimmer, 1968 June
Folder 13: "Integration or Separation", 1969 April
Folder 14: Agnew's speech, National Alliance of Businessmen, 1970 March
Folder 15: B. Altman before Bronx Realty Board, 1970 September
Folder 16: R.M. Nixon on Equal Housing Opportunity, circa 1970
Folder 17: Address of D. Rockefeller, Regional Plan Association, 1971 February
Folder 18: Statement before U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, 1971 June
Folder 19: "Foreword", 1971 August
Folder 20: "One Year Later" (W. Young), 1972 March
Folder 21: "Ghettoization in America" (Aileen C. Hernandez), 1972 August
Folder 22: George Romney's speech to Mortgage Bankers Association, 1972 October
Folder 23: Ted Poston Obituary (Robert C. Weaver), 1974 January
Folder 24: "Twentieth Anniversary of Brown" (K.B. Clark), 1974 May
Folder 25: Statement by Kenneth B. Clark, 1974 May
Folder 26: GPA Conference, undated
Folder 27: Community Participation in Local Government, undated
Folder 28: "Housing for the Negro", undated
Folder 29: Excerpts from Dan Carpenter's remarks, undated
Folder 30: "On the Progress of Blacks" (H.J. Bryce), undated
Folder 31: "Response to Governor Rockefeller's Drug Plan", undated
Folder 32: Remarks from James T. Lynn, Housing and Urban Development (HUD), undated
Folder 33: "Methadone is No Answer", undated
Folder 34: Untitled, undated
Folder 35: Provision for open occupancy, George B. Nesbitt, undated
Folder 36: "A Resume" (Mildred Engleman), undated