Scope and Content Note
The papers of Florence Deakins Becker (1878-1969) span the years 1891-1963, with the bulk of the material dating between 1910 and 1963. The papers document her activities as a volunteer worker for several medical causes. Becker devoted her time and energies to combating cancer and tuberculosis. Her papers consist of the following seven series: Diaries, Family Papers, General Correspondence, Speeches and Writings File, Subject File, Miscellany, and Oversize.
The Diaries cover 1924, 1929, and 1944, with some undated entries. Subjects in the diaries and engagement calendars include the Michigan Tuberculosis Association and American efforts to render medical aid to French refugees during World War I.
Most information about Becker's personal life is in the Family Papers. Included is correspondence with various relatives and with her husbands, geologist George F. Becker (died 1919) and John Campbell Forrester, a British national who was a businessman and politician in Scotland and Bengal (India). Following her divorce from Forrester in 1930, Becker resumed her former married name.
The General Correspondence series includes business and personal letters as well as letters exchanged with prominent contemporaries. Business correspondence ranges from the American Public Health Association to professional associates such as Joseph Colt Bloodgood and Thomas E. Rush. Correspondence with friends includes letters exchanged with Clarence W. Barron, Suzanne Bartlett, W. Norman Brown, and Florence Keen. Other correspondents include William Edgar Borah, Edward T. Devine, William P. Dillingham, and William H. Taft.
The Speeches and Writings File provides insight into Florence Becker's extensive work in cancer prevention. Among the most significant material in this series are speeches about protective measures for women against cancer.
Becker was involved in a number of medical organizations, and there is considerable material on these activities in the papers. The Subject File documents her work with the Tuberculosis Association of Bengal, Urgent Relief for France, and the Ligue du Nord Contre la Tuberculose. Becker also studied and reported on medical conditions within veterans' hospitals. Other interests documented in the Subject File include the Maryland tercentenary, her founding of the George Ferdinand Becker Memorial Library in Independence, Virginia, and the Washington Animal Rescue League.
The Miscellany series contains scrapbooks, clippings, miscellaneous printed matter, financial papers, and memorabilia. There are also honors and awards, including La Medaille de la Reconnaissance Lilloise and a citation from the French Committee for Defense Against Tuberculosis.