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Charles W. Duncan, Jr. business papers

 Collection
Identifier: MS 583
Finding aid note: Stored off-site at the Library Service Center. Please request this material via woodson@rice.edu or call 713-348-2586.

Scope and Contents

The Charles W. Duncan, Jr. business papers include correspondence, speeches and writings, memoranda, minutes, reports, studies, printed matter, photographs, memorabilia, newsclippings, and bound volumes. The papers are divided into four series covering the periods Duncan was head of Duncan Foods Company and president of Coca-Cola Co., 1958-1996; member and chair of Rice University's Board of Trustees, 1972-1996; and Deputy Secretary of U.S. Department of Defense and Secretary of the Department of Energy, 1977-1981. The fifth series includes drafts of his book, Three lives : a memoir published in 2013.

Dates

  • 1958-2013

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Stored off-site at the Library Service Center. Please request this material via woodson@rice.edu or call 713-348-2586.

Conditions Governing Access

The bulk of this material is open for research; however, some files are restricted as noted.

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to publish material from the Charles W. Duncan, Jr. Business Papers must be obtained from the Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University.

Biographical / Historical

Charles William Duncan, Jr. was born September 9, 1926, in Houston, Texas. He attended Rice Institute, where he majored in chemical engineering, served as an aviation cadet of the U. S. Army Air Force during 1944-46, and graduated with his B.S. degree in 1947. Following a stint as a roustabout and chemical engineer for Humble Oil and Refining Company (now Exxon); he joined his family's coffee importing and roasting firm, Duncan Foods Company, which produced Maryland Club Coffee. He married Anne Smith in 1957 and they have two children. Duncan Foods merged with Coca-Cola in 1964 and he worked as head of their European operations. He was elected president of the company in 1971. President Jimmy Carter, whom Mr. Duncan had gotten to know in Atlanta, brought him to the national capital to serve as Deputy Secretary of the U. S. Department of Defense from January 1977 to August 1979, at which point Mr. Duncan joined the president's cabinet as Secretary of the Department of Energy from August 1979 to January 1981, when President Carter left office.

After his government appointment ended, Duncan returned to Houston and established Gulf Partners (now Duncan Interests), an investment firm. Charles Duncan served many years as a Rice University trustee, including chairing the Rice Board of Trustees from 1982 to 1996, when he became chairman emeritus. Rice University’s 11th residential college was named in honor of Charles and Anne Duncan as is Duncan Hall. He continues to participate in professional activities in Duncan Interests and philanthropic activities.

Extent

33 Linear Feet ( (32 boxes + 1 oversized box))

Language of Materials

English

Overview

The Charles W. Duncan, Jr. business papers include correspondence, speeches and writings, memoranda, minutes, reports, studies, printed matter, photographs, memorabilia, newsclippings, and bound volumes. A 1947 graduate of Rice Institute, Duncan served under President Carter as Deptury Secretary of Defense and Secretary of Energy. He served as president of Coca-Cola, Co. and on the board of trustees of Rice University.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

This collection was donated by Charles W. Duncan, Jr in 2011-2014.
Title
Guide to the Charles W. Duncan, Jr. business papers, 1958-2013
Status
Completed
Author
Rebecca Russell
Date
2012
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the Woodson Research Center, Rice University, Houston, Texas Repository

Contact:
Fondren Library MS-44, Rice University
6100 Main St.
Houston Texas 77005 USA