Collection context
Summary
Background
- Scope and content:
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The collection consists of diaries, approximately 5600 photographic negatives (including panoramas), 10 scrapbooks of photographic prints (of the Phillipines, Alaska, Texas, and Mexico), short stories written by Beckett, and printed matter. The photographs are, by and large, arranged chronologically and are described in detail by Beckett. The date range is 1912-1969.
- Biographical / historical:
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Clarence Tucker Beckett was born in West Point, Mississippi in 1878 and died in California in 1969. He attended the Davis Military Academy, Georgetown University (Kentucky), and the University of Mississippi. Educated as an attorney, he worked for the secretary of the San Francisco Bar Association from 1919-1924. Through his long military career he saw vast changes, witnessing the last time a United States Army’s Cavalry would play a significant role in warfare; while at the same time seeing the First Aero Squadron engage in military action. He was involved in the Spanish-American War, the Philippines during the Moro uprising, Pershing’s expedition into Mexico in 1916, and the First World War (although he was stationed in Texas). One of Beckett’s lifetime interests was photography and during his service in the military, Beckett spent hours on this hobby. “First and foremost a soldier,” he was nevertheless dedicated to getting the perfect shot and with his Kodak 3A slung over his shoulder, he captured Army life in intimate and momentous ways. He endured remote outposts and deserts, managing to produce pictures which provide insight into Army life at a pivotal time, where the United States’ military might was just beginning to flourish. Bibliography Bonnett, Wayne. Presidio Soldiers: San Francisco and Beyond: The Photography of C. Tucker Beckett 1912-1917. Sausalito, CA: Windgate Press, 2012. P.
About this collection guide
- Date Prepared:
- 1912-1969
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using Record Express for OAC5 on April 17, 2025, 11:28 a.m.
Access and use
- Restrictions:
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Please contact the Sutro Library to arrange a time to research the collection.
- Terms of access:
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The library can only claim physical ownership of the collection. Users are responsible for satisfying any claimants of literary property.
- Preferred citation:
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Beckett(C.Tucker), 1912-1969. California State Library, Sutro Library
- Location of this collection:
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SFSU - J. Paul Leonard Library1630 Holloway Ave, Room 610San Francisco, CA 94132-4030, US
- Contact:
- (415) 469-6100