Manuscripts
The collection is divided into the following series: Financial documents, Securities, Legal records, Correspondence, Ephemera, and Oversize. The chronologically-arranged financial documents, including general business, accounting, financial statements, deposited checks/vouchers, etc. of the Sinclair Consolidated Oil Corporation, members of the Sinclair family, and their associates. A separate subseries is available for audits. Chronologically-arranged Securities, which include stocks, bonds, receipts, certificates, promissory notes, etc. of the Sinclair Consolidated Oil Corporation, Sinclair family, and their associates. Brokerage Firm Transactions constitute a subseries of securities and are grouped alphabetically by firm name. Chronologically-arranged legal records including contractual agreements, affidavits, and other information related to legal claims against Sinclair Consolidated Oil Corporation and/or Harry F. Sinclair. In addition to general legal records, this series contains two subseries. The first consists of documents related to Teapot Dome, including leases, agreements, and reports. The second include tax records of Sinclair family and associates, which were submitted as evidence in the trials against Sinclair. Chronologically-arranged Correspondence to and from Harry F. Sinclair as well as correspondence among his business associates. When possible, the business correspondence was grouped with relevant financial and legal documents. This small series contains correspondence that does not conform to the above categories. Chronologically-arranged ephemera contain newspaper clippings, poems, etc. Noteworthy clippings include an article entitled "Where are these bonds?" from the St. Louis Post Dispatch (1928), containing the serial numbers of the bonds involved in the Teapot Dome Scandal as well as Harry F. Sinclair's obituary printed in the Daily Racing Form (Nov. 13, 1956). The chronologically-arranged oversize documents contain financial and tax-related records. Note that the four volumes in the oversize series are extremely fragile. Access to one of these items, "H.F. Sinclair Cash Disbursements" (1916-1918), may be restricted. Please consult the Manuscripts Department for more information. Notable participants include: Owen J. Roberts, Archibald B. Roosevelt, Arthur Young & Company, Chas. D. Barney & Co., Kissell, Kinnicutt & Co., Security-First National Bank of Los Angeles, Sinclair Consolidated Oil Corporation, Sinclair Oil & Refining Corporation, the Internal Revenue Service and Dept. of the Interior. Subjects include: Frederick Bonfils, Edward Doheny, Albert B. Fall, M. L. Requa, banks and banking, bonds, corporations, the oil and petroleum industries, securities, stockbrokers, tax protests and appeals and the Teapot Dome scandal. Note: The volume entitled "H.F. Sinclair Cash Disbursements" (1916-1918) contains mold. Therefore access to this item may be restricted. For more information, please contact Reader Services.
