Envision a self-educated railroad engineer becoming an oilman. This man also became a developer, aviator, scientist, farmer, musician explorer and philanthropist. That man was George Allan Hancock. We are standing before the Allan Hancock Foundation.
Allan Hancock was born in San Francisco. He was born and raised near the La Brea tar pits. His father acquired 4400 acres from the Rancho La Brea property. Allan inherited this land.
The Hancock family developed Hancock Park in the 1920s. They used profits from oil drilling. The drilling occurred in the former Rancho La Brea. Allan Hancock was a sea captain. He could captain any vessel of any size. He made expeditions to the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
In 1939, he founded the Allan Hancock Foundation. He gave the Velero III to the Foundation. He later added several other vessels. The University of Southern California housed the foundation. Extensive results from expeditions were published through the university.
The Allan Hancock Foundation Archive contains the records of the Foundation. George Allan Hancock established it at USC. The Foundation focused on oceanographic research and exploration. It was housed in a building on USC’s campus. The building included a Museum. The museum was composed of 4 rooms from the Hancock Mansion. The Hancock Mansion was originally located at Vermont Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard. Also a Library was part of the Foundation. It housed the collection of the Boston Society of Natural History. The broadcast center for KUSC was also located there.
From 1925 to 1960, the Allan Hancock Foundation funded and organized expeditions. They used vessels Velero III and IV. These expeditions studied the Pacific Ocean. They explored the coast of South America. This included the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, Panama, and Baja California. The foundation also explored a portion of the Caribbean during its 1939 voyage. The organization continued until the 1980s.
Besides his business skills, Hancock was an accomplished cellist. He was also an avid sailor. He was licensed to captain any sailing vessel. Allan Hancock was also an aviator. He formed the Hancock Ensemble. The ensemble was later associated with his Hancock Foundation at USC.
He captained many of the Foundation’s early scientific expeditions. These included expeditions to the Galapagos Islands. In 1928 he opened the Hancock College of Aeronautics in Santa Maria, California.
In 1934, Hancock became involved in a tabloid sensation. It concerned Germans living in a nudist colony on Galapagos. There were several mysterious murders in the colony. Hancock was said to have “rescued” the companion of one of the victims.
Hancock served on the University of Southern California’s Board of Regents. In 1937, he received an honorary doctoral degree in Business Administration from the University. Soon after, Hancock began plans to construct a building on the USC campus for the Hancock Foundation.
In 1939 Hancock funded the construction of a new building for the Foundation. It was dedicated in 1941. With the dedication, Hancock also donated his yacht, the Velero III, to USC. This was for oceanographic studies. In 1948 a new ship, the Velero IV, was commissioned exclusively for the use of the Foundation. It remained in service until the mid-1980s.
Allan Hancock died on June 1, 1965. The Foundation, Museum, and Library he established continued to function for three more decades. Eventually, they were absorbed into other USC operations.
Remember Allan Hancock. He was more than just a name. He was a multifaceted man who left an indelible mark. His legacy lives on through this foundation. It fostered exploration and scientific advancement for decades.