urn:taro:utexas.cah.02697 A Guide to the Carl and Laura Brannin Letters, 1922-1925, 1955-1969 Original EAD encoding by Laurel Rozema according to TARO 2 EAD 2002 Editing Instructions. May 2011 Finding aid written in English. Descriptive Summary Brannin, Carl, 1888-1985 Brannin, Laura Haeckl, 1888-1965 Brannin, Carl and Laura, letters 1922-1925, 1955-1969 Materials are written in English. 71-162 1 1/2 in. Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin Comprising correspondence, notes, and newspaper clippings, the Carl and Laura Brannin Letters, 1922-1925, 1955-1969, document the Brannins’ observations of the government, industries, politics, religion, and other cultural aspects with emphasis on labor movements, the worker’s lot, and the exploitation or oppression of individuals and groups in Europe, North America, and Asia. Biographical Note

Born to Lewis and Catherine Brannin in Cisco, Texas, Carl Philip Brannin (1888-1985) received his B.S. degree in textile engineering from Texas A & M University in 1909. Deeply influenced by Henry George’s single-tax theory, he helped people find employment and organized classes on George, Upton Sinclair, and Walter Rauschenbusch at the Dallas YMCA. In 1914, Carl became editor of the newspaper People’s Press at the People’s Church and secretary of the lobby group People’s Power League in Cincinnati, Ohio.

In 1918, Carl married fellow People’s Church member and lobbyist Laura Haeckl (1888-1965), the daughter Joseph and Elizabeth Haeckl. Throughout the 1920s, the couple traveled extensively, while Carl worked with the labor news service the Federated Press and served as director of the Seattle Labor College. In 1933, Carl, Laura, and their son Robert moved to Dallas, where Carl unsuccessfully ran as the Socialist Party’s candidate for governor of Texas. Joining the Democratic Party in 1938, Carl helped establish the Dallas Civil Liberties Union and served as an executive committee member of the Dallas chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Sources:

Green, George N. Brannin, Laura Haeckl. Handbook of Texas Online. Accessed May 5, 2011. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbrcr.

Payne, Darwin. Brannin, Carl Philip. Handbook of Texas Online. Accessed May 5, 2011. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbrbn.

 Scope and Contents

Comprising correspondence, notes, and newspaper clippings, the Carl and Laura Brannin Letters, 1922-1925, 1955-1969, document the Brannins’ experiences traveling in Europe, North America, and Asia. Letters from the couple to their family, friends, and periodicals in the United States discuss their observations of the government, industries, politics, religion, and other cultural aspects with emphasis on labor movements, the worker’s lot, and the exploitation or oppression of individuals and groups in places visited, including Texas, Mexico, Belgium, France, Italy, Germany, Russia, Britain, Czechoslovakia, Israel, and Hong Kong. Additionally, the newspaper clippings draw from the content of the letters.

 Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research use.

 Index Terms Subjects (Persons) Brannin, Carl, 1888-1985 -- Archives. Brannin, Laura Haeckl, 1888-1965 -- Archives. Subjects International travel. Labor movement -- Asia. Labor movement -- Europe. Labor movement -- North America. Places Asia -- Description and travel. Europe -- Description and travel. North America -- Description and travel. Preferred Citation

Carl and Laura Brannin Letters, 1922-1925, 1955-1969, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.

 Processing Information

Basic processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with funds from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Briscoe Center’s History Revealed: Bringing Collections to Light project, 2009-2011.

 Detailed Description of the Papers Inventory: 3E262 Letter book, Carl and Laura Brannin, 1922-1925, 1955-1969