Hammond, George P. (George Peter), 1896-1993

George Peter Hammond was born on September 19, 1896 in Hutchinson, Minnesota, and spent the first 13 years of his life in Kenmare, North Dakota. In 1909 his family moved to California; they arrived in Fresno but shortly thereafter settled on a plot of land in nearby Caruthers. While his parents and older brother worked on the family's farm, Hammond attended the local grammar school, followed by high school in the town of Easton, eight miles away. He graduated in 1916 and started college at Berkeley in the fall of that year. At the beginning of his junior year (in Jan. 1919, due to World War I), he chose to pursue the study of Western American history and became one of Herbert Eugene Bolton's students. He also worked at the Bancroft Library for two hours a day. By attending summer school in 1919, Hammond was able to graduate with his class in the spring of 1920.

From the description of George P. Hammond papers, 1913-1992 (bulk 1920-1985). (University of California, Berkeley). WorldCat record id: 122570336

American historian, author, director of the Bancroft Library, and professor of history at various American universities.

From the guide to the George P. Hammond papers, 1566-1963, (L. Tom Perry Special Collections)

Literary club.

From the guide to the Roxburghe Club of San Francisco papers, 1950-1966, (L. Tom Perry Special Collections)

Biographical Information

George Peter Hammond was born on September 19, 1896 in Hutchinson, Minnesota, and spent the first 13 years of his life in Kenmare, North Dakota. In 1909 his family moved to California; they arrived in Fresno but shortly thereafter settled on a plot of land in nearby Caruthers. While his parents and older brother worked on the family's farm, Hammond attended the local grammar school, followed by high school in the town of Easton, eight miles away. He graduated in 1916 and started college at Berkeley in the fall of that year. At the beginning of his junior year (in Jan. 1919, due to World War I), he chose to pursue the study of Western American history and became one of Herbert Eugene Bolton's students. He also worked at the Bancroft Library for two hours a day. By attending summer school in 1919, Hammond was able to graduate with his class in the spring of 1920.

By the following year Hammond had not only completed his Master's degree in history, but also earned a teaching certificate from the University of California. Instead of becoming a teacher, however, Hammond took Bolton's advice to pursue further graduate work and became a teaching fellow in the History Department. Prior to this term, in August 1921, Hammond married Carrie Nelson, with whom he would have four children. After a year working with Bolton, Hammond was awarded the Native Sons of the Golden West Fellowship, which offered him the chance to study in Europe for a year (1922-1923). He spent this time primarily in the Archivo General de Indias doing research on Don Juan de Oñate and New Mexico, the subjects of his PhD. dissertation.

Hammond's doctorate was put on hold when Bolton urged him to accept a teaching position at the University of North Dakota. It was here that Hammond met Agapito Rey, a fellow historian with whom he would write multiple works. In the summer of 1924 Hammond finished his Ph.D., and after a second year teaching in North Dakota, accepted a more rewarding position at the University of Arizona. This post also lasted two years, and in the spring of 1927, the University of Southern California beckoned. While at USC, Hammond formed the Quivira Society, a group of scholars with the mission to publish rare Spanish documents. Another highlight from this period was his semester-long sabbatical in Mexico in 1933, where he photographed many documents in the Archivo General de la Nación.

Another opportunity presented itself in 1935, this time at the University of New Mexico, where Hammond was offered a multifaceted position as Professor of History and Head of the History Department, as well as Dean of the Graduate School. This position lasted for ten years, during which time Hammond also worked for the state's Historical Records Survey (1936-1939), and was an active member of the Coronado Cuarto Centennial Celebration (1940).

While on sabbatical from UNM in 1945-1946, Hammond was offered the directorship of the Bancroft Library. Over the course of the next twenty years he dramatically changed the nature of the library by acquiring collections, establishing formal policies and procedures, and fundraising through the Friends of the Bancroft Library, an organization created a month after he arrived. Although Hammond officially retired in 1965, he maintained an office as Director Emeritus until the late 1980s. He went to Spain on a Fulbright grant (1965-1967), continued to research and write, and remained active with the Friends of the Bancroft Library. Hammond passed away on December 3, 1993 at the age of 97.

From the guide to the George P. Hammond papers, 1913-1992, bulk 1920-1985, (The Bancroft Library)