Prompt Cast
The Santa Claus Association: Saving Children's Letters to Santa
TLDR The Santa Claus Association in New York City was created to save children's letters to Santa from being destroyed by the US Postal Service. Despite some controversy and investigation, the association was able to fulfill the requests of thousands of children for 15 years before being disbanded.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
The Santa Claus Association in New York City was created to save children's letters to Santa from being destroyed by the US Postal Service.
02:01
The Santa Claus Association initially allowed charities to fulfill children's letters to Santa, but after investigating some letter writers and finding inconsistencies, the Postmaster General reversed the decision and sent the letters back to the dead letter office.
03:54
In 1911, the Postmaster General allowed charities to fulfill children's letters to Santa, but in New York City, no one stepped up for two years until John Duvall Gluck Jr., a con man, offered to take over the Santa business for the post office.
06:07
John Duvall Gluck Jr., a con man, started the Santa Claus Association in New York City, which allowed residents to help fulfill children's letters to Santa.
08:41
The Santa Claus Association received an overwhelming amount of financial support from New Yorkers, allowing them to fulfill the requests of 28,000 children in the first year alone and continue their work for another 15 years.
10:31
The Santa Claus Association was investigated by New York's commissioner of public welfare for their financial records, but their lack of documentation saved them from being convicted of any crimes.
12:31
The Santa Claus Association was disbanded and the US Postal Service took over the operation, connecting children in need with donors.
Categories:
Society & Culture
